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Introduction: Involving youth with severe communication disabilities in health research is foregrounded in a perspective of rights and participation. Researchers aligned with a participatory and inclusive research agenda recommend that involving youth in health research should be a deliberate and well‐planned process. However, limited examples exist of how researchers can facilitate the involvement of youth with severe communication disabilities in research projects. Method: The aim of this paper was to describe the application of the Involvement Matrix as a conceptual framework to guide the three phases of a research project with youth with severe communication disabilities. Results: Six youth aged 19–34 years consented to be involved in the project. All youth had a severe communication disability and used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to support their involvement in the research project. The Involvement Matrix provided a structure to delineate four involvement roles in three research phases: In Phase 1, youth were listeners to research information and advisors in the needs analysis. In Phase 2, as advisors and decision‐makers, youth provided their opinions on selecting picture communication symbols for health materials. In Phase 3, as partners, they were copresenters at an online youth forum. Conclusion: The Involvement Matrix was used to plan and implement the involvement of youth with severe communication disabilities in codeveloping health materials for use during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The Involvement Matrix can be applied together with AAC to enable meaningful involvement of youth in a health research project as listeners, advisors, decision‐makers and partners. Patient or Public Contribution: This study project was codeveloped with youth with severe communication disabilities who use AAC in South Africa. A person with lived experience was involved as an advisor to the health material development process and in the drafting of the manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of Australian children living in out-of-home care (O0HC) is significant: 46,000 children, with 30,600 living in OoHC for more than two years (AIHW 2021). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are over-represented in both the 00HC and Child Protection systems. In Victoria, Indigenous children are 16 times more likely to be removed from their family than non-Indigenous children. The health issue most commonly affecting children in 00HC, after behavioural/emotional health, is speech, language, communication needs (SLCN), with 45% of those under five years showing delays of concern (Nathanson & Tzioumi, 2007; Sylvestre et al., 2015). Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are thus in a unique position to positively impact the lives of infants, children, and youth in the OoHC system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many healthcare and educational services providers have undergone a rapid transition from a face‐to‐face to a tele‐practice mode of service delivery in the context of the COVID‐19 outbreak. This, in turn, has led to a need to understand better the evidence underpinning such moves. Based on a review of existing reviews, this paper critically analyses the relevant literature related to intervention with children with communication disabilities drawing on the COM‐B model. Methods & Procedures: Ten reviews were identified following a systematic searching of electronic databases. These were then coded according to both PRISMA criteria and the components of the COM‐B model. Based on these findings, a critical analysis of the state of the tele‐practice intervention literature is discussed and fed into evidence‐based advice for practitioners transitioning to this mode of service delivery. Outcomes & Results: The COM‐B mapping suggests that the existing literature has provided primary evidence for physical opportunity and reflective motivation (e.g., participants have the time to take part and the necessary materials, as well as a desire to do it). It has also focused on elements of social opportunity (e.g., having support and prompts from others to take part). However, there are significant gaps in the description and analysis of both physical and psychological capability components. Conclusions & Implications: Whilst the evidence for tele‐practice interventions for children and young people with communication disabilities is growing, it is also lacking a comprehensive framework to support its implementation. In times of rapid transitions, researchers and practitioners alike need to understand how to evaluate comprehensively the impact of changing the mode of intervention delivery. The COM‐B model provides a powerful tool to reflect on the key elements for the successful design and implementation of tele‐practice interventions. What this paper addsWhat is already known on this subjectTele‐practice has been a feature of service delivery for speech and language therapists working with children and young people with speech and language disorders for many years, as it has in other areas of practice. This came into sharp focus during 2020 during the 'lock‐down' following the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic when most practice went online.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThis study set out to provide a framework for understanding service delivery, drawing on the COM‐B behaviour change model. This is applied using a rapid review methodology to 10 systematic and narrative reviews of the existing literature published since 2005. The findings suggest that while most studies demonstrated efficacy, there was a lack of information regarding specific aspects of the model which would affect their implementation.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?It is anticipated that the paper has the potential to have a direct bearing on how tele‐practice services for children and young people with speech and language disorders will be delivered in the future. