Train-the-Trainer for School-Based SLPs: Language Disorders vs. Language Differences for English Language Learners Presented by Nancy Friday, M.S., CCC-SLP Experienced Speech-Language Pathologist and Outstanding National Presenter

Specifically Designed for School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists, Directors, Leaders and Administrators Serving Students Receiving SLP Services in Grades K-12

Practical Ideas and Strategies

Establishing if an English learner is experiencing a language difference or a disorder is an ongoing discussion in schools. This two-day, train-the-trainer institute will leave you ready to make sure everyone on your SLP team is on the same page in their approach to distinguishing between a language difference vs. a language disorder. Nancy Friday, an experienced Speech-Language Pathologist, will share her innovative ideas to expand your knowledge base for assessing and serving your English Learner (EL) students. Discover strategies to support EL's in their process for developing phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, grammar, and pragmatic skills. Establish techniques to improve your impact with EL students in 1:1 therapy and teletherapy sessions and small groups. Over the two-day institute, you will build your knowledge and develop a plan for training others in your school or district. Step out of this institute with fresh strategies to determine language differences vs. language disorders and be prepared with ideas for training your colleagues.

A Practical, Two-Day Train-the-Trainer to Help You Build the Expertise of Your SLP Colleagues in Language Disorders vs. Language Differences

Send one or more staff members to this training program and they will return to your school(s) with professional development strategies and resources to support and train your staff to better screen and provide an appropriate therapy plan for ELL students who have language disorders vs. language differences. Participants will gain:

• Ready-to-use tools and techniques to support your staff as they participate in assessment plan development
• Dozens of free resources – videos, lessons, tutorials, reproducible materials to create a diverse wealth of instructional resources to support your team's knowledge base and foundation for collaboration
• Practical, formative assessment ideas your school can use to reduce over identification
• Tips, shortcuts and ways to better use technology in supporting the data gathering and assessment process

This Two Day Train-the-Trainer Program is Cost Effective

If you are interested in providing high-quality training in assessing and addressing the specific needs of students with a potential language disorder or difference in your school(s) or district, this is the perfect opportunity. Send one SLP, a director, or an entire team and they will leave with an extensive digital resource training handbook filled with the tools needed for their own training, along with access to a companion web-based link filled with additional resources and a PowerPoint template to use and adapt to meet the needs of your own training. The focus of the two-day training will be on how to implement the crucial components necessary to identify ELL students who have language disorders vs. students with a language difference. Additional training will include the specific skills English learners need to support English acquisition within the school setting.

Support and Train Your SLP and Related Staff in Identifying Language Disorders vs. Language Differences of Your ELLs – What You'll Learn:

• Updated information to support what SLPs need to know about distinguishing language differences and disorders for all the English language learners on your caseload
• Warning signs that indicate a language disorder as opposed differences related to acquiring English
• Myths vs. facts regarding second language acquisition
• Tips for developing and delivering high-impact training for all your SLP staff and colleagues
• Examples of accommodations to support English learners in the classroom setting
• Language building activities to increase Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)
• Embracing cultural diversity and the impact it has on the confidence of ELs in the classroom
• Recognizing how teaching morphology supports English acquisition
• Visual supports for supporting engagement during language therapy
• Powerful syntax strategies to increase your support of language proficiency
• Strategies used during Response to Intervention support to help determine if a language assessment is necessary
• How to use Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) to develop semantics and pragmatic language
• Methods to embrace the whole child and support language confidence with ELs
• New ways to use observation to evaluate a language disorder and establish treatment for an English language learner

A Message From Your Seminar Leader

Dear Colleague:

Establishing whether a student has a language difference vs. a language disorder is one of the most complex assessments we are faced with as SLPs. When completing assessments with English language learners, we are tasked with determining if a student's path of language development is typical or necessitates special education support. As a school-based SLP and a lead for our district's SLP group, I have found that these evaluations require an extra set of tools. The extra tools that I use have helped me refine my expertise when making recommendations at the IEP table and have helped improve my outcomes for English learner students on my caseload.

My experience working with large, diverse populations has helped me develop a collection of techniques that serve as my foundation for supporting my English Learner students. I have learned that the most critical part is developing a solid assessment process. At the heart of this assessment process is a deep interest in learning more about the language history and family culture of the student I am assessing. Building rapport is critical for the assessment process and for any therapy plan developed after the IEP is completed. I am excited to help expand your therapy and teletherapy to include the foundational aspects and specific elements related to identifying a language difference vs. a disorder.

This Train-the-Trainer program goes beyond a traditional SLP seminar. It will equip you with the knowledge, resources, and skills to train your SLP colleagues on the intricacies of distinguishing language differences from language disorders among your English learner students. Throughout the two days, we will explore practical strategies, techniques, ideas, and methods that have been proven successful in unraveling the complexities of this distinction. You will not only gain a deeper understanding of the topic but also learn how to effectively transfer that knowledge to your SLP staff and others. Please join me for a highly productive two-day seminar focused on practical ways you can assess and serve English learners regardless of your therapy setting. My goal is to extend your knowledge base and empower you with fresh ideas on how to better evaluate and serve your English learner population.

Sincerely,
Nancy Friday, M.S., CCC-SLP

P.S. This two-day Train-the-Trainer Institute will place a strong emphasis on providing you with practical strategies, techniques, ideas, and methods that have been extensively tested and proven successful in distinguishing language differences from language disorders.

Who Should Attend

School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists, Directors, Leaders and Administrators Serving Students Receiving SLP Services in Grades K-12

Special Benefits of Attending

Extensive Resource Handbook
Each participant will receive an extensive digital resource handbook designed specifically for this two?day institute. The handbook includes:

• Valuable resources you can use to train SLP's in your school and district
• Key information for helping your staff understand typical language acquisition variances vs. a disorder in ELs
• Tools you can provide your staff to support them in gathering information and alternative assessment options
• Ready-to-use resources for training SLP's on developmental language acquisition
• Training tools to improve visual supports for therapy sessions

Consultation Available
Nancy Friday will be available for consultation regarding your questions and the unique needs of your own reading program.

ASHA - CEUs

ASHA-Required Disclosure Statement for Nancy Friday:
Financial: Presenter for the Bureau of Education & Research and receives honorarium compensation.
Nonfinancial: No relevant nonfinancial relationships exist.

On-Site Training Guarantee

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We guarantee you'll be fully satisfied or you'll owe us nothing after your on-site training event.