Lynne E. Hewitt

'What did you say'?: understanding conversational breakdowns in children with speech and language impairments

The study examined the types of mistakes children make during conversations with a familiar partner. The current investigation differs from previous studies because it asked what it is about the language of children with specific language impairment and phonological disorder (SLI:PD) that causes mothers to ask for clarification. Videotaped interactions were coded with the Breakdown Coding System to describe breakdowns. Not surprisingly, results indicated that children with SLI:PD were more difficult to understand than peers because of phonological errors and reduced intelligibility, supporting long-held beliefs about the functional impact of phonological impairments. Less predictable, however, was the finding that when children with SLI:PD were intelligible, mothers had more difficulty understanding them because of ambiguous utterances and underspecified pronouns, or because of semantically inappropriate or inaccurate information. Implications are discussed, and breakdown descriptions are presented as a useful supplement to current assessment methods and intervention planning.

Perspectives on Support Needs of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Transition to College.

This article outlines some of the factors leading to challenges in succeeding in college environments for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Individuals with the intellectual ability to pursue postsecondary education still need individualized and ongoing supports from their families and others to ensure success. Social challenges may impede integration into college, but other factors related to executive functioning and higher order planning are also critical. Suggestions for program planning, and five principles for designing programs, are provided on the basis of a review of cognitive and psychosocial factors, grounded in the extant literature, and supported by examples drawn from early evaluation of a pilot university-based program for individuals with ASD. The importance of working on higher order skills and independent problem-solving during the latter years of secondary education, prior to attempting the transition to college, is emphasized.

Influence of Question Type on Response Adequacy in Young Adults with Autism.

Sources of difficulty in comprehending conversational questions for individuals with autism may be multifarious, given the complexity of the disorder. This study investigated success in responding to naturalistic conversational questions by six young adults with autism, using a quantitative discourse analytic method. Subjects, aged 19-21, who were able to converse in at least simple sentences, were engaged in conversation about events and activities in their lives. From the transcripts of these conversations, four types of questions were isolated for analysis: more than seven words in length; multiclausal; requiring inference; and indirect requests for information. It was predicted that inference-based questions would be more difficult than the other types. Findings did not support this prediction. All four types showed a higher failure rate than the overall failure rate for responses to conversational questions. Clinical implications include the need for conversational assessment of receptive language functioning for individuals with autism. Suggestions for such assessments are provided.

A Coding System for Describing Conversational Breakdowns in Preschool Children

Analysis of children’s breakdowns offers a rich data source, potentially revealing patterns of weakness in children’s communication ability. The purpose of the present study was to present a fine-g...

The Relationship Between Phonological Memory, Phonological Sensitivity, and Incidental Word Learning

This study investigated the cognitive abilities needed to succeed at incidental word learning, specifically by examining the role of phonological memory and phonological sensitivity in novel word learning by 4-year-olds who were typically developing. Forty 4-year-olds were administered a test of nonword repetition (to investigate phonological memory), rhyming and phoneme alliteration tasks (to investigate phonological sensitivity), and an incidental word learning task (via a computer-based presentation of a cartoon story). A multiple regression analysis revealed that nonword repetition scores did not contribute significantly to incidental word learning. Phonological sensitivity scores were significant predictors of incidental word learning. These findings provide support for a model of lexical acquisition in which phonological knowledge plays an important role.

Intervention to Improve Expressive Grammar for Adults with Down Syndrome.

Recent investigations have supported the ability of persons with Down syndrome to continue learning language on into adulthood. The importance of intervention to increase communicative competence is evident—what is not known is the effectiveness of such intervention. The authors report here on a series of case studies that investigated a language intervention that targeted syntax for adults with Down syndrome. The intervention used a hybrid approach combining naturalistic intervention contexts with structured elicitations of targets. Three adults with Down syndrome, ranging in age from 29 to 52 years, participated in 12 treatment sessions targeting grammatical morphemes. Results indicated that all three participants increased their use of target structures in obligatory contexts.

Does It Matter What Your Client Thinks? The Role of Theory in InterventionResponse to Kamhi

Kamhi (2000) presents a case study of a child with a phonological impairment whose view of the intervention process led her to refuse to work on her goals with anyone other than her clinician. In this response, the potential clinical impact of discrepant views among the participants in a clinical intervention is discussed. In particular, it is argued that subjectivity is inherent in all interactions, but that different theories place differing emphasis on the importance of the subjective states of interactional participants. Three prominent theories of intervention are discussed: social interactionist, behaviorist, and information processing. It is argued that discrepancies between a clinicians and a clients view of what is happening during clinical interactions may complicate intervention. It is further argued that theoretical eclecticism may have a particularly negative impact, as it will increase the likelihood of misunderstandings. A conclusion is that, when clashes in perspectives arise, they force the clinician to make explicit what he or she believes-what causes disorders, what processes work to remediate them, and why.

Structure and Function of Verbal Conflicts among Adults with Mental Retardation.

The discourse competence of mentally retarded residents of a group home was studied by examining their arguments. Tape recordings of naturally occurring speech were collected by a participant observer; the arguments therein were transcribed for analysis. Arguments among the residents gave evidence of being an acceptable and sought after discourse genre, and residents were able to participate in them successfully regardless of their linguistic ability. These arguments often exhibited a pragmatically useful assertion/contradiction pattern in relation to an original statement, extending over many turns. The results showed that: (a) the majority of arguments exhibited a constrained discourse pattern; (b) many of the residents’ arguments did not, and were not designed to, resolve conflicts; (c) residents were able to maintain extended interactions during arguments; (d) arguments observed were neither disruptive nor dysfunctional; and (e) augments functioned as a positive source of social interaction.

The Role of Secondary-Stressed and Unstressed-Unreduced Syllables in Word Recognition: Acoustic and Perceptual Studies with Russian Learners of English.

The importance of secondary-stressed (SS) and unstressed–unreduced (UU) syllable accuracy for spoken word recognition in English is as yet unclear. An acoustic study first investigated Russian learners’ of English production of SS and UU syllables. Significant vowel quality and duration reductions in Russian-spoken SS and UU vowels were found, likely due to a transfer of native phonological features. Next, a cross-modal phonological priming technique combined with a lexical decision task assessed the effect of inaccurate SS and UU syllable productions on native American English listeners’ speech processing. Inaccurate UU vowels led to significant inhibition of lexical access, while reduced SS vowels revealed less interference. The results have implications for understanding the role of SS and UU syllables for word recognition and English pronunciation instruction.

Assessment Considerations for College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

As more students identified with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) graduate high school and aspire to a college education, the need for intervention and support targeted to their needs has become apparent. Designing effective programs of support rests on comprehensive and appropriate assessment. This article provides a critical review of areas to consider in clinical assessment of language, communication, and related areas by the speech–language pathologist working with adolescents and young adults attending, or planning to attend, postsecondary education. Findings of this critical review indicate a growth in research investigating speech, language, communication, and social abilities in adults with ASD. Although the literature provides relatively little explicit evidence for selecting assessments for adults with ASD, the research does provide guidance on areas important to include in a comprehensive assessment. Guidance for planning an assessment, including both formal and informal tools, is provided.