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations for practice and research in terms of the application of the COM‐B model to tele‐practice in speech and language therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The facilitation of meaningful leisure participation for children and young people requires an understanding of what leisure means to them. This study aimed to understand meaningful leisure from the perspective of children and young people with complex physical and communication disabilities. Method: A hermeneutic phenomenological research design was used. Data was gathered through multiple interviews with six young people supported by photo elicitation, Talking Mats and direct observation. Individual case studies were analysed, together with six autobiographies of people with similar disabilities. Data analysis was iterative and multi-directional, alternating between segments and the whole throughout interpretation. Results: Leisure experience meanings were uniquely constructed for each person, based on preferences, personality and circumstances. The tree of leisure emerged as a useful metaphor for three essential features (control, engrossing, enjoyment) and four key meanings (escape, exploration, exchange and expression) of leisure. Children and young people experienced five meaningful outcomes that lasted beyond the leisure activity (restoration, protection, construction, reflection and connection). Conclusion: For children and young people with disabilities, a balanced array of diverse leisure experiences provides a powerful and accessible route to wellbeing. Implications for practice include understanding the individual, focusing on the social environment, supporting self-advocacy and promoting opportunities for free movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant body of research indicates the high level of (usually undiagnosed) language and communication disorders in young people in contact with youth justice. Emerging Australian research highlights the benefits of speech-language pathology (SLP) interventions for improving communication outcomes. Young people in the Queensland youth justice system now have direct access to SLPs. This is an important development for both SLP practice, and broader governmental agendas seeking to implement evidence-based reforms that reduce offending and reoffending. This article will provide an overview of how SLPs can make a difference to the communication of young people who come into contact with youth justice, including existing literature about their communication profiles and needs. Clinical insights will be discussed based on the learnings from the commencement of the SLP program in Queensland, Australia, the considerations for service provision, and the current gaps in service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of the effectiveness of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions requires reliable measures that are responsive to change. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of the Family Impact of Assistive Technology Scale for AAC (FIATS-AAC) to detect functional change in children and youth with AAC needs, aged 3-17 years, and their families, 6 and 12 weeks after receiving a graphic-based, speech-generating device (SGD). Parents whose children were awaiting a SGD as part of their regular AAC service participated in the study. In all, 45 parents completed the FIATS-AAC during each of three phone interviews: at the time of device delivery, and then 6 weeks and 12 weeks after receiving the device. Children and youth were aged 3-16 years (M = 7.8, SD = 3.3) and were mostly context-dependent communicators. Paired t-tests indicated statistically significant gains in functioning from baseline to both 6 and 12 weeks after receiving the AAC device. Effect sizes were 0.41 and 0.38, respectively. This study provides initial support for the ability of the FIATS-AAC to detect functional changes in children and youth and their families after receiving a graphic-based SGD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on teenagers' with special needs communicative stress and coping. Russia has little experience in inclusive education and adolescents with special needs (health impairments: auditory, visual, speech and motor) as a rule study in special boarding schools. Similar phenomena in typically developed teenagers (12-13 yrs. old, n=100) and their peers having visual (n=30), auditory (n=30), speech (n=25) and motor (n=15) disorders are compared: communication difficulties, stress experience and coping strategies. Results show teenagers' with special needs vulnerability and disadvantage: only part of them use resources and overcome communication difficulties successfully, while the others are not able to cope with chronic communicative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a long history, research on the relation between participative and communicative practices was revived in the late 1990s because of the proliferation of new media. New studies have taken into account both online and offline participation and the ability of new media to provide citizens with easier access to information and a broader repertoire of actions. In this article, which is based on a representative survey of the adult Czech population and a survey of Czech adolescents, we address participative and communicative practices as intertwined sets that are typically preferred by certain groups of citizens. As media-related and political practices usually vary due to generational and historical experience, the aim is to discover whether people with similar generational backgrounds and with similar repertoires of action manifest similar sets of communication practices, i.e. similar media ensembles. Hence, we build this study on the assumption that the political- and media-related agencies are structured by historical experience as well as by biographical experience linked with life-cycle phases. Using cluster analysis, we focus on the various participative and communicative practices employed by three distinct adult generational groups and by contemporary adolescents, all of whom experienced the process of socialization in their own specific historical contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders (PD) and communication disorders (CD) and their relationship with global functioning in maltreated children and adolescents. Methods: The sample comprised 143 maltreated children and adolescents (55.8% male). All underwent clinical communication and psychiatric