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These questions were received during the LD@schoolhouse webinar, The SLP in the Math Form – Empowering Math Learners Through Collaboration betwixt Educators and Oral communication Language Pathologists;click here to view the webinar recording.

Answered past Sabrina O'Keefe, One thousand.H.Sc., Speech Language Pathology

How can Speech-Language Pathologists Support Students with Learning Disabilities to Acquire Math Literacy Skills?

Regardless of location of service – school, private practice, children'south treatment network – Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) can support a pupil'due south conquering of math literacy skills. The first step is advice: with the student's teacher, with the schoolhouse board SLP (if the client is being seen privately) and with the parents. Find out what topics are being covered in the pupil's math class and align the language (e.g., vocabulary) and executive performance goals with the curriculum.

Vocabulary didactics is often the "biggest bang for your buck" when it comes to supporting a student with a learning inability (LD) to acquire math literacy skills. A pupil with an LD requires 5 times more exposure to a new vocabulary term to really learn information technology (Oral Linguistic communication At Your Fingertips: Kindergarten and the Principal Grades, 2014). If the SLP is working in a "pull-out" or "push button-in" surround with the educatee, this extra time and do with the vocabulary will be beneficial. Empowering the parents and families to conduct-over the vocabulary work will also serve to support the student's need for extra opportunities with the vocabulary. The SLP can support the educatee to develop their own definitions of the math terms, using visuals and manipulatives. The language of math is ofttimes non part of a student's everyday vocabulary, so the student-derived definition volition permit the learner to make the bailiwick-specific vocabulary more interesting and accessible. The SLP can also use the student'south ain schoolwork to ensure their comprehension of the language and grammar in word problems and address challenges along the mode, using material that is relevant to the student.

If the SLP is fortunate plenty to exist working in the math classroom, it is of import to abet to the master and the school board'southward principal SLP for the time to effectively plan and deliver a collaborative lesson. The platonic service delivery includes lessons that are co-planned and co-taught to the whole class past both professionals, and SLP-led small grouping pull-out sessions (Throneberg et al., 2000). Although not a part of many school SLP models of service, i-1 opportunities with the SLP for those students who need more individualized attending would be the icing on the cake!

How does Executive Performance Bear upon Math Learning for Students with Learning Disabilities and what can a Speech-Language Pathologist exercise to Assistance?

Executive functions are the groups of processes that permit u.s.a. to reply flexibly to our environs and engage in deliberate, goal-directed, idea and activeness. Substantially, it is YOU existence able to manage YOURSELF. The critical skills for the development of math proficiency are shifting (flexible thinking), impulsivity and inhibition (suppressing distracting information and unwanted responses) and working retentiveness (monitoring and manipulating information in mind). The core deficit for language learning disabilities is working memory. The process that underlies working memory is attention. Consider that more than than half of all children with ADHD have co-morbid learning disabilities and lx-eighty% of children with ADHD will likewise have co-morbid mental health weather, such equally anxiety, low, oppositional defiance disorder, conduct disorder or sensory integration disorder (MentalHelp.net, n.d.) (Kars4Kids Smarter Parenting, n.d).

A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) has specialized training to support deficits in executive functioning. In addition, a SLP is often a member of a squad of regulated professionals (eastward.g., occupational therapy, concrete therapy, psychology) and tin bring a multi-disciplinary lens to a client's math-learning needs. If a student is struggling with executive performance, in that location is often a history of interest with these other professionals, and a review of the Ontario Student Record (OSR) and conversation with the parents will be very helpful in implementing the strategies that will be specific to the needs of the educatee. In general, an SLP will be able to analyze the learning surround – including the amount and type of linguistic communication used in the lesson – and work to support the student'south attention, retentiveness and processing needs. The SLP may support the student by developing an approach to addressing and (hopefully) solving the math problem. This may include a personal checklist to assistance manage multi-pace problems. The SLP may also model cocky-talk (often a challenge for learners with LDs) to ensure that the student is analyzing, inhibiting data and applying critical thinking. The SLP may also support the student in advocating for their personal learning needs (e.g., a calculator, extra time, grid paper, coloured markers to highlight signal words, paper to help inhibit the visual data on the page, etc.)

Works cited:

"ADHD Comorbidity" (n.d.). Retrieved from https://world wide web.mentalhelp.net/adhd/and-comorbidity/?fbclid=IwAR0XFueMHB-suE0MPlWaNxY616VE-FKl2JFgGslNtzanC_qFGrHJpEr7jlE [Accessed 20 March 2019].

"Comorbidity and ADHD: It'due south Not Just About ADHD" (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.kars4kids.org/blog/disabilities-differences/add-adhd/comorbidity-adhd-non-just-adhd/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

Oral Language At Your Fingertips: Kindergarten and the Chief Grades, The Ontario Association of Speech communication-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, 2014. (pp. 38-39)

Throneberg R.N., Calvert L.K., Sturm J.J., Paramboukas A.A., Paul P.J. (2000) A Comparison of Service Delivery Models Effects on Curricular Vocabulary Skills in the School Setting. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology 9: 10 xx.

References:

Beck, I.50., McKeown, 1000.Chiliad. & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York/London: Guilford Printing.

Beck, I.50., McKeown, M.G. & Omanson, R.C. (1987). The effects and uses of various vocabulary instructional techniques. In One thousand.One thousand. McKeown & G.East. Curtis (Eds.), The nature of vocabulary acquisition (pp. 147-163). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Grenier, South. (2005).  Le développement de la connaissance lexicale et des habiletés de narration chez des élèves francophones et des élèves allophones de la maternelle. Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures de fifty'Université Laval dans le cadre du Programme de maîtrise en linguistique cascade l'obtention du grade de Maître ès arts (M.A.), Départment de langues, linguistique et traduction, Faculté des lettres, Université Laval, Québec.

Kame'enui, E.J. & Baumann, J.F. (Eds.). (2012) Vocabulary Instruction: Research to Do, (2nd Edition). The Guilford Press.

Photo of Sabrina O'Keefe

Sabrina O'Keefe is a Speech-Language Pathologist working in private practice in the Dufferin and Pare regions. She graduated from the University of Toronto and has seventeen years feel working in the field, supporting children and their families. For 2 years, Sabrina was on contract with Trillium Sit-in School, a specialized residential school programme for students in grade 7 to 11, with severe learning disabilities. At Trillium, Sabrina collaborated with teachers to integrate spoken communication and language goals into the classroom.