1. NYSAIS Admissions Directors Conference
Who Is This Child?
Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
Language and Learning Consultant
NYSAIS Admissions Directors Conference
April 26-28, 2017
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.

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

3. The School Day Language, Language, Language
In school, language becomes both the object of knowledge and the means through which knowledge is acquired.
Sometimes we are using language to teach language to children who are language impaired.
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 3

4. A Cognitive-Linguistic Model
Cognition
Executive Functions
Working Memory
Oral / Aural Language
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 4

5. 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.
Slide 5

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

7. What are the Executive Functions?
Neurology
Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D., 2006
RRe
Cognition
Attention/
Executive
Functions
Emotional
Function
Sensory Motor
Language
Academics
Working
Memory
Personality
Temperament

8. Executive Functions
Metacognitive strategies mediated by language (talking yourself through the thought process and/or task)
Vygotsky – Speech and language plays a central role in:
Self-control
Self-direction
Problem solving
Task performance
Characteristics of Children with Good Executive Functions
Organized
Strategic planner and thinker
Self starter
takes initiative
can self evaluate
Capable of learning and predicting new ideas
Skillful at drawing upon past experiences to guide future decision making
Problem solving abilities
Demonstrate ability to
set goals
develop plans to meet goals
accomplish short and long term goals
Flexible in the face of
changes
obstacles
Emotional control
stress management
anger management
emotional labeling
emotional sensitivity
What are the relationship among EF, SR, and Lang?
There is plenty of literature regarding the importance of metacognition for academic success both for typical learners and for children with LD. However, the role
that language plays in both EF and SR is increasingly understood. Some researchers have noted that EF are “all about the connection between human verbal abilities and
actual behavioral enmeshed with executive control.” Every task of school, reading comprehension and writing, studying, completing long term projects and test taking are all
language tasks.
These metacognitive strategies that we refer to, by and large consist of routines that are mediated by language. Essentially, in order to use metacognitive
strategies effectively, students must learn to talk to themselves about what they are doing and how they are doing it. This is a special way of using “talk” to help yourself. This kind
of talking can be directly taught.
More than forty years ago, Vygotsky argued that speech and language plays a central role in the development of (1) self-control, (2) self-direction, (3) problem solving,
(4) task performance.
According to Vygotsky, language is learned in the course of social interaction and becomes the medium for learning and knowing how to regulate one’s own behavior.
More recently it has been acknowledged that children acquire and use language as a social tool which serves the purpose of mediating action. Once children have acquired
language they use special “verbal scripts” to regulate their own thinking and guide their own participation in the assorted learning and communication demands of school.
Working with teachers and other students, children develop their ability to respond to different discourse styles and instructional demands. Over the course of the school years,
new ways of talking and behaving are developed and provide the foundation for a student’s participation in both social and instructional discourse.
The use of language for controlling and guiding academic performance happens in context specific ways and with conscious metacognitive routines. These scripts
and routines develop over time and are shaped over different contexts and school experiences. Children learn to talk to each other, their teachers and themselves. They make plans,
discuss, evaluate ideas, participate in groups, reflect on their work, change their minds , and re-write papers. They remind themselves to finish their work on time, ask for help when
they need it , wait to speak until they are called upon and go back to the library for more information if necessary. The successful completion of all of these actions is based on the
development and use of language.
In school, language becomes both the object of knowledge and the means through with knowledge is acquired.
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 8

9. “Gee, I gotta get some metacognition!” Turner, age 14
What do good executive functions look like?
Not this!!!!
Rather,
Plans and organizes for assignments and studying
Monitors behavior and reflects on it
Functions independently but knows when to seek help
Organized with good self-control
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 9

10. Working Memory: Without it…huh?
Neurology
Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D., 2006
RRe
Cognition
Attention/
Executive
Functions
Emotional
Function
Sensory Motor
Language
Academics
Working
Memory
Personality
Temperament