evaluations, as well as global functioning assessment using the Children's Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS). Results: Four groups emerged from evaluation: Group 1 (n=7, 4.9%) did not exhibit any disorders; Group 2 (n=26, 18.2%) exhibited PD; Group 3 (n=34, 23.8%) exhibited CD; and Group 4 (n=76, 53.1%) exhibited both PD and CD on evaluation. Significant differences in global functioning scores were found between G1 and G2, G1 and G4, G2 and G4, and G3 and G4, with the highest C-GAS scores found in G1 and the lowest in G4. Conclusion: Rates of PD and CD are high in this maltreated population. The presence of PD has a major impact on C-GAS score, and the simultaneous presence of CD increases the already impaired function of PD. Demonstration of the additive effects of PD and CD on youth functioning suggests that professionals should be alert to the presence of both disorders to better act preventively and therapeutically in a high-risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence is a unique developmental period, spanning the gulf between childhood and adulthood. For adolescents who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), the major physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional changes associated with adolescence may have significant implications for their use of AAC. These challenges are reviewed here, and it is suggested that effective interventions targeting the needs of adolescents who use AAC address four main areas: social networks; peer relationships; language needs, particularly vocabulary; and curriculum access, including literacy development. It is proposed that interventions that harness the group connectedness of adolescents and that focus on preparing adolescents for the next life stage are most likely to be successful. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study examined the role that adolescents' dyslexia plays in their educational expectations, as well as their parents' expectations concerning their offspring's future education. To investigate this, 170 adolescents were asked to report their educational expectations on two occasions while they were still attending comprehensive school (in 7th and 9th grade). Forty-five of the 170 adolescents were diagnosed as having dyslexia. The adolescents' mothers and fathers also filled in questionnaires concerning their educational expectations for their offspring. The results showed that parents of boys with dyslexia had lower expectations about their sons' future education than parents of typically reading boys. However, parents of girls with dyslexia and parents of typically reading girls did not differ in this respect. Parents' expectations also predicted the adolescents' own educational expectations. Moreover, dyslexia was associated with boys' academic achievement (GPA), which further predicted their educational expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting qualitative research interviews among individuals with intellectual disabilities, including cognitive limitations and difficulties in communication, presents particular research challenges. One question is whether the difficulties that informants encounter affect interviews to such an extent that the validity of the results is weakened. This article focuses on voluntary informed consent and the specific challenges with the greatest effects on such interviews. The discussion shows that complementary and meaningful descriptions from informants imply the need to employ alternative strategies and methods that may, in other contexts, challenge the traditional understanding of what is acceptable in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Children and adolescents involved with foster care are a population at high risk of developing psychiatric disorders and poor language skills. Here, we aimed to assess in children and adolescents admitted in a university department of child and adolescent psychiatry whether being involved with foster care would change oral and written language impairments they face. Method: We conducted a case-control study in a sample of 104 inpatients aged six to 18 years (50 supported by foster care; 54 not supported). Assessment included family and medical histories, axis 1 diagnoses and a systematic screening of written abilities using the French version of the 1-minute reading test, a spelling task and two tasks of sentence comprehension. For subjects showing at least one score below two standard deviations at one screening task, a full language assessment was performed including tasks for oral language, phonological skills, word identification, naming speed, syntax and comprehension. Results: We found more language impairments in inpatients involved with foster care than controls. They had lower scores in complex language comprehension tasks, more impaired phonological skills, and more fragile word identification strategies (both the grapho-phonologic conversion and the assembling strategy). We found a significant association between language and gender (male), intellectual disability and pervasive developmental disorder. Although externalized disorders were significantly associated with written language impairment, this association was mediated by gender. Finally, children and adolescents involved with foster care were at higher risk not to be treated for a language impairment (odd ratio=3.5 [95%CI : 1.03–12.05], P =0.038). Conclusion: The severity and prevalence of language impairments among youths involved with foster care and requiring psychiatric inpatient stay show the impact of learning disabilities in this population. In terms of prevention, assessment of language skills should be promoted in this population as they appear to be at risk of not receiving proper speech or reading remediation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although much is known about the behavioral and educational characteristics of youth at entry to residential care, little is known about youth language performance. Given the impact of language deficits on outcomes, this study assessed the specific language skills of 70 adolescents at entry to a residential treatment setting. Results revealed elevated levels of risk across Core Language and comprehensive language indexes. Areas of greatest concern were with receptive