Diane German honored by ISHA

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve posted. I’m still hoping to find an enthusiastic SLP to take over this website and spread news about word finding therapy and research. Watch for my updated word finding observation scales. After that I am retiring from posting.

ISHA’s annual convention was held February 9-10 in Rosemont, IL. At the honors breakfast, Karen Schur and I were pleased to witness Dr. Diane German receive the Award for Distinguished Contribution. I wrote her nominating letter, and have reproduced it below:

Dr. German is a professor emerita at National Louis University, Chicago, Illinois and holder of the Ryan Endowed Chair in Special Education. She is a Fellow in the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities. She has authored numerous journal articles, book chapters, newsletter articles, technical reports, conference papers, research posters and presentations focused on her work in child word finding. As one of the world’s leading scholars in the study of Child Word Finding, she is frequently asked to conduct seminars in Child Word Finding at state, regional, national, and international conferences. Dr. German’s influence has extended beyond the profession.

Dr. German’s exceptional work in the field of word finding is unique. Dr. German’s name is widely known as the expert in the field of word finding difficulties.  Not only has she taught decades of speech-language pathologists and published countless peer-reviewed journal articles, but she has enlightened classroom teachers and individuals about the impact word finding difficulties have on reading and writing. Dr. German has presented her research to professional organizations around the world.  

Dr. German has developed assessments and treatment protocols for individuals experiencing word finding difficulties.  She developed the Test of Word Finding and the Test of Adolescent/Adult Word Finding and their updated versions.  Her Word Finding Intervention Program is a standard treatment program widely used by professionals. 

She was a pioneer in teaching her course on Word Finding online years before COVID made the practice commonplace.  Dr. German brought word finding difficulties to the general public by publishing, It’s on the Tip of My Tongue, Word-Finding Strategies to Remember Names and Words You Often Forget. This book is a vital resource for many individuals and professionals.  

Perhaps the most important characteristic of Dr. German’s professional life is her passion for her work.  She has made herself available to consult with a new generation of SLPs and teachers. She has mentored others to carry on her work.  She is generous with her time and expertise, consulting with those both inside and outside the world of special education.  

ASHA’s Honors of the Association recognizes ASHA members for their distinguished contributions to the discipline of communication sciences and disorders and is the highest honor the Association bestows. Dr. German received this high honor from ASHA in 2019.

It is clear that Dr. German has made a significant impact on the lives of many professionals and individuals. She is renowned for her work in research, evaluation and treatment development for individuals with word finding difficulties.

In recognition of her life’s work, to recognize her contribution to professionals in the assessment and treatment of word finding issues, and to individuals with word finding difficulties throughout the world ISHA is honored to present Dr. Diane German with the Award for Distinguished Contributions

Looking for an enthusiastic blogger

Do you have a special interest in child word finding? Are you keeping up with the research in expressive language disorders? I’m planning to give up this site in September. Wordfindingforkids.com has a special place in my heart. I would love for an enthusiastic SLP to take over this blog and write some fresh posts. Please send me an email at jan@wordfindingforkids.com for more information.

Semantic or Phonological Intervention??

Photo from pixy.org

I was very excited to see an article about word finding in children reviewed in The Informed SLP’s February 27 newsletter.* “Understanding differing outcomes from semantic and phonological interventions with children with word-finding difficulties: A group and case series study,” written by Best, W., Hughes, I., Masterson, J., Thomas, M., S. C., Howard, D., Kapikian,A., & Shobbrook, K.(2021). The reviewer, Mollee Sultani, provided an excellent summary of the research, and I encourage you to read it. The entire article appeared in the February, 2021 issue of the scientific journal Cortex.

The researchers addressed a question I have asked myself many times as I work with children: which intervention is most effective? The study compared the use of semantic word webs with the use of phonological word webs. This carefully designed, randomized control trial looked at 20 children aged 6 to 8 in a mainstream school. All the children were presented with both types of treatment.

