building communicative competence individuals

Newly revised and updated, this compassionate and authoritative guide is based on Libby Kumin's thirty years of experience of working with children and adolescents with Down syndrome and their families. Dr Kumin draws on her vast experience to show parents how they can support and encourage their child's speech and language development from birth to age 6 (or when a child can form 2- to 3-word sentences). Parents and teachers learn how to work through characteristic challenges, including hearing loss, intelligibility issues, apraxia (difficulty planning oral-motor movements), or a slower pace of development. Families soon see that many children with Down syndrome are natural and willing communicators.

In a warm and conversational style, the author shares her professional expertise in parent-friendly terms. She uses specific examples of difficulties and successes to illustrate the concepts behind speech and language development, and includes the latest research supporting current early intervention and pre-school approaches that can be used at home and in schools.

This third edition features expanded information on the needs of children with apraxia, dual diagnosis of autism and Down syndrome, and updated terminology and information on special education law. An expanded chapter explains how technology and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can help with speech and language, foster communication, and provide inexpensive transitional language systems. Dozens of forms are now included on a CD-ROM to be used for assessment, developing treatment plans, and keeping detailed records of progress. Teachers, speech-language pathologists, and parents will love the convenience of printing multiple copies of forms and organising information for IEP meetings or periodic evaluations.
Check out the companion book, Helping Children with Down Syndrome Communicate Better: Speech and Language Skills for Ages 6-14.

Factors that make speech and language difficult (articulation, grammar, fluency)

The evaluation process (school or private evaluation)

Assessment of language and speech skills

Language treatment (grammar, vocabulary, reading)

Speech treatment (articulation, fluency, apraxia)

Communication skills at school

Communication skills at home & in the community

Conversational skills (how to start & end conversations, take turns, stay on topic)

Assistive technology for communication (assessing need, types of augmentative or alternative communication, the right match for your child)

A suggested reading list, resource guide, and appendices (sample evaluations and blank forms) complement the wealth of practical suggestions and strategies in Helping Children with Down Syndrome Communicate Better. Parents, therapists, and teachers will want to refer to it often to help children make communication progress and participate fully in their lives.

A massive reference work on the scale of MITECS (The MIT Encyclopedia of Cognitive Sciences), The MIT Encyclopedia of Communication Disorders will become the standard reference in this field for both research and clinical use. It offers almost 200 detailed entries, covering the entire range of communication and speech disorders in children and adults, from basic science to clinical diagnosis.MITECD is divided into four sections that reflect the standard categories within the field (also known as speech-language pathology and audiology): Voice, Speech, Language, and Hearing. Within each category, entries are organized into three subsections: Basic Science, Disorders, and Clinical Management. Basic Science includes relevant information on normal anatomy and physiology, physics, psychology and psychophysics, and linguistics; this provides a scientific foundation for entries in the other subsections. The entries that appear under Disorders offer information on the definition and characterization of specific disorders, and tools for their identification and assessment. The Clinical Management subsection describes appropriate interventions, including behavioral, pharmacological, surgical, and prosthetic.Because the approach to communication disorders can be quite different for children and adults, many topics include separate entries reflecting this. Although some disorders that are first diagnosed in childhood may persist in some form throughout adulthood, many disorders can have an onset in either childhood or adulthood, and the timing of onset can have many implications for both assessment and intervention.Topics covered in MITECD include cochlear implants for children and adults, pitch perception, tinnitus, alaryngeal voice and speech rehabilitation, neural mechanisms of vocalization, holistic voice therapy techniques, computer-based approaches to children?s speech and language disorders, neurogenic mutism, regional dialect, agrammatism, global aphasia, and psychosocial problems associated with communicative disorders.