Introduction
Ensuring proper development of language skills in students is one of the core responsibilities of an early education teacher. In most students, the opportunity to boost the early development process emerges quite naturally; however, in learners with language development issues, the process becomes significantly more complicated. To address the needs of learners with expressive language disorder, a teacher must focus on collaboration with parents and language experts due to the need to boost the learners’ self-esteem and prompt the development of habits allowing learners to build the required skillset.
Analysis
The phenomenon of expressive language disorder (ELD) is quite common in students, which necessitates the creation of a comprehensive approach for managing it. According to Rosmala et al. (2021, p. 87), the ELD can be defined as a “psychological condition of an individual that results in the occurrence of language impairment and impacts on their inability to convey verbal or written messages.” Therefore, the failure to communicate a message directly represents the main impediment for children with ELD.
Interventions
The approaches toward managing the ELD in young learners are diverse and quite numerous. However, they have a unique connective tissue that unifies them and allows viewing them as homogenous elements of a single network. Namely, the emphasis on collaboration between teachers, parents, and speech-language therapists is mandatory since it will allow for an effective intervention actively supported in all settings (Rosmala et al., 2021). As a result, a child with ELD will receive consistent instructions and guidelines both at school and at home, which will be highly conducive to the development of the necessary language skills.
One-on-One and Group Sessions
When managing the problem of ELD, one must recognize the twofold nature of the issue. Specifically, while the therapist must focus on the management of internal issues that prevent a child from self-expression through speech, either verbal, written, or both, it is also critical to take note of the adverse effects that external factors have on a student. Indeed, studies show that challenges in language comprehension occur differently in the target audience in private and in public (Rosmala et al., 2021). Therefore, a combination of one-on-one sessions with a therapist for an in-depth self-reflection and group sessions with the focus on interpersonal communication and the perception of others’ speech in a group context will be needed (Rosmala et al., 2021). Thus, the child will be exposed to different types of situations that will lead to overcoming the problem gradually.
Block-Building Techniques
Another issue to keep in mind when administering the relevant therapeutic frameworks to students with ELD is the necessity to increase the amount of pressure and the extent of task complexity gradually. For this purpose, interventions known as block-building techniques must be utilized. Suggesting that the complexity of tasks should increase once the platform is set, the proposed interventions help learners to gain the necessary skills in a relatively tension-free context.
Language Therapy
Naturally, the process of building language skills requires the introduction of exercises involving language components into the therapy. Specifically, the assistance of experts in developing the required language skills will be required. The assistance of a speech pathologist may help in case a child struggles to develop specific speaking or writing skills, such as problems pronouncing a certain sound (Rosmala et al., 2021). Similarly, with issues such as dyslexia, namely, severe challenges with writing in English, the support of an expert, such as in developing gymnastics for proper articulation, will be needed (Rosmala et al., 2021). The introduction of language therapy must be seen as vital in assisting children with ELD.
Open-Ended Questions
Another approach to the management of speech-related difficulties, the use of open-ended questions should, be considered when addressing the needs of ELD students. Specifically, the application of open-ended questions will invite young learners to participate in therapy session actively, allowing them to overcome hesitation and shyness (Rosmala et al., 2021). Overall, the integration of open-ended questions into the therapeutic approaches for addressing ELD is a rather common and useful practice.
Narrative Therapy
Being an extension of the open-ended questions approach, the narrative therapy framework allows accomplishing the same results. Implying the use of storytelling as the means of exciting young learners into speaking openly and uninhibitedly, the specified framework can be seen as both vital in addressing the speech issues and encouraging a child to develop creativity, as Assous et al. (2018) posit. The framework in question introduces the opportunity to assess a child’s narrative performance and, therefore, detail the problems that need to be addressed more thoroughly. At the same time, narrative therapy allows the learner to be more flexible in overcoming the key impediments to speaking (Rosmala et al., 2021). Therefore, the use of narrative therapy can be considered an especially important approach.
Home and Class Strategies
When addressing cases of language disorders, particularly, the issue of ELD, one needs to recognize the significance of tackling the issue both in the classroom setting and at home. As delineated above, parents must take an active part in supporting their child and contributing to the child’s cognitive development by following the strategies outlined by the therapist. Thus, collaboration between parents and the therapist, as well as parents and educators, is vital for the successful application of the appropriate strategies. Several approaches can be detailed as the main ways of supporting an ELD child at home.
Home. Narrative Approach
Being similar to the narrative therapy, the proposed framework implies that a paint should encourage a child actively to discuss specific issues and topics. Asking a child to tell about a certain event, express an opinion about the issue regarding which the child is particularly passionate, or using any other pretext to incite a conversation is vital in establishing the basis for the narrative therapy in the home setting. Once a child becomes actively engaged in the discussion process, opportunities for addressing ELD by developing the patterns suggested by the speech pathologist and allowing a child to maintain the conversation and process information.
Home. Avoiding Interruptions
Though the idea of listening to a child without interruptions is a self-evident notion, a significant number of parents tend to disregard it. The specified choice leads to outcomes that are especially harmful to children with ELD since the approach in question inhibits the children’s efforts to develop speaking skills. Therefore, parents must be instructed to avoid interrupting the child and, instead, offer supportive and active listening. Thus, opportunities for minimizing the negative effects of ELD can be introduced. Moreover, the child will be capable of building the needed language skills by gaining certain speech habits.
Home. Visual and Auditory Signals
To assist a child with recalling information and relaying it in a palatable manner, parents can be instructed to utilize certain visual and audial cues. The proposed approach implies introducing visual and auditory support for child5ren struggling with the perception of speech (Rosmala et al., 2021). These may include expressions of appraisal or certain visual cues, such as a hand gesture (Rosmala et al., 2021). Since the main goal of the specified tools is to remind a learner about a specific issue in speech, such as the use of a certain word, the need to speak in full sentences, or the necessity to pay closer attention to a certain word, the proposed approach will help the learner become more focused when analyzing speech.
Home. Frequent Appraisal
Finally, one must remember the importance of regular encouragement for learners with ELD. The specified strategy will boost students’ confidence, which is vital in developing the required language processing skills. In turn, the role of family members in increasing a child’s confidence cannot be overstated. Therefore, parents must be instructed about the need to support their children actively and offer them praise.
School. A Combined Approach
Incorporating all of the above strategies is also vital for boosting a child’s performance in school. Therefore, educators need to incorporate the tools listed above into their framework for working with ELD students. By collaborating with speech therapists and parents, teachers will be able to make a concentrated effort in addressing ELD in young learners.
School. Creative Writing
The focus on creativity in writing will allow young learners to explore language without putting substantial pressure on them. Specifically, educators might want to introduce activities that involve writing short finished sentences on the provided topic (Rosmala et al., 2021). The proposed approach is expected to excite students to share their opinions and experiences, therefore, helping them to enjoy the process of learning while overcoming the observed language issues and expanding their vocabulary. Therefore, the suggested technique must be considered an essential element of the teaching process in the context of the classroom setting with ELD students.
Leading Questions
Introducing leading questions that will guide a learner to the desired outcome and provide a student with a template for presenting a short speech contributes to the management of ELD to a significant extent. Apart from providing an ELD student with a hint concerning the structure of the answer and the word choice, it also includes an engagement factor since it encourages learners to voice their opinions. Therefore, the approach based on leading questions should be included in the list of strategies for addressing obstacles for ELD students.
Recording the Student
Another approach that an educator might want to experiment with concerns the use of recording tools. Specifically, by recording the speech of an ELD learner, an educator will be able to analyze it properly and identify the main issues that emerge as the student handles a specific task. Moreover, a teacher may introduce a student to the specified exercise, therefore, providing the learner with an opportunity to gain insight into the personal perception of the language. As a result, a student may gain an understanding of the obstacles on the way to developing critical skills.
Using Flashcards
The application of flashcards might seem basic, yet it is expected to assist students in developing the much-needed language skills and overcoming the development gaps caused by ELD. Specifically, flashcards will contribute not only to memorizing specific words or rules faster but also to arranging key information about the language in an orderly manner for students. Remarkably, the application of flashcards can be transferred to the digital context due to the abundance of efficient services that offer the specified opportunity.
Critical Partners
Finally, one must also take account of the resources available to educators and ELD students. Specifically, the opportunity for ELD students to gain the support of multiple partners deserves closer attention. First and most obvious, the importance of educators’ contribution to handling the issue of ELD in young children must be addressed. By promoting interdisciplinary collaboration between educators, one will create a support system for ELD learners, providing the target population with the needed resources and support. Moreover, when collaborating, educators can introduce suggestions concerning the changes in the existing curriculum to accommodate the needs of ELD students.
Speech Therapists
The input provided by speech experts is also to be regarded for its significance and weight. By cooperating with educators, speech therapists can isolate the problem, thus, diagnosing the issue and creating the therapy framework that will lead to the best results possible within the shortest amount of time. Overall, the approaches in question help to control the adverse factors affecting the performance of a student significantly better. However, given the fact that the specified frameworks require active collaboration between parents, educators, and the speech therapist, the probability of a successful outcome becomes infinitesimal.
Parents
Finally, the role of parents in managing the needs of children with ELD should be described. Representing the foundation for the ELD learners’ support system, parents must provide empathy and emotional support for learners, and parents should be seen as critical parties in managing speech and hearing issues observed in their city. In turn, speech therapists allow ameliorating the health issue that we have discussed previously. Furthermore, parents play the role of the filter for external influences, causing the children with the described health issue to become increasingly engaged in the process of developing the needed language skills.
Overall, the parties in question are likely to have become one of the main issues in the current U.S. and UK contexts. Therefore, tools for introducing the required management approaches to the situation and assisting children in overcoming their developmental issues need to be outlined as the target focus of the study. Ensuring that the cognitive development of learners occurs at the required pace and that all available opportunities for enhancing the learning experiences are maximized is an essential part of the teaching process. For this reason, pokey stakeholders, including parents, must be invited to participate in the management of the teaching framework. With the introduction of the necessary measures, means for maintaining the well-being of learners and encouraging their development are implemented accordingly.
Conclusion
In order to ensure the successful development of language skills in learners with expressive language disorder, an educator must collaborate with speech experts and parents to develop appropriate interventions and ensure that the therapy strategy is deployed both at school and at home for the target audience, therefore, creating an environment where students feel confident enough to acquire the needed language skills. The proposed solution will require a thorough understanding of the nature of the disorder and the effects that the developed therapeutic strategy is likely to produce, both in teachers and in parents. With the active cooperation between all parties involved, a context where a child will feel confident and engaged enough to build the appropriate language skills can be set.
References
Assous, A., Borghini, A., Levi-Rueff, M., Rittori, G., Rousselot-Pailley, B., Gosme, C., Zigante, F., Golse, B., Falissard, B., & Robel, L. (2018). Children with mixed developmental language disorder have more insecure patterns of attachment. BMC Psychology, 6(1), 1-9. Web.
Rosmala, D., Hidayati, A. N., & Abdullah, F. (2021). Early language development of a child with expressive language disorder: A parents’ narration. J-SHMIC: Journal of English for Academic, 8(1), 86-96. Web.