Speech and Language Therapy and Higher Order Thinking

What is Speech and Language Therapy?

Speech and Language Therapy is a therapeutic process that enables children and adults to develop their receptive and expressive language skills so that they can understand and communicate, to the best of their ability, with the world around them.

What is Language Processing Disorder?

• Language processing disorders impact about 5% of the United States population.  This condition affects communication and social relations.  In addition, it often impedes the ability to understand language (receptive language) and/or express their thoughts (expressive language). Like many disorders, it can manifest in numerous ways. One student may struggle outlining an assignment, while another may struggle with word finding difficulties, following a series of verbal cues, or even sustaining attention. Common difficulties include challenges with basic language skills such as rhyming, conversation skills, vocabulary, sentence structure, and verbal reasoning. It tends to impact the academic areas of spelling, reading, writing.  In addition, a student may experience difficulties with either receptive language or expressive language. Some struggle with a combination: expressive/receptive language disorder.  Other students don't experience difficulties until language based lessons move from concrete to abstract was of thinking - higher order thinking. 

What is Higher Order Thinking?

Higher order thinking, also called higher level language or metalinguistic skills, refers the mental processing of receptive (receiving and making sense of) and expressive (verbally communicating) language.  This cognitive skill requires abstract and deductive verbal reasoning as well as the understanding and use of advanced vocabulary.

What are Some Common Signs of Higher Level Language Problems? 

1. Difficulties predicting outcomes.
2. Problems with inferences.
3. Difficulties interpreting social language skills.
4. Struggles expressing ideas.
5. Difficulties expressing thoughts through writing.
6. Problems understanding main ideas and details.
7. Struggles to make sense of jokes, humor, and riddles.
8. Difficulties generating summaries and paraphrases.
9. Problems sequencing events.
10. Challenges following multi-step directions
11. Difficulties paying attention in noisy environments such as classrooms, loud parties, malls, etc
12. Problems following spoken directions

Does Good Sensory Learning Offer a Discounted Bundle for Developing These Skills?

Yes, we offer the higher order language bundle, that offers six of our popular products.  They include:

• Hey, What's the Big Idea?
• Abstract Thinking and Multiple Meanings
• Following Directions Intermediate
• Word Shuffle
• Categorizing, Paragraph building and Transitional Words Activities
• Making Inferences the Fun and Easy Way