Language, the Vehicle That Drives the Curriculum: Identifying Vulnerabilities in Prospective Students NYSAIS Admissions Directors’ Conference April 26, 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. Pediatric Language and Literacy Specialist Educational Program Consultant drsoifer@lydiasoiferphd.com © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved

Who is this Child? Neurology Personality Temperament Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D., 2006 RRe Cognition Attention/ Executive Functions Emotional Function Sensory Motor Language Academics Working Memory Personality Temperament

The Components of Language Bloom and Lahey 1978 CONTENT Meaning component Vocabulary and beyond USE Reasons to use language (purposes) Purposes and intentions for using language Conversational competence FORM Sound system Word structure Grammar Content Use Form

Language and Cognition (Bloom and Lahey 1978; Soifer 2006) Form Use Content Attention Memory Executive Functions Information Processing Affect Experience © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Oral Language is the Foundation of Literacy Content Use Listen Speak Read Write Decoding Vocabulary - Sentence Comprehension Paragraph - Text Comprehension Form © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Oral Language is the Foundation of Literacy Content Use Listen Speak Read Write Decoding Vocabulary - Sentence Comprehension Paragraph - Text Comprehension Form © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Common Symptoms of Specific Language Problems: CONTENT Word finding difficulties Overuse of limited vocabulary Inappropriate use of words (chooses wrong word) Narrow, more concrete meanings for words Difficulty with multiple meaning words Deficient comprehensions of basic vocabulary and concepts Difficulty categorizing in verbal tasks MICHAEL AARONSON LOOKING AT THE OLD VERSION OF THE PPVT IN WHICH THERE WERE LINE DRAWINGS NOT COLORED PICTURES: “BETTER NOT GIVE THSE GUYS TO THE FUTURE BECAUSE THERE’LL BE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SLEEPING, MOVING, THERE’LL BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF HISTORY TEST.” MOM WENT TO A BRIDAL SHOWER. BEFORE SHE LEFT, SHE EXPLAINED TO HER SON WHAT A BRIDAL SHOWER WAS. LATER WHEN THE CHILD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS MOTHER WAS, HE RESPONDED, “OH, SHE WENT TO A BATH.” © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Common Symptoms of Specific Language Problems: USE Less conversational control in terms of introducing, maintaining and changing topics Difficulty determining the language demands of a situation, either social or academic Problems determining and adapting to listener needs © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Common Symptoms of Specific Language Problems: FORM Difficulty in activities related to phonological awareness Use of immature grammar Difficulty understanding and using multiple part verb forms Limited use and understanding of conjunctions Difficulty determining the relationships in more complex sentences ASKED WHY THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE WAS SAD, ANN, 8, SAID: “BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T GET AS MUCH AS THE ATTENTION. © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Common Symptoms of Language Problems: Language and Cognition Content, Use, Form and Cognition Trouble remembering information and repeating information presented orally Difficulty following oral directions Use of stereotyped starters Difficulty organizing thoughts and being succinct © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Common Symptoms of Language Problems: Language and Cognition con’t Reduced ability to abstract and express details effectively Difficulty making inferences, prediction, drawing conclusions Difficulty providing information in sequence Difficulty in auditory memory, attention, comprehension © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Early Identification of Language Based Reading Difficulties Speech Sound Awareness Word Retrieval Verbal Memory Speech Production and Perception Comprehension Productive Language MICHAEL AARONSON LOOKING AT THE OLD VERSION OF THE PPVT IN WHICH THERE WERE LINE DRAWINGS NOT COLORED PICTURES: “BETTER NOT GIVE THSE GUYS TO THE FUTURE BECAUSE THERE’LL BE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SLEEPING, MOVING, THERE’LL BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF HISTORY TEST.” MOM WENT TO A BRIDAL SHOWER. BEFORE SHE LEFT, SHE EXPLAINED TO HER SON WHAT A BRIDAL SHOWER WAS. LATER WHEN THE CHILD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS MOTHER WAS, HE RESPONDED, “OH, SHE WENT TO A BATH.” © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Language Expectations for Adolescents Language for more intensive social interactions Language at a more literate level Language for critical thinking and executive function Vocabulary of literate forms Advanced adverbial conjuncts (similarly, moreover) Adverbs of likelihood (definitely, possibly) and magnitude (extremely, considerably) Precise and technical terms related to curricular content (bacteria, fascism) Verbs with presuppositional (regret), metalinguistic (predict, infer, imply), and metacognitive components (hypothesize, observe) components MICHAEL AARONSON LOOKING AT THE OLD VERSION OF THE PPVT IN WHICH THERE WERE LINE DRAWINGS NOT COLORED PICTURES: “BETTER NOT GIVE THSE GUYS TO THE FUTURE BECAUSE THERE’LL BE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SLEEPING, MOVING, THERE’LL BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF HISTORY TEST.” MOM WENT TO A BRIDAL SHOWER. BEFORE SHE LEFT, SHE EXPLAINED TO HER SON WHAT A BRIDAL SHOWER WAS. LATER WHEN THE CHILD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS MOTHER WAS, HE RESPONDED, “OH, SHE WENT TO A BATH.” © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Identification of Language Based Difficulties The concerns Does not always understand or give the expected answer Slow to listen and respond Responses are brief and not always specific Vocabulary is restricted; definitional forms are immature Grammar is unsophisticated Limited use of subordinate and coordinate clauses Limited use of mature coordinating and subordinating conjunctions MICHAEL AARONSON LOOKING AT THE OLD VERSION OF THE PPVT IN WHICH THERE WERE LINE DRAWINGS NOT COLORED PICTURES: “BETTER NOT GIVE THSE GUYS TO THE FUTURE BECAUSE THERE’LL BE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SLEEPING, MOVING, THERE’LL BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF HISTORY TEST.” MOM WENT TO A BRIDAL SHOWER. BEFORE SHE LEFT, SHE EXPLAINED TO HER SON WHAT A BRIDAL SHOWER WAS. LATER WHEN THE CHILD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS MOTHER WAS, HE RESPONDED, “OH, SHE WENT TO A BATH.” © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

It Isn’t Easy. You Need a Really Good Ear! MICHAEL AARONSON LOOKING AT THE OLD VERSION OF THE PPVT IN WHICH THERE WERE LINE DRAWINGS NOT COLORED PICTURES: “BETTER NOT GIVE THSE GUYS TO THE FUTURE BECAUSE THERE’LL BE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SLEEPING, MOVING, THERE’LL BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF HISTORY TEST.” MOM WENT TO A BRIDAL SHOWER. BEFORE SHE LEFT, SHE EXPLAINED TO HER SON WHAT A BRIDAL SHOWER WAS. LATER WHEN THE CHILD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS MOTHER WAS, HE RESPONDED, “OH, SHE WENT TO A BATH.” © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

Language, the Vehicle That Drives the Curriculum: Identifying Vulnerabilities in Prospective Students NYSAIS Admissions Directors’ Conference April 26, 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. Pediatric Language and Literacy Specialist Educational Program Consultant drsoifer@lydiasoiferphd.com © 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved