Chapter 6:
Intervention for Children with
Language Impairments:
General Principles
and Strategies
I. General Principles of
Intervention for Children with
Language Impairments**
 Specific language impairment is
a primary language impairment

Language impairment can also
be a secondary condition

Many intervention techniques
apply to children with both
primary and secondary
language impairments (LIs)
Purposes of Intervention**

The overall goal
of intervention is
for the child to
express and
comprehend
language as
normally as
possible in
academic and
social situations
Four specific purposes of
language intervention are:
Basic approaches to language
intervention include :**

Functional approach

Developmental or normative
approach

A combination
Using Reinforcement in
Language Therapy**

Positive
reinforcers help LI
children 
language skills

Primary or
secondary
positive
reinforcers
II. Specific Treatment
Techniques**

Focused stimulation

Incidental teaching

Self talk

Parallel
talk**

Mandmodel
(elicited
imitation)

Extensions
Other specific techniques
include:**

Recasting

Joint routines

Joint book
reading

Using sabotage**

Modifying linguistic input
(pp. 202-203)
III. Facilitating Generalization
of Treatment Targets to Other
Settings**

In order to help children generalize
their language treatment targets to
settings outside the clinic, SLPs
must vary the

Settings (classroom, playground,
cafeteria)
Stimuli
Interlocutors


It is important to connect with
significant others in the child’s
environment…**

These
significant
others
include
teachers
and
caregivers
Caregivers include:**

Parents

Grandparents

Daycare
providers
According to Generations
United, 2012**:

More than 6.7 million American
children live in households
maintained by grandparents or
other relatives

Approximately 2.5 million
grandparents report that they
are the primary caregivers for
children
It is important to work with
classroom teachers…
IV. TEACHING
VOCABULARY**

Utilize
classroom
materials
(math,
language arts,
social studies,
etc.)
5th grade math vocabulary:**
When teaching vocabulary…
Have the children…**

Draw
pictures
of new
words/
concepts
that they
learn
I have students bring their language arts
books to therapy…
We pick
out 1-2
key words
to discuss
and draw
We worked on morphological awareness
(plurals) with new vocabulary word cloaks
3rd
grade
5th grade Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
More pictures….
One nice idea…**

Have children keep dictionaries of
new words

Write word definitions, draw
pictures

You review all this with them
V. INCLUDING LITERACY
GOALS**

Children who speak English as a
second language are often at risk

So are low-SES children
We can help young at-risk
students by supporting them in
areas such as:**
 Phonological
awareness

Reading
comprehension

Reading fluency
(wpm)
This can be done with…**

Students
already on our
caseloads

At-risk students
who are not yet
on IEPs

We support
them in the
classroom
setting
One of my favorite ways to
support reading comprehension:
**Of
To

the
in
and
is
a
you

That
it
he
was

For
on
are
as

With
his
they
I

At
be
this
have

from
VI. ADOLESCENTS & CELL
PHONES: INTERVENTION
PRINCIPLES**
 Conti-Ramsden, B., Durkin, K.,
& Simkin, Z. (2010). Language
and social factors in the use of
cell phone technology by
adolescents with and without
language impairments. Journal
of Speech, Language, and
Hearing Research, 53, 196-208.
This study looked at:**

Adolescents with
SLI

A recent survey
of teenagers in
the U.S. showed
that 80% had a
cell phone; in
the United
Kingdom, 90%
of teens have a
cell phone
Adolescents with SLI…
However, it was found that:
Treatment
implications:
VII. HELPING STUDENTS
AVOID BEING BULLIED**

Bullen, D. (2012). Spreading the
word: SLPs work to raise
awareness about bullying in the
schools. ADVANCE for SLPs,
July 23, 2012

94% of students with Asperger’s
are bullied
Armstrong, (ASHA Leader) “Serving
children with emotional-behavioral
disorders: A collaborative approach”
Things to teach in these
groups:
With taunting comments,
teach students to:
Always remember that…**
We support the
development
of social and
academic
language
Our overall goal is to:**

Help
children
succeed
in their
world