Accelerated Growth for the Late Beginning Listener… Types, Tools, Teams, and Tactics

1. Accelerated Growth for the Late Beginning Listener…Types, Tools, Teams, and Tactics August 2-3, 2012 Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency Kathryn Wilson, M.A., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT Walker & Wilson 2011

2. Agenda • Introduction • Types: Who are they? Why do they start late? • Tools That Work! • Transitioning to Spoken Language from a Manual Approach • Teams of Parents & Professionals • Tactics: Lessons with Late Starters • Integration of Speech, Language, Listening & Standards/Application

3. Learner ObjectivesParticipants will be able to… • Describe the different types of late beginning listeners and possible reasons for beginning spoken language after the age of five years. • Identify tools and resources critical to the success of individuals beginning the learning of spoken language. • Describe the modifications in professional practices necessary to serve late-beginning listeners.

4. Learner ObjectivesParticipants will be able to… • Explain the roles of educators, SLPs, and parents when spoken language is initiated past the optimal age. • Explain the specific needs of children who are transitioning to spoken language from a manual approach. • Demonstrate knowledge of integrated lesson plans i.e. academics, speech, language, and listening. • Develop lesson plans integrating academic content related to the Iowa Core Standards with speech, language, and auditory targets.

5. Being Late: The Consequences Walker & Wilson 2011

6. Introduction Walker & Wilson 2011

7. Points to ponder… • What do parents want for their child? • I want my child to…. • What are the advantages of being able to understand and use spoken language?

8. If accelerated spoken language growth is essential to achieve the long-term goal, what is the most effective modality for the acquisition of spoken language?

9. Auditory Brain DevelopmentWhat Do We Know? • The infant brain is loaded with auditory designated tissue. • Initially neurons in the auditory cortex are like laborers with no job assignments. • Neuro-plasticity is greatest during the first 3 ½ years of life. • The auditory system is not fully developed until age 15.

10. Auditory Brain DevelopmentWhat Do We know? • Before 3 ½ is optimal. The auditory system is not mature until age 15 so.… • How late is too late? 6? 7? 8?

11. Our task..Preparing children for the workplace in the 21st Century By the mid-1990s, entry level jobs required higher reading skills than the lowest 40-50% of our high school students. Education is not doing worse……… Walker & Wilson 2011

12. …the job market now demands higher minimum verbal and math skills to find employment than it does to go to college. (p. 151 Fielding, et al., 2007) Walker & Wilson 2011

13. Can we all agree? In the US, public schools deliver 85% or more of their curriculum by reading textbooks, whiteboards, worksheets, and computer screens. Students must read well to do well. It matters little what else they learn in elementary school if they do not learn to read at grade level. (p. 48, Fielding et.al., 2007) Walker & Wilson 2011

14. For children who are deaf or hard of hearing… The median Reading Comprehension subtest score corresponds to about a 4.0 grade level at age 18. (Gallaudet Research Institute, 2003) Walker & Wilson 2011

15. Not solely a public school problem… The achievement gap in reading is created BEFORE the first day of Kindergarten Walker & Wilson 2011

16. Incoming Kindergarten Targets • Speak fluently and in complete sentences with a vocabulary of about 5,000 words. • Recognize & name 10-15 alphabet letters/sounds. • Hear & repeat beginning/ending sounds. • Count in order from 1-20. • Recognize numbers and quantities up to 10. • Settle into new groups or situations. • Concentrate on a task for 5 minutes • Come to school speaking English, if other languages are spoken at home. Walker & Wilson 2011

17. Past Performance (4th grade reading level) is not good enough… • Students in Grades 3-8 must achieve a proficiency target of 71.6% in reading and 88.6% in math…meaning 71.6% of ALL students must achieve Level III or Level IV in reading. • Students performing at Level III consistently demonstrate mastery of grade-level subject matter and skills and are well prepared for the next grade level. • Students performing at Level IV consistently perform in a superior manner clearly beyond that required to be proficient at grade-level work. • ARE YOUR STUDENTS ACHIEVING PROFICIENCY? Walker & Wilson 2011

18. And better “reading instruction” … WILL NOT cure the poor reading scores of late beginning listeners with severe language delay. Walker & Wilson 2011

19. Late Beginning Listeners… Walker & Wilson 2011

20. A/O Education/relatively good language Incomplete signal for learning spoken language Good Language learned via a non-auditory system Dependent on visual input May/may not have utilized appropriately fit hearing aids/FM Newly implanted child will not be able to process connected discourse through hearing alone. Implications for the mainstream…. Who Are They?

