I frequently see numerous posts on Facebook that ask group members, “What are your activities/goals for a particular age group (e.g., preschool, middle school, high school, etc.) or a particular disorder (e.g., Down Syndrome)? After seeing these posts appear over and over again in a variety of groups, I decided to write my own post on this topic, explaining why asking such broad questions will not result in optimal therapeutic interventions for the clients in question. Continue reading Dear SLPs, Try Asking This Instead
Author: Tatyana Elleseff
Tatyana Elleseff MA CCC-SLP is a bilingual speech-language pathologist who specializes in working with multicultural, internationally & domestically adopted as well as at-risk children with complex communication disorders in a hospital, school, and private practice settings. She has been published in several magazines including Adoption Today, Adoption Advocate, Advance for Speech Language Pathologists as well as ASHA Perspectives on School-Based and Global Issues. She has also presented for a number of medical, academic and non-profit organizations as well as speech language hearing associations including Speechpathology.com, American Academy of Pediatrics: Council on Foster Care, Adoption and Kinship, New Jersey Taskforce on Child Abuse and Neglect, New Jersey, Long Island, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Wayne County, and Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Associations, New York City Department of Education, Greenwich Public Schools, Speech-Language & Audiology Canada as well as North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC).
Speech, Language, and Literacy Fun with Karma Wilson’s “Bear” Books
In my previous posts, I’ve shared my thoughts about picture books being an excellent source of materials for assessment and treatment purposes. They can serve as narrative elicitation aids for children of various ages and intellectual abilities, ranging from pre-K through fourth grade. They are also incredibly effective treatment aids for addressing a variety of speech, language, and literacy goals that extend far beyond narrative production. Continue reading Speech, Language, and Literacy Fun with Karma Wilson’s “Bear” Books
Why “good grades” do not automatically rule out “adverse educational impact”
As a speech-language pathologist (SLP) working with school-age children, I frequently assess students whose language and literacy abilities adversely impact their academic functioning. For the parents of school-aged children with suspected language and literacy deficits as well as for the SLPs tasked with screening and evaluating them, the concept of ‘academic impact’ comes up on daily basis. In fact, not a day goes by when I do not see a variation of the following question: “Is there evidence of academic impact?”, being discussed in a variety of Facebook groups dedicated to speech pathology issues. Continue reading Why “good grades” do not automatically rule out “adverse educational impact”
How Early can “Dyslexia” be Diagnosed in Children?
In recent years there has been a substantial rise in awareness pertaining to reading disorders in young school-aged children. Consequently, more and more parents and professionals are asking questions regarding how early can “dyslexia” be diagnosed in children.
In order to adequately answer this question, it is important to understand the trajectory of development of literacy disorders in children. Continue reading How Early can “Dyslexia” be Diagnosed in Children?
Editable Report Template and Tutorial for the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy
Today I am introducing my newest report template for the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy.
This 16-page fully editable report template discusses the testing results and includes the following components: Continue reading Editable Report Template and Tutorial for the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy
New Additions to My Comprehensive Report Tutorials and Templates
I have previously written regarding my line of products on the topic of: “Comprehensive Report Tutorials“. I had already added a number of editable comprehensive report templates to my online store.
These templates summarize popular speech-language pathology tests with meticulous detail. Each editable template will contain:
- Formal testing results breakdown in the form of a table
- A detailed overview of each subtest including a variety of hypotheses behind the student errors
- Summary of the students perceived deficits on the test and their correlation with language/literacy based deficits
- Long-term goals and detailed short-term’s objectives
Below is a select list of templates which are already available:
- Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills
- Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – 5: Metalinguistics
- Listening Comprehension Tests (Elementary and adolescent versions)
- WORD Tests (Elementary and adolescent versions)
- Tests of Problem Solving (Elementary and Adolescent versions)
- Social Language Development Tests (Elementary and Adolescent versions)
- Executive Functions Test- Elementary
- Tests of Reading Comprehension
- Tests of Written Expression
- Comprehensive Tests of Phonological Processing
Available templates to date:
- TILLS Report Template
- SLDTE Report Template
- SLDTA Report Template
- CELF-5M Report Template
- TOPS-3 Report Template
- TOPS-2 Report Template
Continue reading New Additions to My Comprehensive Report Tutorials and Templates
What Makes an Independent Speech-Language-Literacy Evaluation a GOOD Evaluation?
Three years ago I wrote a blog post entitled: “Special Education Disputes and Comprehensive Language Testing: What Parents, Attorneys, and Advocates Need to Know“. In it, I used 4 very different scenarios to illustrate the importance of comprehensive language evaluations for children with subtle language and learning needs. Today I would like to expound more on that post in order to explain, what actually constitutes a good independent comprehensive assessment. Continue reading What Makes an Independent Speech-Language-Literacy Evaluation a GOOD Evaluation?
On the Limitations of Using Vocabulary Tests with School-Aged Students
Those of you who read my blog on a semi-regular basis, know that I spend a considerable amount of time in both of my work settings (an outpatient school located in a psychiatric hospital as well as private practice), conducting language and literacy evaluations of preschool and school-aged children 3-18 years of age. During that process, I spend a significant amount of time reviewing outside speech and language evaluations. Interestingly, what I have been seeing is that no matter what the child’s age is (7 or 17), invariably some form of receptive and/or expressive vocabulary testing is always mentioned in their language report. Continue reading On the Limitations of Using Vocabulary Tests with School-Aged Students
What are They Trying To Say? Interpreting Music Lyrics for Figurative Language Acquisition Purposes
In my last post, I described how I use obscurely worded newspaper headlines to improve my students’ interpretation of ambiguous and figurative language. Today, I wanted to further delve into this topic by describing the utility of interpreting music lyrics for language therapy purposes. I really like using music lyrics for language treatment purposes. Not only do my students and I get to listen to really cool music, but we also get an opportunity to define a variety of literary devices (e.g., hyperboles, similes, metaphors, etc.) as well as identify them and interpret their meaning in music lyrics. Continue reading What are They Trying To Say? Interpreting Music Lyrics for Figurative Language Acquisition Purposes
Have I Got This Right? Developing Self-Questioning to Improve Metacognitive and Metalinguistic Skills
Many of my students with Developmental Language Disorders (DLD) lack insight and have poorly developed metalinguistic (the ability to think about and discuss language) and metacognitive (think about and reflect upon own thinking) skills. This, of course, creates a significant challenge for them in both social and academic settings. Not only do they have a poorly developed inner dialogue for critical thinking purposes but they also because they present with significant self-monitoring and self-correcting challenges during speaking and reading tasks. Continue reading Have I Got This Right? Developing Self-Questioning to Improve Metacognitive and Metalinguistic Skills