Two rounds of treatment were presented. One asked the children to complete phonological word webs (e.g., “What does it rhyme with? What sound does it start with?”), the other asked the children to complete semantic word webs (“What does it look like? What do you do with it?”). Among treated words, the semantic intervention resulted in a gain of almost twice as many items as the phonological intervention. However, a closer look at individual children showed that children who had difficulty with either semantic or phonological abilities gained the most from the intervention that matched their area of weakness. In other words, the children with semantic weakness gained most from semantic word webs. The children with phonological weakness gained most from phonological word webs. The most effective intervention depended on the child’s own language profile.

An important point made in the conclusion of the Cortex article stated that “the approach involves encouraging active participation so that children produce or choose features of words and in later sessions reflect on what helps them retrieve words.” The authors noted that the children didn’t generalize their skills to words that had not been included in the treatment. That makes our choice of words presented in therapy even more important. We need to choose words that are meaningful to the individual – either academically or personally. I look forward to more research informing SLPs of best practice.

Sources:

“Understanding differing outcomes from semantic and phonological interventions with children with word-finding difficulties: A group and case series study,” written by Best, W., Hughes, I., Masterson, J., Thomas, M., S. C., Howard, D., Kapikian,A., & Shobbrook, K.(2021). Cortex, 2021

*The Informed SLP newsletter, available at TheInformedSLP.com, February 27, 2021, published by Dr. Meredith Poore Harold, PhD, CCC-SLP. Cortex article reviewed by Mollee Sultani, CCC-SLP.

A “shapely” review

I regularly remind my students and my readers that retrieval is impacted by frequency of use and recency of use. So why would it surprise me that my client had difficulty retrieving the names of common shapes? While completing an oral directions activity, I noticed that she was misnaming square, rectangle, and triangle. Receptively, she was firm in her understanding. A year ago, these words were easy for her to retrieve.

I put together a “cheat sheet” for these 3 shapes. A picture of a “tricycle,” with a triangle drawn among its 3 wheels was the visual cue for “triangle.” a rectangular “wreck” served as a cue for “rectangle,” and a woman with “square hair” was the cue for “square.” I reminded this little girl about the syllables in each word and asked her to clap out syllable by syllable. After making the syllables explicit, I connected cues with the real word. I then had her “think the cue, but say the word” 5 times aloud. Finally, she had to make up a meaningful, grammatical sentence using the word. *

Success! I had forgotten one of my basic tenets: Don’t forget that frequency of use and recency of use strongly affect retrieval speed and accuracy. Those vocab words that were easy a year ago may not be easy to retrieve today.

*For a more detailed explanation of the process, please refer to “An Endorsement from the Word Finding Guru” at this link: https://www.wordfindingforkids.com/an-endorsement-from-the-word-finding-guru/ Reference: Dr. Diane German

The Polar Vortex strikes again!

Reprinted from January, 2019…because February, 2021, is COLD and SNOWY in the Midwest!

It’s time for one of my favorite word finding cues! School is cancelled in most Chicago-area schools for the next two days because of the polar vortex. I wrote in an old post about trying to find a word finding cue for “polar vortex.” I came up with “polar for Tex[as]”. I drew a polar bear reaching down over the globe toward Texas.

I remembered to make each syllable very explicit, and encouraged the kids to repeat the words syllable by syllable.

Not being content to reinforce the cue sitting down, I asked each child in turn to stand on my table and act the part of the polar bear.  My friend Jason was standing on my table, reaching down to touch the back of David, who was kneeling on the floor playing the part of Texas.  Polar vortex, polar vortex, polar vortex.  Say the word, but THINK the cue….

And who appeared at my door?  The superintendent of schools!   How to explain my multi-sensory lesson on retrieving the term “polar vortex”?  Oh, my… children standing on tables…. So of course I had the “polar bear” explain to Dr. Superintendent how he learned to retrieve the term more efficiently.  It was a hit!  (phew….).

Remembering Names

Do your word finders have a difficult times remembering the names of their classmates or their teachers? It happens to all of us (especially as we age). But I have had kids on my caseload who are repeatedly embarrassed because they struggle to retrieve important names.

This morning I listened to a podcast on BottomLineInc featuring Dr. Cynthia Green, PhD. The host described her as “one of American’s foremost memory fitness and brain health experts.” This blog is focused on children with word finding issues. However, I think Dr. Green made some important points that we can apply to our word finders. I have added some editorial comments of my own.

