Cognition and Language
Characteristics
Chapter 3
Levels of Intelligence
IQ levels of students with ld range from
90-93
 IQ measures dependent on verbal skills
 Gifted learning disabled
 Intelligence when measured by a
standardized IQ test should represent a
sum total of all the abilities of an
individual
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Multiple Intelligences
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Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Logico-mathematical
Naturalistic
Bodily-Kinesthetic
Linguistic
Musical/Rhythmic
Visual-Spacial
Naturalistic
Spiritual
Attention
Time on task
 Focus of attention
 Distractibility
 Selective attention
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Teaching Tips for Attention
Use numerous cues to keep students on task…
“point to number three on your paper
 Visually monitor student’s eye contact with the
assigned task
 Keep external distractions to a minimum. Draw
shades if necessary. Use background music in your
class to cover the routine classroom noise
 Use a colored marker to code the instructions on
each worksheet for student
 Use a self-monitoring sheet for paying attention
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Memory
Short-term memory
 Long-term memory
 Working memory
 Encoding
 Storage
 Retrieval
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Principle for Improving Memory
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Get a clear, meaningful encoding of the
material to be learned
Have a purposeful intention to learn
Organize and elaborate information to make
connections
Overlearning (providing added practice) aids
retention
Use mnemonic and other memory devices
Mnemonic Keyword Method
Help! A
PARASITE
Radio
Cemetery
Memory Devices
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Conceptual Understanding: explanation that
enables the learner to see the significance of
the information (e.g, why are arteries thick
and elastic)
Rehearsal: saying the item to be memorized
Mnemonic Method: (see handout on keyword,
acronyms, acrostics)
Flash Cards: start with set of 5
Clustering: grouping information
– Note: go to study skills overheads
Definition of Language
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Any code employing signs, symbols, or
gestures used for communicating ideas
meaningfully between human beings.
– Social tool to communicate meanings,
feelings, and intentions.
– Language comprises of receptive skills
(understanding) and expressive skills (use)
and includes both written and oral forms.
Language Components & Skills
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Form
– Phonology
– Morphology
– Syntax
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Content
– Semantics
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Use
– Pragmatics
Functionalist Language Theory
Pragmatics
Syntax
Phonology
Morphology
Semantics
Formal Language Assessment
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Standardized instruments used to compare a
student’s performance with pre-established
criteria.
– Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals,
Peabody Picture Voc. Test
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Screening Tests
– Provides general overview in particular area can
norm referenced.
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Diagnostic Tests
– Measure one or more specific language
components.
Phonology
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Study and use of individual sound units in a
language and the rules by which they are
combined and recombined to create larger
language units.
 Phonemes are the unit of sound such as /s/
or /b/ , they do not convey meaning.
 Phonemes alter meaning of words when
combined (e.g., sat to bat).
Definitions
Phoneme: a speech sound. The
smallest unit of language and has no
inherent meaning.
 Phonemic Awareness: ability to hear
and manipulate the sounds in spoken
words, and the understanding that
spoken words and syllables are made
up of sequences of speech sounds.
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Phonemic Awareness
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The ability to hear and manipulate the sounds
in spoken words.
 The understanding that spoken words and
syllables are made up of sequences of
speech sounds.
 Essential to learning to read in an alphabetic
writing system: letters represent sounds or
phonemes and without phonemic awareness,
phonic makes little sense.
Phonemic Awareness is
Important because:
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It requires readers to notice how letters
represent sounds. It primes readers for print.
 It gives readers way to approach sounding
out and reading new words.
 It helps readers understand the alphabetic
principle (that the letters in words are
systematically represented by sounds.
What is a Phoneme?
Different linguistic units: large to small
 The smallest unit of sound in our
language that makes a difference to its
meaning.
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– Dog /d/ /o/ /g/
– Sun /s/ /u/ /n/
– Man /m/ /a/ /n/
Syntax
Study of the rules by which words are
organized into phrases or sentences in
a particular language.
 Referred to as the grammar of the
language and allows for more complex
expression of thoughts and ideas by
making references to past and future
events.
