Discourse-based intervention for word finding in children

A discourse-based, contextual intervention approach for increasing children 's word finding proficiency was evaluated. The clinician's role was to (a) identify overt word finding behaviors as they occurred, (2) allow their com pletion, and (c) provide appropriate feedback, including re quests for asso ciative information, requests for clarification, comments to confirm the ap propriateness of word choices, and comments to facilitate discourse restruc turing. Subjects were three 9-year-old boys with diagnosed language-learnin g disabilities (LLD) characterized by word finding problems. Intervention p roceeded following a within-subjects multiple baseline design involving thr ee tasks: picture-elicited narratives, story-retelling, and conversation on familiar topics. All three subjects exhibited a decrease in the average nu mber of problematic word finding behaviors from initial baseline to posttre atment measurement. Discourse-based intervention provided naturalistic cont exts for the study of word finding behaviors, specifically effects of lingu istic contexts and effects of task complexity. Learning outcomes: (1) As a result of this activity, the participant will b e able to identify and categorize children's overt word finding behaviors a s they occur in discourse. (2) As a result of this activity, the participan t will be able to discuss various aspects of a contextualized philosophy of learning as applied to language intervention. (3) As a result of this acti vity, the participant will be able to compare and contrast traditional inte rvention approaches for improving children's word finding with one discours e-based approach. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.