School-Based SLPs: A Language Processing Disorder - What It Is and How to Treat It Presented by Margo Kinzer Courter, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL Speech Language Pathologist, Author and National Presenter

Specifically Designed for Speech-Language Pathologists Serving Grades K-12

Practical Ideas and Strategies

For SLPs, the term a "Language Processing Disorder" is often unclear because there is not yet an official diagnosis through ASHA. SLPs are typically left to their own interpretations based on observable characteristics to determine what underlying difficulties are leading to receptive and expressive language disorders, and resulting academic difficulties.

What is a Language Processing Disorder, and how can we as school-based SLPs best support and intervene? Often a student who has difficulty with expressive language and/or receptive language is described as having a Language Processing Disorder. A student with a Language Processing Disorder often has difficulty gaining meaning from spoken language due to short-term memory deficits or discrimination difficulties. The student often demonstrates poor written output due to difficulty with syntax and semantics. Reading comprehension is often impacted due to higher-order language impairment. The student shows difficulty expressing thoughts in verbal form due to difficulty retrieving thoughts. These difficulties are due to the linguistic, cognitive and perceptual components of a Language Processing Disorder.

In this live online seminar, experienced Speech-Language Pathologist and national presenter, Margo Kinzer Courter, will help you build your toolbox of ways to identify and treat a Language Processing Disorder in students with whom you work. The emphasis will be on the most current, research-based, practical strategies and interventions you can implement immediately in your therapy – whether in the classroom or through teletherapy.

Ten Key Benefits of Attending

1. What School-Based SLPs Need to Know About a Language Processing Disorder
   What is it, and how do I treat it? … Explore the many facets that may be included in a Language Processing Disorder
2. Highly Effective and Engaging Language Processing Intervention Strategies for Multiple Therapy Models Including Teletherapy, Push-In, and Pull-Out Therapy
   Discover numerous ready-to-use therapy materials, including games, mind maps and computer/IPAD-based intervention strategies to promote students' language processing skills and academic success that can be used in online therapy and in the classroom
3. Explore Assessment Instruments to Find Specific Language Processing Deficits
   Align your evaluation and ongoing clinical assessment with specific assessment tools that allow you to pinpoint a Language Processing Disorder
4. Align Your Therapy Intervention with the Linguistic, Cognitive and Perceptual Areas of a Language Processing Disorder
   Discover how specific areas of language can be impacted by a Language Processing Disorder: linguistic (syntax, semantic retrieval, pragmatics, and supralinguistic skills), cognitive (working memory, processing time, and executive function) and perceptual (central auditory processing, phonemic awareness, and word discrimination)
5. Connect Your Language Processing Therapy with Literacy Instruction and Academic Standards
   Learn powerful techniques to improve phonemic awareness that are necessary to discriminate sounds correctly for literacy development … Incorporate the academic standards into your therapy and know which concepts to emphasize in order to increase students' academic success
6. Implement Powerful Vocabulary and Retrieval Strategies for Classroom and Curriculum-Based Vocabulary
   Increase students' ability to retrieve vocabulary in context … Highly effective strategies to enhance vocabulary development and retrieval in words and discourse
7. Analyze Other Areas that Will Impact Students' Language Processing
   Explore other diagnoses that may also be present with a Language Processing Disorder … Discover how executive functions such as attention and short-term memory impact language processing
8. Expand Your Intervention Strategies to Support Students Who Struggle with Written Language Expression Due to a Language Processing Disorder
   Proven methods and therapy techniques to support students who struggle with written language expression … Specific ways to support written language skills and help your students be more successful with their written expression
9. Increase Collaboration Between SLPs, Classroom Teachers, Resource Teachers, and Other Staff
   Specific strategies to build a collaborative partnership with staff to support students with a Language Processing Disorder … Many practical and effective ways to help you incorporate your interventions into a variety of school settings and academic subjects
10. Receive an Extensive Digital Language Therapy Resource Handbook
    You'll leave with a detailed digital language therapy resource handbook packed with step-by-step activities, materials and resources designed to make your language therapy program more efficient and effective – whether you are providing face-to-face or online therapy

Outstanding Strategies You Can Use Immediately

• Gather strategies for increased student language processing that can be used through teletherapy as well as in the classroom
• Determine a concise definition of a Language Processing Disorder, including a working diagnosis of LPD characteristics
• Analyze signs and symptoms of a Language Processing Disorder – determine a profile of IQ and achievement often seen as a Language Processing Disorder
• Utilize Bloom's Taxonomy to promote higher-order thinking and learn how it is often used to describe language processing skills
• Develop an assessment protocol that evaluates the linguistic, cognitive and perceptual components of language processing skills
• Identify linguistic skills impacted by a Language Processing Disorder – determine how syntax, semantic retrieval, social language, and supralinguistic skills are impacted
• Determine cognitive difficulties associated with a Language Processing Disorder – identify the lag in language processing time and executive function skills including short-term working memory often diagnosed as part of a Language Processing Disorder
• Analyze the perceptual features of a Language Processing Disorder – determine how phonemic discrimination and auditory processing may be included as part of a Language Processing Disorder
• Utilize innovative and easy-to-use therapy ideas for treating a Language Processing Disorder – target linguistic, cognitive and perceptual activities – whether working with students at school or online
• Identify concomitant diagnoses – determine associated diagnoses such as attention deficit disorder, central auditory processing disorder and receptive/expressive language disorder
• Motivating ways to expand your vocabulary development and retrieval intervention to target basic concepts and curriculum-based vocabulary retrieval with a Language Processing Disorder
• Numerous, no/low cost, effective therapy materials – receive an extensive list of materials, apps and websites that can enhance your LPD therapy
• Explore a variety of ready-made materials to target several language goals – ideas for how to use materials to target morphology, phonology, syntax, and semantics
• Increase your professional influence – learn how to "market" yourself and your knowledge about a Language Processing Disorder to your administrator and colleagues
• Increase your participation as part of the RTI team – learn strategies to lend your expertise to RTI initiatives
• Tie your language goals to the academic standards – discover how your language goals directly impact attainment of your state's standards
• Integrate current language lessons with reading, writing and spelling – take the next step with your therapy goals to support necessary language arts academic skills
• Enhance reading and reading comprehension – learn strategies for phonemic awareness, syntax, short term memory, vocabulary, and retrieval
• Expand your vocabulary and retrieval interventions to meet the needs of more students – powerful instructional methods that improve verbal and print vocabulary, and increase academic success
• Discover new, easy-to-use language activities – update your toolkit of language interventions to better integrate language and literacy instruction
• Utilize effective ways to become more interactive during therapy sessions – proven ways to present information in ways that students will learn and retain more

A Message From Your Seminar Leader

Dear Colleague:

I am sure you would agree that a key to academic success is students' expressive and receptive language ability. The development of language processing skills is vital in giving students a strong academic start in school and is necessary for success in life. When students struggle because of a processing disorder, their success in school can be delayed or jeopardized. As SLPs, we can play a vital role in helping students with a Language Processing Disorder and in ensuring their academic growth and success.

In a Language Processing Disorder, receptive and expressive language are weaker than IQ would predict. Higher-order, abstract oral comprehension is particularly problematic. When language is removed from a task, the student does much better. For example, he can categorize visually but not verbally. Oral reading speed usually is problematic too, but appears to be a retrieval rather than a phonics issue. Also, short-term visual memory may be stronger than short-term verbal memory.

I have had the privilege to work with students who struggle with a Language Processing Disorder for many years. I have developed an extensive repertoire of time-efficient, practical therapy techniques that are effective to use in the classroom and in teletherapy. It is my goal to help you expand your language therapy and instructional options in numerous ways. I want to share proven methods you can use to address and strengthen the linguistic, cognitive and perceptual difficulties often seen in students with a Language Processing Disorder.

Please join me for a fast-paced, productive day, focused on specific ways you can improve students' language development in the therapy room, in the classroom setting and in online therapy. I promise, you will leave with an expanded toolkit of ideas and a fresh perspective on how to better serve students who are struggling with a Language Processing Disorder.

Sincerely,
Margo Kinzer Courter, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

P.S. This seminar is filled with a variety of quick and easy-to-implement ideas that will help you to be a hands-on, interactive SLP – ideas you will be able to use immediately in your in-person and online therapy.

Who Should Attend

Speech-Language Pathologists Serving Grades K-12

About BER Live Online Events

With the current health challenges, all BER in-person PD events are currently being presented in a Live Online format:

• Outstanding Instructors
  All programs are led by outstanding BER national trainers
• Extensive Resource Handbooks
  You'll have access to an extensive digital Resource Handbook before, during and after your seminar
• Highly Interactive
  You'll be able to ask questions in real time and interact with the instructor and other participants
• Program Guarantee
  As we have for 43 years, we guarantee the high quality of our programs. If you are not satisfied, we'll give you a 100% refund.

Special Benefits of Attending

Extensive Language Therapy Digital Resource Handbook
Each participant will receive an extensive digital Language Processing Disorder handbook giving you access to countless strategies before, during and after the seminar.

The handbook includes:

• Evidence-based strategies you can use immediately to assess and treat a Language Processing Disorder – whether you are providing in-person or online therapy
• Dynamic, fun and interactive intervention activities to address students' communication challenges
• Special access to Margo's website for additional downloads and resources
• Hands-on, practical problem-solving tools treat the linguistic, cognitive, and perceptual features of a Language Processing Disorder
• Apps and websites to support your language therapy
• Extensive lists of resources for evidence-based searches, activities to match learner preferences and much more!

Consultation Available
Margo Kinzer-Courter will be available at the seminar for consultation regarding your questions and the unique needs of your own speech-language program.

ASHA - CEUs

This course is offered for 0.50 ASHA CEUs per day (Intermediate level, Professional area).

Semester Credit Option
Up to four graduate level professional development credits are available with an additional fee and completion of follow-up practicum activities. Details for direct enrollment with Brandman University, part of the Chapman University system, will be available at this BER program.

Meet Inservice Requirements
Participants of both the Live Online Seminar and those completing the Recorded Version online can receive a certificate of participation that may be used to verify five continuing education hours. State CEUs are available for both versions of the course. For specific details, visit www.ber.org/ceus.