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Syntactic Deficits
Lack the length or syntactic complexity
(e.g., “Where Daddy go?”).
 Problems comprehending sentences
that express relationship between direct
or indirect objects.
 Difficulty with wh questions.
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Informal Tests of Syntax
Expressive syntax: analyzing student’s
spontaneous speech, recording
conversation.
 Sentence repetition: teacher states a
sentence and student repeats it.
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Semantics
The larger meaning component of
language.
 More than single words, includes
complex use of vocabulary, including
structures such as word categories,
word relationships, synonyms,
antonyms, figurative language,
ambiguities, and absurdities.
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Semantic Deficits
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Limited vocabulary especially in adjectives,
adverbs, prepositions, or pronouns.
 Longer response time in selecting vocabulary
words.
 Fail to perceive subtle changes in word
meaning: incomplete understanding and
misinterpretations.
 Figurative language problems.
Informal Tests of Semantics
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Logical relationships, cause-and-effect, and
verbal problem solving are difficult to assess.
 Verbal opposites: SRA picture cards of 40
pairs of opposites. Student sorts them into
opposites.
 Word categories: Teacher says a word and
student says as many words in the same
category.
 Semantic relationships: analyzing
spontaneous speech while playing or
interacting with friends.
Pragmatics
Knowledge and ability to use language
functionally in social or interactive
situations.
 Integrates all the other language skills,
but also requires knowledge and use of
rule governing the use of language in
social context.
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Pragmatic Deficits
Problems understanding indirect
requests (e.g., may say yes when asked
“Must you play the piano?”).
 May enter conversations in a socially
unacceptable fashion or fail to take
turns talking.
 Difficulty staying on topic.
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Informal Test of Pragmatics
Analyze spontaneous speech through
videotape.
 Transcribe tape – see figure 6.3
 Classify pragmatic function
 Measure inappropriate loudness, talking
at inappropriate times, interrupting the
speaker, and using indirect requests.
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Strategies for Increasing
Language Comprehension
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Establish eye contact and cue student to
listen.
Ask student to repeat directions.
Classroom arrangement to reduce
distractions.
Use familiar vocabulary when presenting new
concept.
Present new concept in as many modalities.
Teach memory strategies (e.g., visual
imagery, clustering and grouping information).
Strategies for Increasing
Language Production
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React to the content of student’s message,
then correct syntax error.
Teach language in various settings.
Act as a good language model, have students
imitate what they hear.
Comment or elaborate on students’ ideas to
provide more information.
Use storytelling, role playing, or charades to
improve verbal expression.
Use structured language programs that
provide adequate practice.
Preschool and Kindergarten
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Difficulty with readiness skills: counting,
naming colors, naming the days of the week,
and using scissors.
 Unable to follow simple directions, follow a
story line, or enjoy listening to stories.
 May exhibit immature-sounding speech, word
finding difficulties, and inability to name
common objects.
Elementary Students
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Limited ability to identify sounds, analyzing
and synthesizing sound sequences and
segmenting words.
Problems with temporal and spatial concepts
(e.g., before-after, some, few).
Word finding (retrieval) difficulties exist.
Problems sounding out and blending sounds.
Problems with expressive and oral language.
Secondary Students
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Tend to be passive learners and lack
metacognitive skills.
 Problems gaining information from class
lectures and textbooks, completing
homework, following classroom rules,
demonstrating command of knowledge
through test taking, expressing thoughts in
writing, participating in classroom
discussions, and passing competency exams.
Framework for Analysis of Writing
Errors
IV
Irregularities that are
syntactically
inappropriate but
comprehensible
III
Irregularities that are
syntactically
inappropriate and
incomprehensible
I
Irregularities that are
syntactically correct
and comprehensible
II
Irregularities that are
syntactically correct but
incomprehensible
How many phonemes are in these words??
Spy
Gray
Pie
Lay
Rice
Plane
Train
Four
Steal
Grow
Late
Groan
An
Two
Cart
Smile
Pay
Ice
Art
Rain
Ache
Stew
Flake
And