Language & Literacy

Question 1

Why do we assess language (Denman et al., 2019)?

Answer 1

Assessment is conducted due to concerns from caregivers, teachers, or healthcare professionals. Reasons may include behavioural issues, reading difficulties, trouble following instructions, reciprocal conversation problems, or over-literal interpretations.

Question 2

Name examples of standardised, norm-referenced language assessments.

Answer 2

CELF-P3, Woodcock and Johnson. These compare performance to a normative sample and are valid/reliable for diagnosis, screening, and planning intervention.

Question 3

What are criterion-referenced and descriptive assessments used for?

Answer 3

Used to describe status, detect change, predict outcomes, and plan intervention. Includes developmental scales, interviews, checklists, MLU, language sampling.

Question 4

What are curriculum-based, activity-focused assessments?

Answer 4

Used to assess function and support needs in school contexts. Methods include artifact analysis, on-looker observation, and dynamic assessment.

Question 5

List key characteristics of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).

Answer 5

Language disorder without known biological aetiology, impairs function, may co-occur with ADHD, 3–7% prevalence, replaces terms like SLI.

Question 6

What are common phonological features of DLD?

Answer 6

Delayed sound acquisition, difficulty with complex sound patterns, PA tasks (segmenting, manipulation, rapid naming) often affected.

Question 7

What syntactic difficulties are common in children with DLD?

Answer 7

Trouble understanding negative/passive constructions, short and less complex sentences, errors with verb tense, articles, and pronouns.

Question 8

What morphological difficulties are seen in DLD?

Answer 8

Delayed use of plural -s, possessive -s, 3rd person -s, comparatives, superlatives, irregular forms, later prefixes and suffixes.

Question 9

What are common semantic characteristics in DLD?

Answer 9

Limited vocabulary, restricted word meanings, word-finding difficulties, excessive use of nonspecific words, difficulty with conjunctions and figurative language.

Question 10

Describe pragmatic deficits in children with DLD.

Answer 10

Limited fluency, trouble initiating/maintaining conversation, poor cohesion, reduced clarity/politeness, difficulty adapting language to listener.

Question 11

What is the value of language sampling in assessment?

Answer 11

Assesses multiple domains: vocabulary, morphosyntax, discourse. Provides rich, contextual data for planning and monitoring.

Question 12

List key measures obtained from a language sample.

Answer 12

T-units, MLU per T-unit, grammatical morpheme usage, complex syntax, disruptions, TNW, MLUs, WPS, CPS.

Question 13

Define phonological awareness and give an example.

Answer 13

Understanding sound structures in language. Example: segmenting syllables or rhyming.

Question 14

Define phonemic awareness and give an example.

Answer 14

Recognizing and manipulating individual sounds in words. Example: identifying the first sound in ‘cat’.

Question 15

Define phonics.

Answer 15

Connecting sounds (phonemes) with letters or groups of letters (graphemes).

Question 16

Why is literacy important in speech pathology?

Answer 16

Literacy relies on language, supports language growth, and is a key factor in academic success (Matthew Effect).

Question 17

Name decoding assessment tools for literacy.

Answer 17

LeST (letter sound test), CC2 (Castles and Coltheart 2).

Question 18

Name encoding (spelling) assessment tools.

Answer 18

DiSTs (Diagnostic Spelling Test), DiSTi (irregular words).

Question 19

Name tools for assessing reading comprehension.

Answer 19

TERC, CUBED reading retell subtest.

Question 20

What writing assessments are used in literacy?

Answer 20

Reading Rockets Writing Assessment.

Question 21

Define phonological awareness and list an example task.

Answer 21

The awareness of sound structures in spoken language (syllables, rhyme, alliteration). Example: clapping out syllables in a word.

Question 22

What is phonemic awareness and how does it differ from phonological awareness?

Answer 22

Phonemic awareness is the ability to isolate and manipulate individual phonemes. It is a subcategory of phonological awareness.

