test score - what goal I should request ?

I am an SLP…The scores on the language tests are really low…and I have seen that in children with autism or within the spectrum. Furthermore, they don’t jive with what the RSP teacher got… because if those are Standard scores you have posted on the RSP’s testing…those are way higher than I would expect a child to achieve with the language tests being that low. Do you have percentiles so I can compare apples to apples?

I would definitely ask for more speech and language therapy to address his weaknesses in receptive and expressive language.

Hi Patti,

Sure, I will add the percentile for RSP. Please see below for resource testing I will add “age equiv” and “percentile”.
I also feel why so much difference, but I know my son, sometimes,
if he does not like to answer, he might just no response.
But I have to say he is Speech and Language Impairment.
I also would like to know what suggestion you have for speech goal to improve his language.

I got Home services, we currently use LinguiSystems 100%lang and 100%concept. and I ask them to implement the social language (I have older daughter to help and one day our neighbor boy with same age as my son will come for social lang.)
We will start to use Maxwell’s Manor, Friendzee Game and What’s Up? Game.
In our school speech, would like to implememt “why” and “how” concept, and how to verbalize what others’ “thinking” by checking the nonverbal cues and others’ body lang. and can make the “smart guess/educated guess” about someone’s feeling and why something is happened.

I also have private tutoring start implement V/V with my son, (will be more intensive during the summer).
What else would you suggest to help my son’s speech and lang. ? I know it is so basic skill that my son needs, but we really have bad experience with speech therapist (two not just one).

In language test:
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Percentile : 3
Expressive Vocabulary Test Percentile : 4
CELF-4 for receptive & expressive language, language
content, language structure and core language), he is
very low are all percentile < 1

Resource teacher testing
WIAT II:
Word Reading 86, 7-8, 18%
Reading Comp. 61, <6-0, 0.5%
Decoding 87, 6-8, 19%
Numerical Operations 89, 8-0, 23%
Math Reasoning 73, 6-8, 4%
Spelling 96, 8-4, 39%
Written Expression 82, 7-4, 12%

Woodcock-Johnson III
Letter-Word Indent. 91, 8-0 27%
Reading Fluency 87, 7-8, 19%
Calculations 98, 8-8, 46%
Math Fluency 97, 8-7, 41%
Spelling 93, 8-3, 33%
Writing Fluency 105, 9-4, 63%
Passage Comp. 82, 7-1, 11%
Applied Problems 77, 6-5, 6%
Writing Sample 87, 7-5, 20%
Word Attack 99, 8-8, 48%

Board Reading 84, 7-8, 15%
Broad Math 87, 7-7, 20%
Broad Written Lang. 94, 8-4, 35%

Thanks much,
Shelley

one more question…Is English your first language? If your child has been exposed to two languages this can explain the low scores too. Also what about his hearing and attention. What about an assistive listening device? Has that been tried yet? I am just trying to figure out things that can influence his language… before I can make some recommendations…
The work books are good but perhaps he isn’t at that level, he needs more hands on therapy.

What was his handicapping condition that qualified him for home services? Does he have any other medical conditions; i.e., seizures, any exposure to toxic chemicals, lead or chemo?

The method used for remediation needs to be functional and tied into his background knowledge that he currently has. His math experiences should be more naturalistic and exploratory in nature, with manipulatives, lots of describing things, dialogue back and forth so he can figure things out…he needs as much sensory input as he can so he can process and understand new concepts…Just memorizing math facts without knowing the logic and reasoning behind the process and why we do math makes it more meaningful

Hi Patti,

Thanks much for helping here, my family speak Mandarin. My son does not speak until 3.5 yo, he was inital diagnosis is NOS-PDD, and he was in special ed. until I put him to reg. K (2nd yo K), and at that year, they have full evaluation for every 3 yo, then his label changed to SLI.
Home service was approved when he was 3.5 yo. and they did not remove it even when label become SLI. Our school district is really trying to help my son. When I realize my son speech & Lang. has issue, we speak English to him most of time, now he also can speak simple Mandarin.
I took him to hearing testing and school also has hearing test every year, there is no symptom that he has hearing issue, but he does have attention issue. We have train him so long, I think his attention now can last 1 and half hours as long as not all new or difficult one, but if it is new and difficult lesson his attention can only last 20 - 30 mins.
I read some email regd. to ADD or ADHD, I made the dr. oppt. to talk about Ritlian or Strattera. but I am worry about side effect.

I never brought him to do any testing related to toxic chemicals, does it worth to do that ? We however, stop giving him milk, soy milk instead. And he has very bad allergy every year during Feb. - Apr. time frame, so we also stop egg just recently.

My son is very visual learner. So that number manipulation, count money, just look at time (no word prob.), fraction, he is very strong. As long as not deal with before/after for time, how much more money he needs, etc… word prob. I think he also has difficulty on greater/less than…Anything require comprehension, then he has trouble !

What kind of materials has math reasoning and concept ?

Thanks,
Shelley

Patti,

Also, I think my son auditory processing is so poor, when I ask what speech & lang. test he failed, she explained to me most of the test he failed is multi-directions, a lot of body cues/reference that my son can not do.
Like, touch the red table’s leg and then go to blue door, then…
She comments that my son normally will just do the last step and miss the front parts. And, also when SP is looking at other kid and ask question, my son will answer, she said, my son supposes to know she is asking other kid not him, this kind of body cue. etc…
However, if there is work that he can read, then he can answer well if he knows, of course, he does show delay on concept.

Shelley

which are having an influence on his processing of TWO languages…For normal kids it takes I think sometimes up to 7 years to become proficient in their native and 2nd languages. I could tell by your grammar that English wasn’t your first language but I wanted to ask make sure that my hunches were correct. Has he ever been tested to see what he knows in mandarin expressive (what he can say) and receptive (what he understands). Please continue to speak to him in Mandarin. This is your native tongue and probably you are much more fluent and your diction is better in Mandarin than English. You can use visuals to connect what you say in Mandarin to what it is in English. This will help him make connections in both languages. I really felt we were dealing with Autism as well especially with the splits I was seeing in the testing…

He probably still has PDD which is causing the SLI and he could have ADHD and he could also have what appears to by an auditory processing disorder on top of it. Kids in the Autism spectrum tend to have problems with processing auditory information and they are much better with visual information. I would get him tested with an auditory processing battery, have him listen to music, teach him some of your native nursery rhymes in your culture, sing with him. Do books on tape, do lots of discussions, use lots of visuals. I would also look into an assistive listening device, this can help him with his auditory processing and his attention at the same time. Also he may benefit from a Sensory Diet especially with his diagnosis of PDD.

Like I said it is complex and you are in it for the long haul. It sounds like you are doing a great job. Check into Stanley Greenspan’s Floor time therapy. This may be more beneficial for him. It works well for children who have pragmatics issues and I love to use it with my children who have Autism. Does he have discreet trial therapy or Intensive Behavior Intervention treatments? Autism isn’t my specialty but I am learning more and more about it every day. If you have more questions, please ask and perhaps someone who is more versed in Autism can teach us both.
:)