This essential text will prepare SLPs to make the best possible clinical decisions--and improve the communication and overall quality of life for children and adolescents with developmental language disorders. Addresses a broad age span and teaches b

Now in its second edition, Speech and Language Therapy: the decision-making process when working with children reveals how recent research and changes in health and education services have affected the decision-making process in the assessment and management of children with speech and language problems. With individual chapters written by experts in their field, this book: Illustrates how the decisions made by practitioners may vary within different work settings Shows how these decisions may need to be adapted when working with specific client groups Explores how such decisions are part of effective evidence-based practice Offers an overview of the skills required by the developing professional Provides insight into working as a newly qualified therapist in the current job market. Rigorously underpinned with current research and revised legislation, this is an important textbook for speech and language therapy students, potential students and specialist teachers in training. Speech and Language Therapy: the decision-making process when working with children will also be relevant to newly qualified therapists, therapists returning to the profession, specialist teachers and Special Educational Needs Coordinators.

A dozen top experts present a wide range of informed opinions about phonological disorders in children, allowing readers to compare diverse approaches to assessment and intervention and use this knowledged to make sound clinical decisions.

The Handbook of Speech and Language Disorders presents a comprehensive survey of the latest research in communication disorders. Contributions from leading experts explore current issues, landmark studies, and the main topics in the field, and include relevant information on analytical methods and assessment. A series of foundational chapters covers a variety of important general principles irrespective of specific disorders. These chapters focus on such topics as classification, diversity considerations, intelligibility, the impact of genetic syndromes, and principles of assessment and intervention. Other chapters cover a wide range of language, speech, and cognitive/intellectual disorders.

This book constitutes a clear, comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the basic principles of psychological and educational assessment that underlie effective clinical decisions about childhood language disorders. Rebecca McCauley describes specific commonly used tools, as well as general approaches ranging from traditional standardized norm-referenced testing to more recent ones, such as dynamic and qualitative assessment. Highlighting special considerations in testing and expected patterns of performance, she reviews the challenges presented by children with a variety of problems--specific language impairment, hearing loss, mental retardation, and autism spectrum disorders. Three extended case examples illustrate her discussion of each of these target groups. Her overarching theme is the crucial role of well-formed questions as fundamental guides to decision making, independent of approach. Each chapter features lists of key concepts and terms, study questions, and recommended readings. Tables throughout offer succinct summaries and aids to memory. Students, their instructors, and speech-language pathologists continuing their professional education will all welcome this invaluable new resource. Distinctive features include: A comprehensive consideration of both psychometric and descriptive approaches to the characterization of children's language A detailed discussion of background issues important in the language assessment of the major groups of children with language impairment Timely information on assessment of change--a topic frequently not covered in other texts Extensive guidance on how to evaluate individual norm-referenced measures for adoption An extensive appendix listing about 50 measures used to assess language in children A test review guide that can be reproduced for use by readers.

Developmental Phonological Disorders: Foundations of Clinical Practice, Second Edition is the only graduate-level textbook designed for a competency-based approach to teaching, learning, and assessment. The book provides a deep review of the knowledge base necessary for the competent assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of developmental phonological disorders. Thoroughly revised and updated, the textbook contains learning objectives in each chapter to further support understanding of concepts and carefully designed case studies and demonstrations to promote application to clinical problem solving. Key Features: Learning objectives for each chapter subsectionIncludes the "how, why, and when" to apply each assessment and treatment procedure in clinical practice62 tables containing clinically relevant information such as normative data to interpret phonological assessment results99 figures to support clinical decision making such as recommending a treatment delivery model, selecting treatment targets, or choosing evidence-based interventions35 case studies to support a competency-based approach to teaching and assessment35 demonstrations that show how to implement assessment and treatment procedures The second edition provides a comprehensive overview of seminal studies and leading-edge research on both phonological development and phonological disorders, including motor speech disorders and emergent literacy. This wealth of theoretical background is integrated with detailed descriptions and demonstrations of clinical practice, allowing the speech-language pathologist to design interventions that are adapted to the unique needs of each child while being consistent with the best research evidence. New to the Second Edition: Updated and expanded section on childhood apraxia of speechUpdated and expanded sections on the identification and treatment of inconsistent phonological disorderAdministration and interpretation of the Syllable Repetition Task addedAdministration and interpretation of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology added with case studies and demonstrationsNew organization, formatting, and editing to reduce the size of the bookCase studies revised to a single-page formatImproved Table of Contents to ease access to content, including norms tables, case studies, and demonstrations