language skills with just over 75% of the sample indicating some level of impairment. Implications for treatment and practice, study limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current investigation identified characteristics that discriminated authentic dyslexia from its simulation using measures common to postsecondary learning disability evaluations. Analyses revealed accurate simulation on most achievement measures but inaccurate feigning on neurolinguistic processing measures, speed on timed tasks, and error quantity. The largest group separations were on rapid naming, speeded orthographic, and reading fluency tasks. Simulators accurately feigned dyslexia profiles on cut-score and discrepancy diagnostic models but not on the more complex aspects of the clinical judgment model. Regarding simulation detection, a multivariate rule exhibited the greatest classification accuracy, followed by univariate indices developed from rapid naming tasks. The findings of the current study suggest that aspects of a comprehensive evaluation may aid in the detection of simulated dyslexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When language impairment (LI) persists into adolescence, speech pathologists are often challenged by how to best support this clinical population. Adolescents with LI require functional and sustainable services. This may necessitate creativity on behalf of the speech pathologist, and the adoption of a range of intervention approaches. This article provides an overview of strategy-based approaches that may be adopted by speech pathologists when supporting adolescent clients' oral and written language. Specific examples are provided, and a caseload management approach that involves inter-professional collaboration and consultancy is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Only case reports have described the co-occurrence of gender identity disorder (GID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study examined this co-occurrence using a systematic approach. Children and adolescents (115 boys and 89 girls, mean age 10.8, SD = 3.58) referred to a gender identity clinic received a standardized assessment during which a GID diagnosis was made and ASD suspected cases were identified. The Dutch version of the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (10th rev., DISCO-10) was administered to ascertain ASD classifications. The incidence of ASD in this sample of children and adolescents was 7.8% ( n = 16). Clinicians should be aware of co-occurring ASD and GID and the challenges it generates in clinical management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acquisition of verbal behavior can be difficult for some individuals with severe developmental disabilities. For two individuals who previously did not acquire picture exchange communication despite extensive efforts, we evaluated the effectiveness of using representative objects to teach mands for preferred items. In addition, we replicated and extended the findings of our previous research manipulating motivating operations (MO) for functional discriminated mands. Two individuals with developmental disabilities participated in a training procedure designed to teach two separate mands for two separate preferred items. Participants were taught to mand (e.g., for chips) using representative objects (e.g., empty bag of chips). Following training, the MO manipulation was used to assess for discriminated manding. This manipulation involved providing free access to one of the preferred items, such that there should be no motivation to ask for it, while motivation to ask for the other item remained in place. Results showed that both participants acquired at least a degree of discriminated manding using representative objects. At a minimum, a method was established to test complex discrimina- tions for preferred objects. Although we previously used this procedure in teaching picture card exchange discriminations, the current research extended previous research to individuals who were previously unresponsive to training and by using representative objects. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students' perceptions of simulating stuttering in public were obtained in order to quantify students' increased understanding of stuttering. 34 women and 2 men (M age =30.0 yr., SD=9.0) majoring in communication disorders participated. Al] were graduate students enrolled in their first class in fluency disorders. None had previous experience with individuals who stuttered. Participants completed a questionnaire before and after the experiment and discussed these experiences with the group. Responses to 39 questions using a 5-pt. Likert-type scale were analyzed for students' preparation, feelings, attitudes, and perception of listeners' reactions. Participants recounted both positive and negative experiences gaining understanding of and empathy for people who stutter, changing erroneous perceptions and broadening perspective of the disorder. Participants reported that the roundtable discussion contributed to their learning. Assigning students to simulate stuttering in public and participate in a follow-up discussion is an effective evidence-based teaching practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social skill and language are known to relate, not least in the example of those with specific language impairment (SLI). However, most of the research examining this trend has been conducted on young primary school age children and the nature of the relationships is unclear. Furthermore, little is known about which young people in general have social difficulties and whether language, social cognition, and social skills are directly associated at this age. In this study, a large cohort made up of young people with a history of SLI (N = 134) and a typically developing (TD) group (N = 124) of the same age were followed up in their final year of compulsory schooling (aged 16). Language, social cognition, social skills, and functional social outcomes (friendships and levels of social activity) were assessed using tasks and questionnaires. Modest associations were found between social cognition, language, and social behaviours, the strongest being between language and social cognition. Regression analyses showed that as a combined group, the