In this clinical tutorial, we describe the implementation of interventions provided to struggling writers using telepractice as the method of service delivery. The intervention of focus in this article was provided by graduate students who received advanced training in supporting writing to elementary school children with and without learning…

Written expression is critical to the full participation of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and complex communication needs in a wide range of educational and community contexts. Unfortunately, the extant research on teaching writing to this unique population is limited and, thus, provides little guidance to practitioners in the design…

The high prevalence of trauma world-wide is such that speech-language pathologists are likely to support clients across the lifespan with experiences of trauma, such as abuse, neglect, intergenerational and racial trauma, and exposure to structural and systemic violence. Trauma can affect peoples' neurobiology and can also impact cognitive,…

"Play" is a word used commonly to refer to children's preferred activities and to some adult activities, and it is often said that play promotes learning. But what is play exactly, and what and how do children learn through play? This essay begins with a description of an evolutionary, practice theory of play by German philosopher and…

A growing number of high school students with disabilities are planning to continue their education in postsecondary schools, including vocational and career schools, 2- and 4-year colleges, and universities (U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 2011). The transition from secondary settings to postsecondary settings presents…

In this article, the visual metaphor of drifting snow is used as a reminder of past and current practices in language-learning disabilities that sometimes keep professionals frozen in time. Continuing with metaphoric images, readers are reminded to evaluate their intervention choices, question popular but outdated concepts, and examine real…

The state of reading proficiency in the United States has been under attack for decades. Attempts to improve reading achievement through instructional practices have taken the profession through the "reading wars" to "balanced-reading" to "evidenced-based" methods. Unfortunately, the professional development of…

This article encourages educators and speech-language pathologists to look beyond the language of African American English speakers for an explanation of the Black-White achievement gap in education. A brief historical overview shows that the attention to the performance of African American children in school began many years ago but gained…

Virtual reality (VR) describes a set of technologies that allow users to explore and experience 3-dimensional computer-generated "worlds" or "environments." These virtual environments can contain representations of real or imaginary objects on a small or large scale (from modeling of molecular structures to buildings, streets, and scenery of a…

The article reports on two effective peer intervention strategies for handicapped children with social deficits. In the first, nonhandicapped children are taught to use interaction promoting strategies and in the second, handicapped and nonhandicapped children are taught sociodramatic play scripts which encourage interaction during free play.(DB)

The article describes ways in which the oral language specialist can help language-delayed children develop reading comprehension skills. Examples include using discussion techniques to bring meaning to personalized written communications; using barrier games to enhance comprehension of messages; and providing oral experiences to help children…

This paper discusses major principles characterizing the whole language philosophy of teaching and learning; assumptions of the mechanistic and relational paradigms; whole language practices such as the Shared Book Experience and Reading Recovery for helping students with reading difficulties; and the potential of whole language for developing…

Speech-language pathologists face many service delivery challenges in school-based settings. Traditionally operating from a disorder model, the school speech-language pathologist rarely takes advantage of the opportunity to work with students who may benefit from enhanced communication skills training. The Communication Lab approach is an 8-week…

Nearly one in five Americans speaks a language other than English at home; among Americans speaking languages other than English, the largest single language group is Spanish speaking (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2004). The increase in the total group of language minority individuals has been dramatic, with their proportion in the U.S. population…

This paper discusses the history of U.S. reading instruction; instructional approaches and learning processes; the whole language view of literacy acquisition; promoting literate behavior through reading to or writing with children, shared reading, and guiding children's reading/writing; and use of the whole language approach with…