21. Delayed language learned pre optimal amplification or via non auditory system Placement in special classes or “sitting” in the mainstream Implanted with the expectation that the CI will “fix” the language delay Changes in speech production will take time Little or no language of any kind Self-contained Language processing concerns? Parents may not have demonstrated commitment to any communication approach or amplification Who Are They?

22. Who Are They? • Early Start-Downhill from there • UNHS alone is not enough • Early identified infants require aggressive audiological management and optimal amplification in combination with early intervention • Factors contributing to poor outcomes for this group: • Quality of Services • Consistency of services

23. Who Are They? • Children from non-English speaking homes • Inconsistent or no amplification • No language system—primarily gestural • Little or no home-school communication • Low expectations • Limited/no access to optimal audiological management & technology

24. Implanted very late- seeking a miracle Essentially nothing working in child’s favor to suggest spoken language potential • Length of deprivation • No formal communication system of any kind • Inconsistent or no use of amplification • Parent wants YOU to “fix” the problem • This situation requires thorough, complete, and careful documentation of all information shared with parents.

25. Evaluation… • Discuss the types of late beginning listeners on your caseload or in your class. Develop a list of questions regarding your concerns about these students; what you are currently doing to help them close the gap, and what you expect to learn during this workshop to effectively meet the needs of late beginning listeners.

26. Typical Scenario: Late Start + Large Gaps between Language Age & Class Age • Mainstreamed for all possible subjects: math, science, SS, PE • Time for special intervention is determined by subjects child can be “taken out” for • TOD: reading/language + tutoring (post-test) • SLP: spoken and/or written language (using commercially available language curricula, vocabulary program, lists of idioms, etc. • Goal: “Keep his head above water"

27. The Tools that Promote Planning and Facilitating Accelerated Growth Walker & Wilson 2011

28. Practices that work.. • What It Takes • Assessment & Application of the Data • Time • Increased Instructional Time • Retention • Long Term Planning • Superb Teaching Walker & Wilson 2011

29. What It Takes… • Tool to dialogue with parents about critical conditions for the late starter • Tool to dialogue among school team members about necessary conditions at school Walker & Wilson 2011

30. Assessing the Situation • Conduct diagnostic testing to determine deficient sub-skills. • Look at the data to identify the weak subskill(s) and pinpoint the need(s). • The deficient sub-skill is __________ for late beginning listeners with a large gap between CA/grade placement and reading level. • Understand the data • Develop and implement a long-term plan to close the language gap. • Re-test Walker & Wilson 2011

31. Time: What does “Increased Instructional Time” mean? • A drastic increase in face-to-face time • “It is eyeball-to-eyeball, highly energetic, and highly interactive.” • A drastic decrease in “screen time,” worksheets and “practice exercises” • “Direct instructional time is too valuable to waste practicing. Students can practice later in the day or after school.” Walker & Wilson 2011

32. Time: What does “Increased Instructional Time” mean? • Time to focus on the deficit sub-skill(s). • Direct instruction is proportional to the deficiency. The greater the deficiency, the more time they get. • Some children may require instruction that is 4 or 5 times more powerful than the rest of the students (Crawford, 2007) Walker & Wilson 2011

33. Example: • Vocabulary Target: Age appropriate vocabulary • At age 5.0 SS 56 of and percentile rank of 0.2 on the PPVT-4. • Johnny is entering Kindergarten with the language of the typical 2 year, 3 month old—~3 years behind. • Service Delivery for Johnny’s Pre-school Services: • Speech-Language Services 150 minutes weekly • TOD – 120 minutes weekly • 1 hr direct instruction daily = Annual Growth BUT No Catch-Up Growth Walker & Wilson 2011