adolescents' functional social outcomes were most associated with expressive language, social skill, and social cognitive ability. However, the patterns differed when the groups were analysed separately, with social cognition playing more of a role for those with SLI. These findings suggest that poor language may play a complex role in adolescents' social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study attempted to determine whether there were any differences or similarities in the basic cognitive and language skills of 4 groups of adolescents: adjudicated (a judge's decision to establish responsibility for a delinquent act) and nonadjudicated male and females. Method: The 4 groups of adolescents were 18 adjudicated females, 18 nonadjudicated females, 14 adjudicated males, and 14 nonadjudicated males. They were evaluated using the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT; A. S. Kaufman & N. L. Kaufman, 1990) as a screener for intelligence and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals--3 (CELF-3; E. Semel, E. Wiig, & W. Secord, 1995) as a screener for language skills. Results: No gender differences were found between the groups for either the K-BIT or the CELF-3. All groups scored within normal limits on the K-BIT subtests, but lower on the vocabulary portion of the K-BIT compared to the matrices (nonverbal) portion. There were differences found between adjudicated and nonadjudicated groups on the CELF-3, with the adjudicated groups having lower scores. Implications: As the majority of adjudicated adolescents had not been previously identified as having difficulties with language abilities, this population could benefit from early assessment. Also, children who are at risk for incarceration should be screened for possible language deficits that could contribute to the many difficulties experienced by adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Research has shown that young children with speech sound disorders may have weaknesses in phonological processing. However, such skills have not been thoroughly examined in adolescents with residual speech sound errors. Therefore, this study compared the phonological processing abilities of adolescents with residual speech sound errors to those of normally speaking peers. Method: Two nonword repetition tasks, multisyllabic word repetition, spoonerisms, phoneme reversals, and an elision task were used to compare the phonological processing skills of 10-14-year-olds with residual speech sound errors that include rhotic phonemes (RE, n = 13) to those of normally speaking (NS, n = 14) adolescents of similar age and receptive vocabulary abilities. Results: The 2 groups were found to differ on 5 of the 6 phonological processing tasks. Discriminant analysis showed that 85% of the participants could be correctly classified into the RE and NS groups based solely on phonological processing skills. Conclusion: The possible nature of the phonological processing impairment is discussed in the context of current theoretical understanding. It is recommended that when planning assessment and intervention for adolescents with residual speech sound errors, clinicians be cognizant of the fact that the adolescents may also have weaknesses in phonological processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The authors' purpose was to explore the nature of the link between hearing loss ( HL) and language impairment in adolescents with mild-to-moderate hearing loss (MMHL). Does language performance (generally or in certain areas) normalize at adolescence? Method: The language skills of 19 French-speaking adolescents (ages 11-15) with moderate or mild sensorineural HL were evaluated via a series of tests assessing oral and written language, including an experimental probe, and compared with typically developing adolescents and adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI). Results: Language disorders were found, notably in the areas of phonology and grammar, in more than half the adolescents with MMHL; affected domains and error patterns were identical to those found in adolescents with SLI. Language scores of the adolescents with MMHL were significantly linked with degree of HL, a correlation not generally found in studies of children with MMHL. Conclusion: Normalization of language performance does not generalize at adolescence in the context of MMHL. The fact that an effect of the severity of HL was found only after childhood might be because linguistic development is basically complete at adolescence. Prior to this time, this effect could be obscured by developmental rhythms that vary from child to child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevalence data are of interest to health professionals and educators to assist in the planning of service delivery, allow for the calculation of the level of impact of intervention, and allow for the consideration of the boundaries between typical development and impairment. Aims: To determine the prevalence of children with communication disorders and other learning needs as identified by their teachers within all primary and secondary schools in an Australian school district over a 3-year period. Methods & Procedures: Children with learning needs were identified from 14 514 students in the first year (wave 1) and the 14 533 students 2 years later (wave 2). Children were identified via a four-phased data-collection process designed to reduce selection and misclassification bias. Identification included teacher training, teacher referral, confirmation by documentation from relevant professionals including speech and language therapists, audiologists, psychologists and doctors, and verification by the school district learning needs advisors. Outcomes & Results: Overall 5309 students were identified as having some area of learning need in the first year and 4845 students were identified 2 years later. In order of prevalence, the areas of learning need were: specific learning difficulty (17. 93% in wave 1; 19. 10% in wave 2), communication disorder (13. 04%; 12. 40%), English as a second or other language (9. 16%; 5. 80%), behavioural/emotional difficulty (8. 16%; 6. 10%), early achiever/advanced learner (7. 30%; 5. 50%), physical/medical disability (1. 52%; 1. 40%), intellectual disability (1. 38%; 1. 