The use of differing verb types in the oral narratives of school-age children.

The aim of this project was to examine age-related use of action, metacognitive, and metalinguistic verbs because factors related to verb transparency are thought to impact word learning. Performance on fictional, oral narratives elicited using a single-episode picture was evaluated for 84 children with typical language (TL) and 38 age-matched children with a Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) ranging in age from 5;1 to 14;4 years of age. Narrative samples were transcribed and coded for occurrences of action verbs (AV), metacognitive verbs (MCV), and metalinguistic verbs (MLV).

School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Engagement With Evidence-Based Practice: An Update With Implications for Implementation Research.

Purpose: We replicated a prior survey study (Hoffman et al., 2013) to document current evidence-based practice (EBP) patterns as reported by school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) during the 2021-2022 school year.

Method: Via an online survey, SLPs reported their training experiences and needs, workplace resources, and frequency of engagement in EBP activities.

Prologue: improving clinical practice from the inside out.

Purpose: This prologue introduces a clinical forum entitled "Reflections on Improving Clinical Practice" and orients the reader to the scope of articles included within it.

Method: The purpose of the clinical forum is described, its lead article is introduced, and brief summaries of the 7 response articles are provided.

Conclusions: The commentaries in this clinical forum draw on scientific evidence and assert that current intervention services for children and adolescents who have language and learning disorders could be improved.

Evidence-based speech-language pathology practices in schools: findings from a national survey.

Purpose: This study documented evidence-based practice (EBP) patterns as reported by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) employed in public schools during 2010-2011.

Method: Using an online survey, practioners reported their EBP training experiences, resources available in their workplaces, and the frequency with which they engage in specific EBP activities, as well as their resource needs and future training format preferences.

Results: A total of 2,762 SLPs in 28 states participated in the online survey, 85% of whom reported holding the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology credential.

An exploratory study of clinician real-time morpho-syntactic judgements with pre-school children.

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of employing real-time morpho-syntactic judgements. A system of capturing real-time judgements of children's utterances was implemented using a modified talk-time sampling procedure with 13 monolingual, English-speaking US pre-school children who had standard scores above 85 on a norm-referenced measure of language ability, four of whom had histories of diagnosed language deficits and were receiving language therapy. The remaining participants (n = 9) were typically-developing.

Overlap in speech-language and reading services for kindergartners and first graders.

Purpose: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and reading professionals provide educational services to children who are at risk for reading difficulties, although these professions do not necessarily coordinate efforts. To date, there is limited evidence regarding the proportion of children who receive services from both professionals. The current study reports the prevalence and overlap of speech-language and reading services provided to kindergartners and first graders in Virginia.

Concurrent and construct validity of oral language measures with school-age children with specific language impairment.

Purpose: This study investigated the psychometric properties of 2 oral language measures that are commonly used for diagnostic purposes with school-age children who have language impairments.

Method: Two hundred sixteen children with specific language impairment were assessed with the Test of Language Development-Primary, Third Edition (TOLD-P:3; Newcomer & Hammill, 1997) and the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL; Carrow-Woolfolk, 1999) within a 3-month period. The concurrent and construct validities of these 2 published tests were explored through correlation analysis and principle-component factor analysis.

The effects of Fast ForWord Language on the phonemic awareness and reading skills of school-age children with language impairments and poor reading skills.

Purpose: To examine the efficacy of Fast ForWord Language (FFW-L) and 2 other interventions for improving the phonemic awareness and reading skills of children with specific language impairment with concurrent poor reading skills.

Method: A total of 103 children (age 6;0 to 8;11 [years;months]) with language impairment and poor reading skills participated. The children received either FFW-L computerized intervention, a computer-assisted language intervention (CALI), an individualized language intervention (ILI), or an attention control (AC) computer program.

The utility of school-age narrative microstructure indices: INMIS and the proportion of restricted utterances.

Purpose: This research investigated the applicability of the index of narrative microstructure (INMIS; L. M. Justice et al.

The efficacy of Fast ForWord Language intervention in school-age children with language impairment: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the language and auditory processing outcomes of children assigned to receive the Fast ForWord Language intervention (FFW-L) with the outcomes of children assigned to nonspecific or specific language intervention comparison treatments that did not contain modified speech.

Method: Two hundred sixteen children between the ages of 6 and 9 years with language impairments were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: (a) Fast ForWord Language (FFW-L), (b) academic enrichment (AE), (c) computer-assisted language intervention (CALI), or (d) individualized language intervention (ILI) provided by a speech-language pathologist. All children received 1 hr and 40 min of treatment, 5 days per week, for 6 weeks.

Verbal and spatial information processing constraints in children with specific language impairment.

A dual-processing paradigm was used to investigate information processing limitations underlying specific language impairment (SLI). School-age children with and without SLI were asked to recall verbal and spatial stimuli in situations that varied the number of tasks that were required and the speed at which stimuli were presented. Children recalled digits or locations of X's that were presented on a computer screen.