34. Accelerated Growth Plan.. • Time for annual growth = 60 minutes (based on past two years of data) • At Chronological Age 6.0, Johnny’s Vocabulary Age will be ____ if he makes annual growth. The difference between his C.A. and L.A. is still ____years. • If we double the daily minutes for direct instruction (120 minutes) in Kindergarten, we can project that he will make annual growth plus a year of catch-up growth. At the end of Kindergarten, his Language Age is projected to be _____years. • If we provide the same amount of instruction during 1st grade, we can project a Language Age of _______at the end of 1st grade. Walker & Wilson 2011

35. An Accelerated Growth Plan for Oral Language- • Brainstorm major areas of instruction in spoken language development • Vocabulary Development, _______, _______, ________ • Now put them on Steroids… Walker & Wilson 2011

36. What would Vocabulary Development look likeon Steroids? • Rapid Acquisition of Vocabulary handout • Get organized!! • About where new words come from • With weekly Lists at school & home • With weekly emails to entire team • With clear incentives for child • Get MOVING!! through your hierarchy as rapidly as possible. • Get off of input and onto usequickly to help child “own” a new word. Walker & Wilson 2011

37. What would Speech Development look likeon Steroids? Walker & Wilson 2011

38. What other deficient language-based sub-skills need steroids before reading can improve? • __________ • __________ • __________ Walker & Wilson 2011

39. Take away… Directing instruction to the deficient sub-skill is fundamentally different than re-teaching the morning’s lesson (p. 237. Fielding et. al., 2007) Walker & Wilson 2011

40. More Tools…. Walker & Wilson 2011

41. The BIG Question…Retention OR Social Promotion • What does the research say? • Grade retention and social promotion are not effective strategies • Reading deficits account for the majority of retentions • Students who are retained actually do worse in the long run—give up on themselves as learners

42. Reasons to Retain: • Time • Time • TIME • AND…. • TIME to do something different i.e. provide appropriate, specific remediation to address deficits. 2003 NASP Position Statement on Student Grade Retention and Social Promotion • 2003 NASP Statement on Student Grade Retention and Social Promotion • T

43. “Most important is to advocate for implementation of educational interventions that are supported by research first, continue monitoring the child's achievement trajectory, and then revisit the progress made.” NASP..(retrieved from http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/grade_retention.php)

44. Remember the “typical scenario?” • Appropriate Scenario: “Teach him to swim!” • Rather than patching holes year to year, consider child’s long range goals and work backward.

45. GNIKNIHT SDRAWKCAB… Walker & Wilson 2011

46. Consider gap between LONG RANGE goal and current level of function …then make a long term plan

47. Developing a Long Term Plan • What is the purpose of a Long Term Plan • What are the components of a Long Term Plan? • Background & History: Hunter

48. Hunter… C.A. L.A. C.A.-L.A. Grade 3.0 1.0 2.0 pre-k 4.0 no data pre-k 5.0 no data pre-k 6.0 no data K 7.0 3.0 4.0 1 Projecting… 8.0 3.6 4.6 2 9.0 4.0 5.0 3 10.0 4.6 5.6 4 11.0 5.0 6.0 5

49. Superb Teaching- Big #2! • Quantity of Direct Instructional Time • Quality of Instruction-Where are you? • I create minimal growth. • I create average growth. • I create accelerated growth. • Point to Ponder…"Adults who consistently do not and cannot create double annual growth should not continue to be in charge of creating it for that critical population of students who require it.” (Fielding, 2009) Walker & Wilson 2011

50. Evaluation • Develop a Long-Term Plan for the following case: 15 points • Andrew is 9 years of age. Andrew was identified with a severe-profound hearing loss at 18 months of age. He utilized hearing aids and a TC approach until 4 years of age. He received a CI and transitioned to a spoken language approach at that time. Recent testing indicates his expressive language/vocabulary is like that of the typical 4 year old. Walker & Wilson 2011