Functional Language Program for Children

Description

Ages: 2-7
Grades: Toddler-2

Teach children with severe language impairments to understand and use early developing semantic relationships. This expansive program with 251 reproducible picture cards uses a controlled vocabulary and a variety of teaching methods. Children learn functional language, increase mean length of utterance, and master 22 phrase structures in a systematic progression of engaging lessons.

The program uses these innovative techniques:

• each word of every phrase taught is essential to completing the tasks correctly
• a limited number of vocabulary words helps students master syntactic relationships
• students are empowered to control their environment
• train skills with picture cards, toys and objects, group interaction, and the natural environment

The heart of the program is the 251 full color, print-your-own picture cards (print them using the included online access code). The picture cards are presented in sets with one picture representing the target phrase and the other pictures representing phrases that differ from the target by only one word.

The program is organized into four levels of difficulty:

• Single words
• nouns
• verbs
• adjectives
• prepositions
• relational phrases (e.g., more, bye-bye)
• Two-word phrases - develop nine phrase structures such as:
• noun and noun (e.g., milk and cookie)
• adjective + noun (e.g., sad boy)
• verb + noun (e.g., eating apple)
• "more" + noun
• Three-word phrases - teach seven phrase structures such as:
• noun + verb + object
• noun + preposition + object
• possessive noun + adjective + noun
• Four-word phrases - target six phrase structures such as:
• noun + preposition + adjective + object (e.g., dog under dirty car)
• adjective + noun and adjective + noun (e.g., wet girl and big ball)
• adjective + noun + verb + object (e.g., little boy pushing wagon)

There are four types of training activities in each level:

• Picture card training - three levels of receptive and expressive skill training include activities for even the most challenging language delays
• Functional training activities - use common toys and objects for activities in modeling, imitating, and producing words (from various parts of speech) and phrases
• Classroom group activities - circle time/expansion activities help students use target semantic structures in new contexts
• Environment - less structured practice using common toys and objects in everyday life

The program includes these additional helps:

• Picture library of manual signs for the 28 vocabulary words
• Sample goals for receptive/expressive language
• Suggestions for targeting skills in articulation/phonology, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, and auditory discrimination and comprehension
• Storybook adaptations

COMPLETE KIT INCLUDES: 62 page therapy manual plus online access code to print picture cards. ( 2012)