Discusses a way to introduce students to idioms and figurative expressions while stimulating their interest in literature. (MB)

Incidental teaching and traditional discrete-trial procedures were used to teach two children (ages 10 and 12) with autism the expressive use of two color adjectives. Results demonstrated that traditional discrete-trial teaching was more efficient and produced faster acquisition but incidental teaching resulted in greater generalization and equal…

Noting that too many children leave elementary school without developing the ability to use words imaginatively, this paper presents a teaching approach that uses literature to foster invention in children's writing. The approach described is part of a total composition program that structures writing experiences in which children observe…

Considers how expressive written language is considered one of the most difficult areas of academic achievement for children, especially those with learning disabilities. Discusses two narrative writing models: the story frame and the story pyramid. (SG)

Four nine year olds with mild mental retardation received training on the meaning of idiomatic phrases. All children demonstrated learning and an ability to understand the learned idioms when presented in unfamiliar contexts. Children were able to generalize their receptive learning to an expressive task with varying levels of success. (Author/JDD)

This leaflet explores the rediscovery of the importance of oral language, greatly prompted by the influence of linguists on school practices since 1960. The term "oracy," a recently coined British term which refers specifically to the ability to use the skills of speaking and listening, is discussed in several contexts: new information…

Two children, aged six and nine, with moderate mental retardation were taught syntactic rules for combining known and unknown words into two-word utterances. The use of receptive teaching with imitation of the target phrase facilitated both generalized receptive learning and transfer to production in both subjects. (Author/JDD)

Tested were the long term effects of behavior modification and training in self-management on generative writing behavior with a total of 13 educable mentally handicapped children in special classes. (PT)

This article reviews aspects of normal affective development and the accompanying language of feelings, explains how children with behavioral and emotional problems diverge from normal patterns, and describes relevant intervention programs for early childhood and the primary and intermediate grades. (Author/JDD)

An instructional prereading using American Sign Language (ASL) was effective in improving the ability of 7 prelingually deaf children (ages 11 and 12) to understand and retell a story after reading it in print. A six-step procedure for using the ASL technique is explained. Other applications of the technique and its appropriateness for public…

This dissertation argues that the skill of using language to communicate should be based on the continuous development of the ability to use imagery, metaphor, and the inherently ambiguous nature of language. Since language is a symbolic restructuring of experience, any method designed to teach language arts must reflect the interplay between…

This pamphlet is the third in a series of ten stemming from the view that language is central to learning, that teachers can gain insights into their work and into learning by examining the language of the classroom, and that current language theory can be the means to such insights. Specifically, the pamphlet presents ideas drawn from a five-year…

This study examined methods of providing language evaluation and remediation services to students with language impairments in the regular classroom in order to focus on authentic classroom-based language and discourse. Evaluation was through observation of routine social uses of dialogue between students and teachers. Remedial strategies involved…

The book summarizes the current state of knowledge concerning language development in children with Down Syndrome (DS). The first chapter reviews language development in normal children, noting such stages as gestures, first sounds, development of understanding, first spoken words, and the two-word stage. The next chapter examines language skills…

This handbook may serve as a guide in helping teachers to identify children with learning disabilities. Hypothetical cases are presented, giving specific examples of academic and behavioral problems which may be caused by such learning disabilities as visual perceptual disorders, auditory perceptual disorders, motor disorders, orientation…