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Purpose The purpose of our tutorial is to provide a set of fundamental, research-based guidelines for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who want to begin the process of creating culturally supportive settings that foster adolescent literacy development. Method Pertinent literature related to culturally relevant literacy practices for SLPs is reviewed. SLPs perceived barriers to providing general literacy services in schools and levels of cultural competence are identified, along with articles that support service ideas to meet the literacy-based needs of culturally diverse students on our caseloads. Results Drawing on the literature base and our collective research and clinical experiences, we propose four key guidelines SLPs can adopt to support their initial efforts in building culturally supportive settings: develop a shared vocabulary and accompanying concepts, curate and use culturally relevant texts, establish ongoing dialogue with key groups, and set high expectations. Conclusions SLPs are in a unique position to provide services that enable students from all cultural backgrounds to successfully support literacy development. Clinical applications of the guiding principles are provided.

Importance: Engaging and pulling up a zipper is a functional skill needed by young children.Objective: To compare the efficacy of a standard zippering teaching vest presented with general verbal prompts to a modified zippering teaching vest presented with a related story and vocabulary among typically developing preschoolers.Design: An experimental, two-group, pre–post design.Setting: A local preschool.Participants: Fifty preschoolers ages 3 yr, 6 mo to 4 yr, 11 mo were recruited.Intervention: Eligible children received three zippering practice sessions from occupational therapy and speech-language pathology graduate students supervised by faculty; either a standard (control group) or modified (comparison group) zippering teaching vest was used.Outcomes and Measures: Individual sessions were video recorded. We coded data using a score of 2, 1, or 0, indicating degree of success through seven zippering steps. Using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26) for analysis, we conducted independent t tests to compare measures between the two groups.Results: Each cohort consisted of 14 preschoolers (N = 28); 252 separate zippering trials were analyzed. Pretrial zippering ability demonstrated no initial differences. Results indicate that both groups advanced their skills with added practice; however, the comparison group performed statistically significantly better than the control group, beginning with the second set of interventions.Conclusions and Relevance: Beginning with a second exposure to a novel instructional method, preschoolers increased their success by completing more of the seven identified steps of zippering than those receiving traditional input. This study demonstrates the ability of occupational therapy–speech-language pathology partnerships to create innovative treatments that facilitate occupationally based skill acquisition.What This Article Adds: This article adds evidence supporting the use of a modified practice zippering vest with added visual and language cues to teach zippering skills to occupational therapy clients.

Date Presented 03/27/20 This pilot research compared the efficacy of a standard teaching zippering vest to a specially designed teaching zippering vest with a related story in the acquisition of zippering skills among 28 preschoolers. The study used a two-group (control/comparison) pre–post test experimental design. Results indicate that both groups developed their skills further with added practice; however, children in the comparison group did statistically significantly better than those in the control group. Primary Author and Speaker: Fern Silverman Additional Authors and Speakers: Carrie Knight, Anna Grasso, Stephanie DeFazio, Gina Inglese, Sophie Swallow, Jessica Lesnoy

Date Presented 04/05/19 Primary Author and Speaker: Fern Silverman Contributing Authors: Carrie Knight

This case study is intended to help occupational therapists gain an appreciation for how collaboration can support effective service delivery in other cultures through cross-cultural awareness of Asian and Pacific Islanders' practices in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Therapists use clinical reasoning to identify hierarchical skill acquisition for the child and consider the family's cultural values when developing an individualized family service plan and an individualized education plan. Early intervention and early childhood special education programs collaborate to provide smooth transitions and carryover of outcomes. Developing cultural competency may enhance occupational therapy services for families and children at ages birth to 5. Furthermore, the purpose is to understand different cultural contexts and encourage professionals to blend the family's priorities with the clinician's expertise to implement optimal service delivery for children in special education.