Dr. Green stated that forgetting names is the #1 memory complaint of adults. She reminded her audience about the overall tips that can boost attention and memory: look at your lifestyle. What is challenging to memory? Lack of sleep, anxiety (certainly a possibility with children), alcohol and excessive caffeine (hopefully not an issue with children!), and sugar intake. Regular exercise is also important! We aren’t often in control of the lifestyle of the kids on our caseloads, but we can inform parents of the importance of a good night’s sleep and the role anxiety can play.

But since we usually don’t get the a new name to begin with, what strategies can we use to remember and retrieve names? Dr. Green calls this the “A.M. principle”: wake up your memory and prime it to get ready to remember. Pay attention and give the name meaning. She suggested a number of strategies, all of which can be adapted to help the kids on your caseload. There is nothing new here for SLPs! These are principles we use in our therapy every day. Consider this a reminder that we can take ideas from different disciplines to inform our own practice.

The repetition strategy: Use the name several times as you are introduced. As the conversation proceeds, you can weave the name into your comments and questions. Slow down introductions – “be a politician” and try to connect with each person individually.

The association strategy: Connect the new name with someone you already know. It can be your cousin, the name of the bully that you can’t get out of your mind, or a famous person. You can make the association verbally or visually. Dr. Green gave the example of a person named Robin – make a snapshot in your mind with the red-breasted bird, or even Robin Hood! You can even visualize the name spelled out, but this might be hard for children with language difficulties.

Higher level complex associations: Make up a little story using the name. For Cynthia Green: “Cynthia turned green with envy.” This can also be visual: Remember when we didn’t know how to pronounce our new vice president’s first name? We associated a comma with Kamala. So I visualized a comma in her luxuriant hair. I often tell the kids on my caseload to make a video in their imaginations. Dr. Green gave the example of visualizing frankfurters marching over a hill to remember “Frank Hill.”

Perhaps the most important message was to find the strategy that works for you. And don’t be hard on yourself: We all forget names! It’s OK to say, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.” Chances are, they’ve forgotten your name as well!

Here is the link for the entire podcast: https://bottomlineinc.com/health/brain-health/cant-remember-names-this-is-for-you?utm_campaign=2021-02-05_HL_NL%20%28QZLHWH%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Blinc%20Seedlist&_ke=eyJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIkhneHk1cyIsICJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJiZW5uZXR0OTVAY29tY2FzdC5uZXQifQ%3D%3D. It is also available on Apple Podcasts.

Inauguration word finding cues

“Inaugurate” and “Inauguration” are words that your word finders need to be able to retrieve this week. Use these mnemonic cues and lock them into your students’ memories by using a “word finding 5”. First make the syllables explicit. Count out the syllables, and say the word syllable by syllable. Link the “easy words” with the “hard word” by connecting simple similar-sounding words with the tricky syllables, as in the cartoons above. Say the word ALOUD 5 times and ask your student to make up a meaningful serntence using the word.

For a more detailed explanation of this technique, developed by Dr. Diane German and modified by me, click here: https://www.wordfindingforkids.com/an-endorsement-from-the-word-finding-guru/

More importantly, pray for a peaceful transition.

Try mnemonic dictionary.com for word finding cues

Mnemonicdictionary.com may be my new best friend. Have you racked your brain to come up with a phonological association for a vocabulary word, only to hit a brick wall? Head for https://mnemonicdictionary.com/ and type in your target word.

Remember that word finding cues are not necessarily related in meaning to the target word; they need to have a phonological connection. For example, a cue for “thermometer” could be “thirsty mom;” a cue for South Korean president Moon Jae In could be a picture of a jay flying into a moon.

When you discover a phonological cue that is also similar in meaning, so much the better! Use all your senses. Don’t forget to ask your client what associations he or she has with the word. The connections he makes on his own will be the most meaningful.

Mnemonicdictionary.com is one more resource that will help you create meaningful word finding cues for your clients.

Telepractice for word finding

Are you providing word finding therapy remotely? Most states authorize providing teletherapy/telehealth services, and Medicare and most insurance consider telehealth an appropriate means of delivering services. The caveat is that you need to be licensed in the state where your client resides. Some states offer reciprocity to others, particularly during this strange physically-distanced time.

