With the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 2004, our nation has an explicit mandate to put reading first. Recognizing the fundamental connection between language and literacy, teachers and speech-language pathologists have become more…

This article provides an overview of current cochlear implant technology, programming strategies, troubleshooting, and care techniques. It considers: device components, initial stimulation, speech coding strategies, use and care, troubleshooting, and the classroom environment. (Contains references.) (DB)

This article first describes the indicators of Asperger syndrome (AS), followed by an overview of screening and diagnostic procedures. Next, it discusses knowledge-based interventions addressing deficits in academics, behavior, and communication. Implications for speech language pathologists and related professionals working with students with…

These exercises and examples pertain to readability information presented in preceding articles. They are designed to help speech language pathologists test their intuitions about word and text difficulty and to see readability data from a number of quantitative formulas applied to passages across a wide range of levels. (Contains 8 references.)…

This article discusses new computer-based technology for language teaching and learning, including integrated learning systems that provide instruction content via an individualized program of study, multimedia/hypermedia, and the Internet. Criteria are provided for evaluating each application along with models and resources that can be used with…

This article discusses how reading and written language samples can be analyzed to provide information about curriculum-based language strengths and needs that can be used recursively to establish student goals and benchmarks, provide intervention, evaluate change, and begin the next round of planning. A case example is presented. (Contains…

This article provides guidance for practitioners interested in creating or refining speech-language services at the high school level to promote academic success for students. Problems in providing high school speech-language services, the context for designing programs at this level, the role of the speech-language pathologist, and best practices…

This article examines the principles of information processing and the ways in which they can both facilitate and interfere with the language comprehension and production performance of children with language impairment. The clinical implications of these notions for assessment and intervention with children are discussed. (Author/CR)

This article considers how information regarding processing limitations in children with specific language impairment (SLI) might be extended to assist in early identification of toddlers at risk for language disorder. Preliminary findings from an investigation of early lexical processing of 15 late talking toddlers and 15 controls are presented.…

This article explores evidence related to the idea that children with language impairments present co-occurring limitations in data-driven and conceptually driven processing. It concludes that together, these limitations contribute to a heightened sensitivity to increasing task demands in children with language impairments. Assessment and…

This article examines several sub-constructs of information processing and their potential association with the poorer language comprehension of children with specific language impairments (SLI). It argues that some of the language comprehension problems of children with SLI are related to certain information processing inefficiencies. Techniques…

This article offers a framework for collecting and analyzing speech samples to evaluate the phonological skills of young children, or of older children with delayed speech. A protocol for phonetic transcription is provided along with a discussion of the use of diacritics. The special problems of transcribing "fuzzy speech" are addressed. (Contains…

This article addresses the special problems of transcribing vowels in the evaluation of speech samples. It reviews the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols and diacritics for transcribing vowels and discusses their importance in the transcription of disordered speech and dialect variation. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

This article reviews conventions for transcribing suprasegmental features in spoken English. It proposes that symbols based on the International Phonetic Alphabet and its recent extensions be supplemented, in the area of intonation, by selected tonetic stress marks and examples of the autosegmental notation used in the Tone and Break Indices…

This article reviews major approaches to the transcription of disordered speech using the International Alphabet (IPA). Application of selected symbols for transcribing non-English sounds is highlighted in clinical examples, as are commonly used diacritic symbols. Included is an overview of the IPA extensions for transcription of atypical speech,…