Purpose: This lead article of the Clinical Forum addresses some of the gaps that exist between clinical practice and current knowledge about instructional factors that influence learning and language development. Method: Topics reviewed and discussed include principles of learning, generalization, treatment intensity, processing interventions,…

Purpose: In 2 experiments, we examined the influence of prior knowledge and interest on 4th- and 5th-grade students' passage comprehension scores on the Qualitative Reading Inventory-4 (QRI-4) and 2 experimenter constructed passages. Method: In Experiment 1, 4th- and 5th-grade students were administered 4 Level 4 passages or 4 Level 5…

Purpose: In this systematic review, the peer-reviewed literature on the efficacy of interventions for school-age children with auditory processing disorder (APD) is critically evaluated. Method: Searches of 28 electronic databases yielded 25 studies for analysis. These studies were categorized by research phase (e.g., exploratory, efficacy) and…

Purpose: To consider whether auditory processing disorder (APD) is truly a distinct clinical entity or whether auditory problems are more appropriately viewed as a processing deficit that may occur with various developmental disorders. Method: Theoretical and clinical factors associated with APD are critically evaluated. Results: There are…

Purpose: In this article, I question how practitioners can balance the certainty and confidence that they can help their patients with the uncertainty that makes them continually question their beliefs and assumptions. Method: I compare the mechanisms of science and models of clinical practice that may help practitioners achieve the right balance…

Purpose: In this epilogue, I respond to each of the five commentaries, discussing in some depth a central issue raised in each commentary. In the final section, I discuss how my thinking about certainty and uncertainty in clinical practice has evolved since I wrote the initial article. Method: Topics addressed include the similarities/differences…

Purpose: This prologue reiterates the case for the narrow view of reading as a solution to the persistently high levels of reading failure that occurs in our schools and provides a brief summary of the 5 response articles. Method: The arguments that support the narrow view of reading are presented and the respondents are introduced. Conclusion:…

PURPOSE: In this article, I consider how research, clinical expertise, client values, a clinician's theoretical perspective, and service delivery considerations affect the decisions that clinicians make to treat children with speech-sound disorders (SSD). METHOD: After reviewing the research on phonological treatment, I discuss how a clinician's…

Purpose: In this afterword, I will offer some final thoughts on this clinical forum by considering a central question of EBP--how experimental validation is defined--to illustrate the difficulty involved in implementing EBP. Method: The comments draw on critical reviews I have received on my article in this forum and conversations I have had with…

In this article, the reason why certain terms, labels, and ideas prevail, whereas others fail to gain acceptance, will be considered. Borrowing the concept of "meme" from the study of evolution of ideas, it will be clear why "language-based" and "phonological" disorders have less widespread appeal than, for example, "auditory processing" and…

This article uses a case study to suggest that some children view speech-language therapy as a separate situation for learning practicing new sounds and language forms whereas the purpose of talking outside of therapy is meaningful communication. Clinical implications of this potential incompatibility between practicing speech and communicating…

Discusses factors that influence the selection of treatment approaches in speech-language therapy, the importance of efficacy studies on treatment decisions, the role of parents and families in influencing treatment decisions, challenging the scientific orthodoxy, and trusting clinicians to evaluate the effectiveness of new treatment approaches.…

Comparison of 13 children with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss but normal language skills and 12 children with normal hearing and development found no significant group differences on three verbal metaphor tasks (comprehension, preference, and completion), and one visual metaphor task. (Author/DB)

Discusses what children with developmental language disorders should be called, how they should be defined, and how we might differentiate children with specific language impairments from other children with developmental language disorders. The lack of congruence between clinical and research constructs is discussed. (Author/CR)

A metalinguistic task involving the identification and revision of syntactic, semantic, and phonologic errors was administered to 10 normal and 10 language-disordered children (4-7 years old). Findings suggested that not only do language-disordered children take longer to understand and produce certain language forms, but they also take longer to…