11. Working Memory is…
the capacity to hold and manipulate information in the mind over short periods of time
responsible for temporary storage and processing of information
a mental workspace
not influenced by prior learning or socio-economic factors
different than short-term memory
Working Memory…just a bit
It is important to talk about working memory since it is crucial to learning. WM is somewhat different but related to short term memory. STM is maintaining function
whereas WM is a manipulative function – hold and use. For example, the digits forward task of the WISC or following directions in which one piece must be completed before
another even they haven’t been delivered in that order. Now digits forward is STM hold and give it right back. WM requires that you do something with the information.
Indeed, you have to have the STM (maintaining function) in order to manipulate.
At higher level you can think of it in terms of reading. When you’re reading you have to manipulate the information, not just maintain it in order to build or assemble
the story as you go along. WM is crucial! With poor WM you have poorer EF!
When working memory is deficient it can lead to a host of dilemmas for a leaner.
Can’t hold current state of information, tasks, issues, in mental holding place
Forget requirements, SO poor planning
Forget what they’re doing, SO disrupted efforts
Can’t store information for later retrieval
Can’t be as flexible, SO CAN’T adapt to changes in status
Harder to apply prior experience
Working memory is crucial aspect of cognition and therefore language (which is my bias so I will continually and uncontrollably relate everything to language).
Working memory is a part of the information processing system that helps us manipulate information in mind. It is a system that does have limits on both processing capacity (the
amount of information that can be processed) and storage (the amount of information that can be held in mind). An essential function of working memory is to hold
information in mind while collecting other information, doing somehing else while remembering or integrating the existing information with new information being
presented. Working memory is involved in complex tasks such as comprehension, learning, and reasoning. Working memory is important for creating and holding in mind “mental
models”, that is ideas or systems for organizing and recalling ideas (think categorization or organizational strategies such as the 5 WHs). Working memory is a crucial factor in a
reader’s ability to generate inferences. (Evan Thompson – his working memory was so weak that he had to keep going back to re-read text. Led to need for extra time on the SAT –
which was a devil of a fight!!). Examples of working memory tasks that will sensitize you to the reality of WM and perhaps the experience some of the children have.
Digits forward; digits backward
Sentence-word memory tasks
I’m going to read some sentences to you and ask you a question about each one and then I’ll need you to tell me the last word in each question:
Do ducks swim? Do cats fly? Are alligators blue? Are dogs pets?
This task could have been made much more difficult by increasing the number of sentences to be recalled, increasing the length of the sentences and or increasing
the complexity of the sentences
It is important to talk about working memory since it is crucial to learning. WM is somewhat different but related to short term memory. STM is maintaining function whereas WM is a manipulative function – hold and use. For example, the digits forward task of the WISC or following directions in which one piece must be completed before another even they haven’t been delivered in that order. Now digits forward is STM hold and give it right back. WM requires that you do something with the information. Indeed, you have to have the STM (maintaining function) in order to manipulate.
At higher level you can think of it in terms of reading. When you’re reading you have to manipulate the information, not just maintain it in order to build or assemble the story as you go along. WM is crucial! With poor WM you have poorer EF!
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 11

12. Emotional Functioning: How I feel; How I am…
Neurology
Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D., 2006
RRe
Cognition
Attention/
Executive
Functions
Emotional
Function
Sensory Motor
Language
Academics
Working
Memory
Personality
Temperament

13. Sensory Motor: The tag! The tag!
Neurology
Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D., 2006
RRe
Cognition
Attention/
Executive
Functions
Emotional
Function
Sensory Motor
Language
Academics
Working
Memory
Personality
Temperament

14. A Definition of Language
“Language is a code, whereby ideas about the world are represented through a conventional system of arbitrary signals for communication.”
Bloom and Lahey, 1978
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 14

15. Components of Language
(Bloom and Lahey, 1978)
Content
Use
Form
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 15

16. Components of Language
Language CONTENT
Something to say, understand, read or write
Often called semantics
Vocabulary, lexicon, concept knowledge
Language USE
The reasons to say, understand, read or write
Often called pragmatics
Social communication skills; purposes and intents
Language FORM
The means by which we say, understand, read or write
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 16

17. 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.
Slide 17

18. The School Day Language, Language, Language
In school, language becomes both the object of knowledge and the means through which knowledge is acquired.
We are using language to teach language to children who are language impaired.
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 18

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

20. A Guiding Thought
“The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
Albert Einstein
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.
Slide 20

21. NYSAIS Admissions Directors Conference
Who Is This Child?
Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
Language and Learning Consultant
NYSAIS Admissions Directors Conference
April 26-28, 2017
© 2017 Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved.