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PyeongChang…why is it so very difficult to think of a word finding cue for this county in South Korea??  I looked it up on Wikipedia, and got the following pronunciation guide:  /ˌpjʌŋˈtʃæŋ/) .  I am thinking the difficulty is that we don’t have corresponding words in English with phonological sequences like ˌ/pjʌŋ/.  So how to associate a familiar word with this?  I came up with “pee on chain.”  Do you think any parents will be offended that I used “pee”?  I’m sure their children have heard much worse.  So here’s my word finding cue for PyeongChang:

Remember – Divide the word into syllables and make them very explicit.  Count the syllables and clap them or tap them out. Link an “easy to retrieve” word with the evasive syllables.  Think the cue, say the real word.  Say the word aloud 5 times, then make up a meaningful sentence using the word.  “Pee on chain” is pretty silly…but sometimes the silly cues are the ones the kids remember.  Enjoy the Olympics – and remember the games are in PyeongChang!

imes the s

“So where is the Super Bowl being held this year?” I asked Charlie, my football-crazed second grade word finder.  “Um, yeah, um, minnpul, no, um..”   He could tell me about the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles, and even knew the quarterbacks’ names.  But the host city?  It was tricky.  We came up with the cues “mini/apples.”

This is just one more example of how individualized word finding difficulties may be.  This young man had no trouble with the names of the teams.  Perhaps this is because the media have been saturated with that information this week. Using Dr. Diane German’s mnemonic approach (modified a bit), Charlie now has no trouble retrieving the word “Minneapolis.”

Step 1:  Make each syllable very explicit: count them out, tap them, clap them, or hop to each syllable. Whatever is age-appropriate and fun.

Step 2:  Associate simple, easy-to-retrieve words with the evasive syllables. Think the cues; say the real word.

Step 3:  Say the word ALOUD 5 times. Aloud doesn’t mean LOUD.

Step 4:  Make up a meaningful sentence using the word.

Step 5:  Give your SLP a high-five.

I call this a “word finding 5.”  Have fun watching the Super Bowl.  And remember where it will be played!

This has been a cold, snowy winter in the Midwest, and all sorts of erratic weather on both coasts.  We’re all ready to party!  It’s almost Valentine’s Day!  Your word finders will be better able to join in the fun if you help them anticipate the vocabulary they will need.  I have typically brought in plastic forks to demonstrate “tines.”  It’s Valentine’s Day, not Valentime’s Day.  This year, however, I’m trying something different.  I’m going to associate the cue “tiny” with the syllable “tine”.  Maybe the more familiar vocabulary word will be more easily retrieved.

Talk to your speech kids about what their classroom plans are.  Remember that retrieval is largely determined by frequency of use and recency of use.  They haven’t used words like “cupid” since last year.  Practice the evasive words in meaningful sentences and conversation.  Make sure they can retrieve the names of all their classmates!

Do they need cues for particular words? “Cute” and “stupid” are easy-to-retrieve cues for that chubby cherub Cupid.  A large X on some coins (change) will help them find the word “exchange.”  Remember to count the syllables and make them very explicit.  Have the child say the word aloud 5 times, and make up a meaningful sentence using the word.   Most of all, have fun!

Each year I try to present cues for holiday words.  Remember to present Christmas and Hanukkah word finding cues NOW so your speech therapy kids have the holiday vocabulary they need at their fingertips.  Listen to their own language:  what activities they are anticipating?  What do they want for Christmas?  What are their plans for winter break?  Here is a link to my earlier vocabulary list, accompanied by cues: https://www.wordfindingforkids.com/its-time-to-pre-teach-holiday-vocabulary/

Remember that the most significant determiners of ease of retrieval are frequency of use and recency of use.  The kids on your caseload may not have used words like wreath, reindeer, and Frosty since last year.  They don’t need cues for every word, just the ones that are evasive for them.  I love to sing Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs with the kids to reinforce vocabulary.  The rhythm, rhyme, and familiar tunes are a recipe for successful retrieval.   Obviously, that activity will depend on the religious culture of your caseload!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Perhaps you are in the midst of dealing with relatives who have converged on your home and you are seeking a moment of calm.  Or perhaps, like I am, you are avoiding the next step in cooking a turkey dinner.  However Thanksgiving finds you, I hope you are able to take a moment and reflect on the many blessings we have all received.  If you are a regular reader, you know that I am a neuroscience geek.  This article piqued my interest!

Thanks to my daughter’s Twitter tweet, I just read a fascinating article from Technology Review about Artificial Intelligence, or AI (see link below).  Neuroscientists have taught us about how language is processed in the brain.  We’ve learned about neurons being stimulated in “neighborhoods.”  We’ve seen how the lemma is connected to a syntactic form and associated with a phonological representation, which may or may not be converted to a successful oral utterance.  There are steps along the way that may interfere with communication.  But what can technology teach us about this process?

The article explains how the “deep learning” of AI is understood by understanding “backprop.”  Geoffrey Hinton of Toronto is considered the father of “deep learning.”  The article explained “backprop” in this way:

The author, James Somers, uses the example of how AI recognizes a picture of a hotdog! “The way it works is that you start with the last two neurons, and figure out just how wrong they were: how much of a difference is there between what the excitement numbers should have been and what they actually were? When that’s done, you take a look at each of the connections leading into those neurons—the ones in the next lower layer—and figure out their contribution to the error. You keep doing this until you’ve gone all the way to the first set of connections, at the very bottom of the network. At that point you know how much each individual connection contributed to the overall error, and in a final step, you change each of the weights in the direction that best reduces the error overall. The technique is called “backpropagation” because you are “propagating” errors back (or down) through the network, starting from the output.”*

Perhaps if we learn more about the mathematical models used in AI we will understand better how our own brains produce speech.  Can we backprop errors and figure out why we said, “mashed tomatoes”   instead of “mashed potatoes”?  What can we learn from technology that will help speech/language pathologists treat our patients more efficiently? And what can technology learn from human communication?  Perhaps another question is how can human communication teach technology about understanding and producing language?

* https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608911/is-ai-riding-a-one-trick-pony/

Here is a question from Coleen, an SLP in Canada:

I have a few students whom I think fit the Error Level 3 patterns. Many of them also make frequent syntactical errors at the sentence level.  For instance, they often omit the ‘small’ words such as auxiliary verbs or -ing word endings.  They do this in running conversation in addition to tasks which involve sentence repetition AND in oral reading tasks.

She goes on to explain what she is doing currently: What I have done is chosen particular goals in a particular sentence structure (such as using ‘is’ or ‘am’, with a way to transition to the contracted form. I have provided visual cues, such as sentence shape cues (kind of like the boxes you use for syllables, but different shapes for different parts of the sentence), and then we practice in a drill-like format using picture description.  I know this is inadequate.  Even with the visual cues faded, they are able to include these words when practicing, but they still don’t use them consistently  in conversational speech, in repetition tasks in other settings, and in oral reading.  I suspect that I need to do more of the rehearsal in conversational speech, but I’m not sure how to bridge that, AND I wondered if you had any suggestions, such as mnemonic  cues for inconsistent use of syntax endings?

 It’s difficult to determine whether errors are based on incomplete syntactical knowledge or on word finding difficulties.  The inconsistency that Coleen described suggests to me that word finding difficulties may be the culprit.  I like to try mnemonics; if the strategy is successful, then you are likely dealing with a retrieval-based problem.

After teaching that present progressive forms need an ing ending, practice the mnemonic ting a ling, jing a ling.  I like to use a little tune as added input (how about Jingle Bells?).  Use Diane German’s technique:  Link the cue to the evasive syllable, repeat aloud 3 times (I prefer 5 times), then use the word in a meaningful sentence.

Similarly, teach that the –ed past tense ending may sound like /d/ or /t/ .  Link crushed it or pumped it up for the /t/ sound, and blasted to remember the /d/ sound.  You can read a more complete description of Dr. German’s process here: https://www.wordfindingforkids.com/an-endorsement-from-the-word-finding-guru/

Auxiliary verbs is and are may also benefit from mnemonic cues.  Try a buzzing zzzz sound for is, and a pirate arrrrrgh for are.          

I like Coleen’s use of the visual sentence shapes.  The more modalities involved, the better! Carryover is always a challenge.  As a stepping stone to conversational speech, I like to have the kids practice dialogs using the target syntactic forms.  If your setting allows it, ask classmates to visit your speech session so they can practice with their peers.  Push into the classroom and collaborate with the classroom teacher to ask questions that will require the morphological endings  or auxiliary verbs in the answers.

Does anyone have other suggestions to add?  Please continue the conversation!

I nearly forgot!!  Here is a reprise of my Halloween word finding dialog.  Use it for awareness.  Have the kids read it (or you read to them) and have them identify the word finding difficulties.  Are there types of errors they recognize in their own speech?  Most of all, have FUN!

Beth; Hey, guys, let’s get ready for trick or treat day!

Lauren: Trick or treat day? What’s that?

Beth: You know, that day when we wear costumes and go trick or treating.

Lauren: Oh, you mean Halloween!

Beth: Yeah, Halloween. I have a big thingamajig to put candy in.

Lauren: A thingamajig? What do you put your candy in?

Beth: It’s one of those things on your bed.

Lauren: A sheet? A blanket? A pillow?

Beth: No, the cover to a pillow…a pillow case.

Lauren: OK, so you’ll put your candy in a pillow case. What are you dressing up as?

Beth: I have one of those things that wraps around your shoulders…like Batman

wears.

Lauren: A cape?

Beth: yeah, a cape. A black cape. And I’m going to wear fake hair.

Lauren: You mean a wig?

Beth: A cape and a wig. And I think I’ll carry a sweeper thing.

Lauren: A sweeper thing. You mean a broom?

Beth: Yeah, a broom. Don’t you think my costume will be scary? I want to be a

scary old ghost. I mean, a witch. What is your costume like?

Lauren: I’ll have a black cape, too. Only I won’t carry a broom. I’m going to wear a

mask and pretend I have a Batmobile.

Beth; A Batmobile! You must be dressing up as Spiderman. Oops, I mean Batman!

It’s time to prepare your speech kids to retrieve Halloween vocabulary words.  Start with their own costumes and party plans.  Are they able to retrieve the words they need to discuss their own costumes, classroom party plans, and trick-or-treat plans?  Individualize cues they need to fit their own agendas.  What costumes are hot this year?

They haven’t used words such as skeleton, jack-o-lantern, mummy, and cauldron since last year.  Seasonal vocabulary such as harvest, apple cider, and crops will also need to be refreshed.  Remember to ask the kids to say the words ALOUD and use them in meaningful sentences.  Connect evasive syllables with familiar, easy-to-retrieve words.  On the home page of this blog is a link to mnemonic cues for vocabulary items by grade level.  There is a specific page for holiday words.  If you need a reminder of how to anchor evasive words with mnemonic cues, here is the link: https://www.wordfindingforkids.com/an-endorsement-from-the-word-finding-guru/

Practice, practice, practice! Help the kids on your speech therapy caseload feel confident in talking with their friends, families, and classmates about the fun days ahead.

Have you read about the latest tradition to hit NCAA sports?  The Iowa Hawkeyes are now delighting children from the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital with waves and smiles at the end of the first quarter of each home game.

In the shadow of the Children’s Hospital is the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic, where I got my BA and MA many, many years ago.  Tens of thousands of fans are brightening the lives of seriously-ill children on Saturday afternoons.  These links will tell you more:

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/20744480/iowa-hawkeyes-hospital-wave

http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2017-09-21/iowa-football-fans-wave-childrens-hospital-hawkeyes-newest

So what does this have to do with word finding?  Not a lot…except that it all boils down to communication among people.  Communication enriches our lives and improves our health. I am proud of my Hawkeyes!