Focus Observation

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2. Discuss the cognitive, cultural, linguistic, and social variables that come into play when providing service delivery (including prevention, assessment and intervention) to students with or at risk for language impairment.

According to the American Speech Hearing Association’s (ASHA) framework for clinical research and clinical practice, Speech language pathologist are committed to the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services and to the consideration of diversity in scientific investigations of human communication and swallowing. For example, one aspect of providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services is to determine whether communication difficulties experienced by English language learners are the …show more content…

Some advantages to direct observation are the focus on actual and relevant behaviors, most contextually embedded, most insightful and reflective of the assessment processes, and one can easily conduct a behavior strip analysis. Some disadvantages are the invasiveness, and the amount of knowledge and experience required by the assessor. Direct observation is split into focus and open observation. Focus Observation employs a well-researched tool that directs the focus of the observations and the data to be collected. Systematic Observation of Communicative Intervention is an example of focused observation. Open observation is where the observer enters the context without a pre-conceived idea about what to observe and collect. In effect, he/she takes an open stance. Anecdotal observation and kid watching are examples of open observation.
Behavioral sampling is another descriptive research tool. Behavioral sampling is the study of a social behavior. The clinician views the performance of an individual during a specific time frame, with or without the subject’s knowledge. However, for the behavioral sampling to be reliable, the observations must be conducted in multiple observational periods under similar situations. Some examples of behavioral sampling are MLU, Token test, clinical discourse analysis, artifact analysis with a child’s homework, portfolios, and video analysis. A caveat to behavioral sampling is the amount …show more content…

This, in turn, assists the clinician in determining if the child has a language disorder. A language disorder is a term that represents a condition in which one or more of the following meaning making criteria is not met in the contexts of interest due to intrinsic semiotic impairment. The deficit can occur in the effectiveness, fluency, and/or appropriateness of meaning making. However, the clinician investigates any possible problems with the external system before assuming the internal system is at fault. This begins the exploration phase of data

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