I have been very pleased with Zoom. My therapy has been a work in progress: learning to share my screen, allowing my clients to control the whiteboard, and using PowerPoint to present my activities in sequence. I have learned that there is no downtime when I am on a Zoom call – I need to have Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C ready at my fingertips.

I learned quickly that my lighting had to be in front of me and that the view of my aging face was much more flattering if my camera was at eye level. I also discovered a variety of online resources that I shared with you in this post: https://www.wordfindingforkids.com/teletherapy-word-finding-resources/

I’m anxious to get back to face-to-face sessions with my speech kids when it is safe to do so. For right now, teletherapy is working. Best of all, no mask is required!

What teletherapy experiences have you had with your speech and language clients? Please share!

Test of Word Finding Available Remotely

Yesterday I received an email from Dr. Diane German, author of the Test of Word Finding and the Test of Word Finding in Discourse, announcing that the tests are now available from PRO-ED for a FREE TRIAL remotely.

Here is her announcement (boldface my own):

I am emailing you today to let you know that Pro-Ed has made the computer administered TWF-3 (TWF-3 CA) available for your use at no charge through the end of May 2020. Thus, you can asses your students’ word finding skills using tele-assessment this spring. The TWF-3 CA will score your assessment and measure response time, check target word comprehension, check responsiveness to phonemic cueing, and imitation. Below I  have indicated two ways you can accomplish this virtual assessment along with corresponding steps.

First, to obtain a complimentary copy of the TWF-3 CA, contact PRO-ED at testquestion@proedinc.com<mailto:testquestion@proedinc.com> and request the free trial. PRO-ED will process your request and send you an email with the information needed to access your free trial. Before using the TWF-3 CA software, familiarize yourself with the User’s Guide for the software. It is available in the Help menu within the TWF-3 CA software. This guide will walk you through all steps of using the TWF-3 CA software.

 1.  Pair the TWF:3 CA with the Zoom Application

    *   Download the Zoom Cloud Meeting App from the App store or Zoom website if you don’t already have it.
    *   Log into the TWF-3 CA software and add a new examinee.
    *   To start a new test, click the check box beside the examinee’s name and click the “New Test” button. This will open a pop-up window that allows you to select administration options.
    *   Zoom invite your examinee and parent. Once the examinee is logged in, you are ready to start.
    *   Use the zoom share screen feature so the examinee can see the TWF-3 CA stimuli on their computer during the administration.
    *   Be sure to select the “Share computer sound” feature so the examinee can hear the computer administration. This can be found during Shared Screen mode using the menu option “…More” and then selecting “Share computer sound” before continuing.
    *   Start testing by clicking Picture Naming: Nouns and progress through the four sections and comprehension check. The examinee will see the stimuli and hear the computer examiner as you administer the TWF-3 CA.

 1.  Pair TWF3-CA with Face Time or other Video Conferencing Application

    *   Using video conferencing software (Face Time or other video conferencing application) video call the examinee whom  you wish to assess.
    *   Log into the TWF-3 CA software and add a new examinee.
    *   To start a new test, click the check box beside the examinee’s name and click the “New Test” button. This will open a pop-up window that allows you to select administration options.
    *   Open the TWF3-CA software to Section 1 Picture Naming Nouns.
    *   Position the  camera so the examinee can see the TWF3-CA photos displayed on your monitor and hear the computer voice.
    *   Administer the TWF3-CA on your computer as if the examinee was physically in the room with you.

In addition, PRO-ED, Inc., is in the process of making its other assessment products available in a digital format for use in a Tele-assessment practice and for teaching practice. Thus, by request, you can also obtain access to the TAWF-2 or other Pro-Ed products in a digital format.  PRO-ED, Inc., will be providing free access to these digital products through May of 2020.

To obtain a complimentary copy of the computer administered TWF-3 (TWF-3 CA) or the digitized TAWF-2 word finding test, or other PRO-ED products, contact testquestion@proedinc.com<mailto:testquestion@proedinc.com> to inquire about any specific test to which you are interested in obtaining access.