Question 23

Define phonics and its role in literacy.

Answer 23

Phonics connects phonemes (sounds) to graphemes (letters) and teaches decoding strategies for reading and spelling.

Question 24

Explain the relationship between language and literacy.

Answer 24

Language provides the foundation for literacy development. Oral language skills influence vocabulary, comprehension, and narrative skills necessary for reading and writing.

Question 25

What is the Matthew Effect in literacy development?

Answer 25

Children who start off strong in reading tend to improve further, while those who struggle fall further behind, widening the achievement gap.

Question 26

What is the Triple Word Form Theory?

Answer 26

Spelling relies on the integration of phonological (sound), orthographic (spelling), and morphological (word structure) knowledge.

Question 27

Provide an example of a phonological spelling error.

Answer 27

'rat' spelled as 'wat' – reflects poor sound discrimination of initial consonants.

Question 28

Provide an example of an orthographic spelling error.

Answer 28

'leaf' spelled as 'leef' – incorrect application of English spelling conventions.

Question 29

Provide an example of a morphological spelling error.

Answer 29

'trapped' spelled as 'trappd' – omission of grammatical morpheme for past tense.

Question 30

List and describe three reading comprehension strategies.

Answer 30

1. Graphic organizers – visual representations of ideas. 2. Question generation – encourages active reading. 3. Summarisation – promotes integration of key ideas.

Question 31

What is cooperative learning in reading?

Answer 31

Strategy where students work in groups to understand text using shared strategies such as summarising, questioning, and predicting.

Question 32

What are effective strategies for improving reading fluency?

Answer 32

Repeated reading, paired reading, and shared reading help build speed, accuracy, and prosody.

Question 33

What activities support phonics instruction?

Answer 33

Letter-sound matching, decoding exercises using decodable texts, segmenting and blending phonemes.

Question 34

Name two activities to support comprehension monitoring.

Answer 34

1. Self-questioning while reading. 2. Using sticky notes to mark confusing passages and summarise key points.

Question 35

Write a SMART short-term goal for phonemic awareness.

Answer 35

Over the next 3 sessions, Ava will correctly identify the initial sound in CVC words with 90% accuracy using picture cards during literacy instruction.

Question 36

Write a SMART long-term goal for reading fluency.

Answer 36

By the end of the term, Liam will read Stage 2 decodable texts aloud with 85% accuracy and appropriate prosody in small group settings.

Question 37

What syntactic difficulties are common in DLD?

Answer 37

Shorter, less elaborated sentences, fewer complex clauses, difficulty with verb tense, plurals, and pronouns.

Question 38

List activities that support morphosyntactic development.

Answer 38

Focused stimulation, recasts, auditory bombardment, syntax stories targeting specific structures.

Question 39

What semantic deficits are typical in children with DLD?

Answer 39

Limited vocabulary, overuse of nonspecific words, word-finding difficulties, difficulty with figurative language.

Question 40

What activities support semantic intervention?

Answer 40

Semantic mapping, categorization, word webs, association tasks, vocabulary teaching with visuals and definitions.

Question 41

What are common pragmatic challenges in DLD?

Answer 41

Difficulty initiating and maintaining conversation, poor topic management, reduced responsiveness, inappropriate language use.

Question 42

List three interventions for pragmatic language skills.

Answer 42

Video modeling, social stories, peer-mediated role play with structured scripts.

Question 43

You are assessing Sarah, a 7-year-old girl in Year 2. Her teacher is concerned about her reading comprehension and limited vocabulary. What assessments would you conduct and why?

Answer 43

Use CELF-5 or CCC-2 to assess language structure and content. Use language sampling and narrative tasks for real-world language use. Vocabulary assessments and a comprehension task such as TERC would provide insight into her difficulties.

Question 44

Jake is 9 and has difficulty following multi-step instructions, uses vague vocabulary (e.g. 'thing'), and struggles with written narratives. What areas would you target in therapy and why?