20%), hearing impairment (0. 96%; 0. 80%), and visual impairment (0. 16%; 0. 30%). The male:female ratio for all children was 1. 57:1 (wave 1) and 1. 66:1 (wave 2) and was the highest for the categories of behavioural/emotional difficulty, communication disorders. There were significant differences between learning need and socio-economic status quantile for all areas except early achievers/advanced learners and physical/medical disability. There was a higher prevalence of behavioural/emotional difficulty, and intellectual disability, in the lower socio-economic status quantiles and a higher prevalence of communication disorders in the mid-to-high socio-economic status quantiles. More children were identified as having an additional learning need in grades 1-3 (5-9 years of age). The children who were perceived as requiring the highest level of teacher support were those with an intellectual disability. Conclusions: This study provides comparative prevalence data for children with additional learning needs. There was a high prevalence of children typically seen in the caseloads of speech and language therapists, and teachers identified that many of these children required high levels of support within the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the systematic and detailed processes undertaken to modify a research methodology for use with language-impaired adolescents. The original methodology had been used previously with normally achieving adolescents and speech pathologists to obtain their opinions about the relative importance of selected communication skills for adolescents' positive peer relationships. Modifications attempted to address language-impaired adolescents' characteristic metalinguistic, literacy, cognitive, and information processing weaknesses. Revising the original wording of the communication skills, reducing the reading level of the skills from grade 10 to 4.6, using a Q-sort approach to ranking the importance of the skills, and revising the instructions and administration procedures led to what pilot testing results indicated was a valid methodology for use with language-impaired adolescents. Results of a preliminary study using the revised methodology suggested that language-impaired adolescents may perceive the relative importance of some communication skills differently from their normally achieving peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite emphasis in policy on participation of disabled children,1 we still know relatively little about how to obtain the views of disabled children with significant communication impairment and their views are often overlooked in planning and service provision. This article describes how the views of children who do not use speech were accessed in research aiming to identify disabled children and young people's priorities regarding outcomes of social care and support services. The main challenge was to develop a method that was reliable, non-threatening, enjoyable and relevant to individual children, as well as enabling children to think beyond their everyday life and express what they aspire to. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigated whether stuttering and nonstuttering adults differ in the coordination of oral and laryngeal movements during the production of perceptually fluent speech. This question was addressed by completing correlation analyses that extended previous acoustic studies by others as well as inferential analyses based on the within-subject central tendency and variability of acoustic and physiological indices of oral-laryngeal control and coordination. Stuttering and nonstuttering adults produced the target /p/ as the medial consonant in C1V1#C2V2C3 sequences (C = consonant; V = vowel or diphthong; # = word boundary) embedded in utterances differing in length and location of the target movements. No between-groups differences were found for across- or within-subject correlations between acoustic measures of stop gap and voice onset time (VOT). However, the acoustic data did show longer durations for devoicing interval and VOT in the stuttering versus nonstuttering individuals, in the absence of a difference for a proportional measure specifically reflecting oral-laryngeal relative timing. Analyses of combined kinematic and electroglottographic data revealed that the stuttering individuals' speech was also characterized by (a) longer durations from bilabial closing movement onset and peak velocity to V1 vocal fold vibration offset and (b) greater within-subject variability for dependent variables that were physiological indices of devoicing interval and VOT, but again no between-groups differences were found for specific indices of oral-laryngeal relative timing. Overall, findings suggest that, for the production of voiceless bilabial stops in perceptually fluent speech, stuttering and nonstuttering adults differ in the duration of intervals defined by events within as well as across the oral and laryngeal subsystems, but the groups show similar patterns of relative timing for the involved oral and laryngeal movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to (a) determine the number of children and adolescents with complex communication needs between the ages of 3 and 21 years who attended special education preschools and schools in Israel; and (b) to probe characteristics of this population's educational programs, especially with respect to AAC interventions and equipment use. Of the 5430 students enrolled in 183 special education preschool and school settings, responses were received for 73% of the children, of whom about 40% were reported to have complex communication needs. It is anticipated that the results of the study will provide guidance with respect to (a) establishing intervention strategies for children in need of AAC, (b) identifying the type and number of training programs required by AAC professionals, and (c) establishing a more equitable allocation of resources for AAC purposes from the national health and education budgets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative methodology was used to explore communication behaviors of 13 female adolescents with language problems who resided in a correctional facility. Girls between ages of 13 and 17 were interviewed on four questions about their communication