does anyone want the following books on language/SN? I can post them to you. When you feel you have absorbed what the book has to offer you, please pass it on.
I have:
- "Listen to your Child" by David Crystal. Written for an NT audience, but I found it extremely useful when working with my language-delayed child as it shows you what the milestones you should be working through are. You just have to cope with the fact that you are reading the "second year" section even though your child is 2/3/4!
- "Uncommon Understanding: Development and Disorders of Language Comprehension in Children". Hated it, actually. Everything I loathe. Take 1000 children, categorise them in a line then stick labels on them then engage in legalistic pseudo-logic to try to make the inconsistent labels consistent and make angels dance on the head of your pin whilst the parent weeps.... however, it is useful in that it helps you see the training your SALT is trying to overcome [winks]..... (if you are luckly enough to have a SALT with any training whatsoever in receptive language problems). A SALT with a developing interest in receptive language would find it useful. I want it out of my house anyway
3 "Receptive Language Difficulties: Practical Strategies to help children understand spoken language" Liz Baldwin. Excellent book, highly recommended especially for anyone working with a receptive-language-delayed child in school ie TA or teacher. Really practical, reduces all the complicated popycock (see book above) to stuff anyone can implement and makes you go "ah, that's why he does such and such....so maybe we could adapt such-and-such a suggestion to him...."
- "How Children Learn Language" William O'Grady. Some useful tips in this overview of normal language learning. The David Crystal book was better for me.
- "Visual Strategies for Improving Communication: practical supports for School and Home". Linda A Hodgdon. Nearly kept this one because it is superb and I feel strong affection for it. However, I have decided to get rid of all the ones I'm not using (hence the Prospero reference in the title).
I would love everyone on the forum to read this book. Never again will you groan when your SALT or teacher suggests that your child is a "visual learner". Instead, you will leap into action, suggesting all the brilliant strategies in this book [tee hee]. Turns "visual supports" from a "one size fits all" into a tailored strategy for both school and home.
If you have a child who struggles to learn through language but seems to respond better to photos, etc, you should get this book, or have mine. I would almost drive this book to the house of people who need it.....again, particularly recommended for any teacher or TA who is being asked to implement visual supports and would like to do so in a higher quality way and to understand what tends to go wrong in using visual strategies and how to make it go right.
Much, much love to all my old friends though I don't know who you are any more because you keep name-changing...... miss you all!
lingle
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