Answer 44

Focus on semantics (vocab expansion with semantic maps), syntax (multi-step instructions and sentence structure), and discourse-level skills like narrative cohesion. These address his functional participation and curriculum alignment.

Question 45

Talia is a 6-year-old struggling with letter-sound correspondence and reading simple CVC words. What intervention approach would you use and why?

Answer 45

Use explicit phonics instruction with decodable texts. Activities include segmenting/blending CVC words, letter-sound matching games, and high-frequency word practice. Supports foundational decoding skills critical for early reading.

Question 46

Ben is in Year 4 and can decode fluently but struggles to understand what he reads. What areas should your intervention focus on?

Answer 46

Reading comprehension strategies: summarisation, questioning, predicting, using graphic organizers. Teach how to monitor comprehension and apply fix-up strategies.

Question 47

Amira is a 10-year-old with DLD who avoids classroom discussions and has trouble forming complex sentences. How would you support her in class?

Answer 47

Use hybrid interventions like focused stimulation with curriculum content. Provide sentence starters, allow written responses, and offer visual aids to support expressive syntax and participation.

Question 48

Liam has difficulty spelling words like 'leef' for 'leaf' and 'trappd' for 'trapped'. What does this tell you, and how would you address it?

Answer 48

These reflect orthographic and morphological errors. Use spelling instruction that targets patterns and rules explicitly. Include activities for root word recognition and suffix use.

Question 49

Sam (7) has difficulties following instructions, answering questions, and storytelling. What domains would you assess and why?

Answer 49

Focus on receptive language (comprehension), expressive language (narrative, grammar), attention/listening, and pragmatics to understand classroom participation and underlying difficulties.

Question 50

What assessment tools would you use for Sam?

Answer 50

CELF-5 for core language skills, language sampling for narrative and sentence structure, CCC-2 for pragmatic profile, and classroom observations to assess functional communication.

Question 51

Who would you involve in Sam’s assessment and why?

Answer 51

Teachers (for classroom insight), parents (developmental and contextual history), and possibly a psychologist (if attention difficulties need further exploration).

Question 52

What difficulties might Tayla show in morphology, syntax, and semantics?

Answer 52

Morphology: errors with tense markers, plurals. Syntax: short, unelaborated sentences, difficulty with word order. Semantics: limited vocabulary, word-finding issues.

Question 53

List two classroom activities to help Tayla develop her syntax skills.

Answer 53

1. Sentence expansion tasks using visuals (e.g. add describing words, prepositional phrases). 2. Focused stimulation with modeled sentence structures tied to classroom content.

Question 54

What tier of vocabulary would you target from 'The Brothers Quibble' for Toby?

Answer 54

Target Tier 2 words – high-frequency words across content areas that appear in literature but are not commonly used in everyday conversation.

Question 55

Why would you focus on Tier 2 words for Toby?

Answer 55

Tier 2 words support academic success and are key for comprehension and narrative development. They're also emphasized in the curriculum and suited for children with DLD.

Question 56

List three activities to support Toby’s receptive understanding of vocabulary.

Answer 56

1. Word mapping (definition, synonym, picture, sentence). 2. Semantic feature analysis. 3. Repeated reading with vocabulary spotlight and questioning.

Question 57

List two classroom supports to recommend for Toby.

Answer 57

1. Visual aids (e.g. word walls, images). 2. Pre-teaching and revisiting target words before and after class reading.

Question 58

Write a SMART short-term goal to target Lauren’s regular past tense -ed production.

Answer 58

Lauren will use regular past tense -ed with 80% accuracy in 10-minute clinician-led play sessions involving picture cards and sentence starters, over 3 consecutive sessions.

Question 59

What intervention approach would you use for Lauren and why?

Answer 59

Use focused stimulation and auditory bombardment to provide multiple models of -ed use. This is effective for morphosyntactic targets in naturalistic yet structured contexts.