A Speech-Language Pathology Practice
Twice gifted students with learning problems can go through their entire academic career struggling with school work, but unable to receive services. Â The struggle is primarily encountered on the home front. Â Frustrated children and parents, battle through homework and self-esteem issues that leave everyone exhausted. Often twice gifted students’ strengths effectively hide their weaknesses. As …
Continue reading “Not Qualified for Services: Twice Gifted Students”
The foundation of language chart above provides a simplified view of language development to show how early language development supports future academic achievement. Because we so often take language for granted and schools often downplay the impact of speech and language challenges after the third grade, it is  easy not to realize, that even small speech …
Continue reading “Language: The Foundation for Academic Part 1”
“My son is not confident”, says a concerned Mom at a picnic I’m attending. She goes on to say, “He seems to have difficulty understanding what people are saying and responding to them in an appropriate time frame, so he is struggling in college.”unicaLanguage-based learning challenges are lifelong. They do not cease at the completion …
Continue reading “Life Long: Language-Based Learning Challenges”
Twice exceptional learners may remain undiagnosed, by educational professionals including Speech Pathologist, because of their unique abilities in other areas. The language assessment in a neuropsychological battery and in some speech pathology tests often require only one-word or limited responses. Both assessments attempt to look at different areas of performance in isolation. Because twice exceptional learners sometimes …
Even though teens and young adults often continue to have problems managing their language based learning disabilities in middle and high school, some are initially resistant to accepting help from specialist. Henry is  in the 7th grade and he is always getting the class to laugh at his antics. He is well liked and kids think …
Continue reading “I Don’t Need Help! Problems of Adolescence”
I am holding up a bright yellow jacket at the LL Bean outlet in New Hampshire. “Hey look this is really bright it will be great for biking,” I say to my daughter. “No, it’s dull she says!” I’m puzzled and confused. I look at the jacket again and then walk off to pay the cashier. I’m …
Continue reading “Vocabulary Development: Teachable Moments”
“I’m dumb!”  “I can’t learn!”  Often underserved in public schools, twice exceptional children of color,  especially children of color who are of African or Hispanic descent spend their entire academic career unidentified and underperforming. Twice exceptional is a term used to refer to students who are gifted in some areas, but also have learning disabilities as …
Continue reading “Unidentified: Twice Exceptional Children of Color”
Parents fear that their child’s language based learning disability will limit opportunities, but with additional supports like speech/language therapy this is not true.  Even if the distinction between learning disabilities and intellectual impairment is made clear to children, they will pick up on the fact that in school they are having more problems than their …
In the documentary called “Embracing Dyslexia,” a father asked the principal of his child’s school if he should tell his child that the child has dyslexia. The principal says, “No!” Should you tell children with dyslexia, who are aware of their struggles that they have dyslexia or other language-based learning disabilities? Children know when they are …
The value of reading fiction for people with Asperger Syndrome is that reading this genre offers them the opportunity to improve non-verbal skills, in spite of the fact that some people with Asperger Syndrome do not enjoy reading fictional books. However, they may find comfort and interest in reading about characters with the same personality traits and …