behaviors and school learning experiences. Data were analyzed from three triangulated sources that included interviews, a review of school records, and test results from the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-3, the Adolescent WORD Test (WORD Test), the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL), and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III). Themes emerging from the interviews were: (a) how teenagers communicate with friends, parents, and authority; (b) participants’ views about themselves; and (c) how they describe their learning in school. Many spoke about their feelings and interactions as well as their struggles with listening, thinking, speaking, and reading. Implications raise concerns of whether the current educational system is adequately considering how language deficits and disorders impact this troubled population.: Learner outcomes(1) Readers will understand how female adolescents with language problems who resided in a correctional facility view their communication with friends and authority figures such as parents, teachers, and correctional educators. (2) Readers will understand the views of adolescents about their learning experiences at school prior to when they were committed to a correctional facility. (3) Readers will understand examples of language behaviors that may have related to why some of the participants struggled with learning in school. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this article is to provide speech–language pathologists (SLPs) with a framework to address the communication problems of adolescents involved in violence. Although it is not considered to be a comprehensive framework for planning intervention programs, it will provide suggestions to assist SLPs to conceptualize their role in addressing the communication needs of these individuals. Recommendations acquired through observations, interviews, and empirical data will form the basis for suggestions. Youth in correctional facilities come from schools and return to schools following their commitment, therefore, research from incarcerated adolescents serves as an appropriate foundation to form the basis for intervention recommendations. Hence, suggestions will apply to SLPs working in correctional facilities and school settings. Intervention programs containing socially and academically relevant activities that focus on assessment, general intervention principles, conversational interaction skills, and multidisciplinary interventions are included in the article.: Learning outcomesReaders will understand (1) a framework to address the communication problems of adolescents involved in violence and (2) how research findings support the role of SLPs in addressing the needs of adolescents involved in violence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper is about communication deficits in an interview setting among adolescents with frontal lobe damage. One of the predominant characteristics of these patients is difficulty taking the context into account. Pragmatic theories, which attempt to clarify the link between the formal structure of language and the extra-linguistic context (such as the interlocutor's characteristics or strategies), may help provide insight into the difficulties of these patients. An interview setting, viewed here as a communication situation, is governed by an interaction format based on specific cooperative principles. In this study, the results of subjects with frontal lobe damage (in the role of interviewee) were first compared with those of normal subjects in an interview situation. Three pragmatic indexes were considered: the number of utterances per speaking turn (speech quantity), amount of digression (keeping to the topic or predefined subject of conversation shared by the interlocutors) and prevalence of withinsubject contingency speaking turns without an intervening remark by the interviewer (topic development). Secondly, we attempted to determine whether the patients' discourse was dependent upon the interviewer's conversational strategy (structured, non-structured, or alternating). The results clearly point out the extent of the difficulty frontal lobe patients have conforming to the rules of the interview situation, whether regarding the amount of speech they produce or their ability to keep within and/or development of the topic of conversation. The data also indicated that the patients' linguistic productions varied with the interviewer's strategy. The structured strategy did not always give rise to the best performance: while the unstructured and alternating strategies allowed patients to produce more utterances per speaking turn, the alternating strategy enabled better development of the interview topic. These results suggest that such variations could be put to fruitful use in remedial techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This assessment and therapy approach has been developed for young adults (15-18 years). This age group is considered by many to be the most resistant to therapeutic intervention, and few programmes are available which address their particular needs. The techniques and strategies of this comprehensive approach are specifically designed to treat the individual as a whole, taking particular account of the issues involved during this transitional period from childhood to adulthood. The Communications Skills Approach includes social and interpersonal skills, fluency control, relaxation, problem solving, assertiveness and negotiation strategies. The involvement of parents is seen as an essential component to successful management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the longer term outlook for children with language learning difficulties. Based on the article, the perception on language impairment is that, it is a relatively pure disorder, mainly affecting childhood. Individuals with language impairment have language ability deficiency while everything else appears to be normal. The author reveals that there are differences in the main manifestation of language impairment during the pre-school years and at school entry, and in adolescence (secondary school age).

An abstract of the article "Identifying Language and Communication Deficits in Clinical Settings" by Theodore A. Petti and colleagues is presented.