“Scaffolding” has become a buzzword when it comes to helping kids become more independent with academic and functional tasks, but it's only useful if people know what it means. 

Watching students or your own children struggle to transition or complete daily tasks can be uncomfortable for both the adults and children. 

As a result, it can be easy to get pulled in to a situation where kids become prompt-dependent. 

That’s why I invited Rebecca Robbins to De Facto Leaders to talk about how to use declarative statements and strategic pausing to increase independence. 

Rebecca Robbins is a speech language pathologist who has spent the bulk of her career helping children, young adults, and families impacted by autism. She has worked in various settings over the course of her career including a private school for children with autism, Early Intervention & Preschool agency work, as well as a public school. She is now the proud owner of Mind ShaperSLP, LLC where she provides 1:1 speech therapy, executive functioning and life skills coaching for individuals and social skills groups. In addition, Rebecca provides parent online training programs and consultation services. Rebecca currently lives in Pennsylvania, and provides services in The Hudson Valley, NY and in Montgomery County, PA.

In this conversion, we discuss:

✅Parent coaching: It’s emphasized in early intervention, so why aren’t we doing it for school-age kids and adolescents?

✅What does it mean to “act as kids’ executive functioning”?

✅Directive statements, explicit teaching, reflective questions, and pauses: How to use these strategies to fade prompts.

✅Getting started with coaching and consulting: What strategies can we teach adjacent disciplines and caregivers to improve carryover?

You can connect with Rebecca and learn about her therapy services and online programs for Autistic clients here: https://mindshaperslp.com/

Connect with her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mindshaperslp/

Connect with her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/MindShaperSLP/

In this episode, we mention Linda Murphy’s Declarative Handbook and website. You can learn more about Linday Murphy’s work on her website here: https://www.lindakmurphy.com/declarative-language

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

For episode 196 of De Facto Leaders, I share a Q & A session where I talk through how to write language therapy goals that are both trackable and functional.

This is just one of many Q & A sessions I’m planning on sharing where I talk through how to find the balance between focusing on external behaviors that allow us to document progress and internal cognitive processes.

I also talk about when to focus on “observable” language skills vs. strategy-based goals; especially when addressing both language and executive functioning skills. 

Throughout the session, you’ll hear examples related to working on skills like syntax, semantic feature study, vocabulary, and cognitive processes that support language comprehension.

This Q & A session was done in the member’s group for Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs build a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here : https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

For episode 195 of De Facto Leaders, I share a Q & A session where I talk through ways to navigate evaluations; including considering a test's psychometric properties, how detailed it gets, and how to supplement with non-standardized protocols. 

In the second half, I talked about SLP career transitions and things to think about if you want to explore other ways to use your clinical credentials or are considering getting a doctorate or additional certifications. 

*This discussion on career pathways is also relevant for other clinical disciplines outside of speech-language pathology. 

I also talk about how to do "micro-experiments" that help you build skills and explore other ways to use your skills and build up a portfolio of experience you can use to transition to the next stage of your career.

his Q & A session was done in the member’s group for Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs build a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy

Additional episodes mentioned in this discussion:
EP 80: Career test runs and calming your inner critic with Stephanie Hayes 
(Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-80-career-test-runs-and-calming-your-inner-critic-with-stephanie-hayes/)

EP 108: How to do multilingual evaluations as a monolingual therapist (with Meg Morgan) 
(Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-108-how-to-do-multilingual-evaluations-as-a-monolingual-therapist-with-meg-morgan/)

EP 186: Supporting multilingual students and taking part in state and national advocacy work (with Puja Goel and Prabhu Eswaran) 
(Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-186-supporting-multilingual-students-and-taking-part-in-state-and-national-advocacy-work-with-puja-goel-and-prabhu-eswaran/)

EP 187: Dynamic assessment: Evaluations are a process, not a test (with Destiny Johnson)
(Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-187-dynamic-assessment-evaluations-are-a-process-not-a-test-with-destiny-johnson/)

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Many therapists feel as though they have limited upward mobility in their careers. 

Graduate programs understandably focus on direct clinical practice and understanding evidence-based practices.

Unfortunately, this leaves many clinicians unprepared to navigate policy work, salary negotiations, or running a business. 

This makes many therapists less confident in advocating for reasonable caseloads or better compensation because they feel they have limited options for earning a living. 

That’s why I invited Rachel Archambault to episode 194 to talk about how state and local policy impacts clinical disciplines and how therapists can expand their career options. 

Rachel Archambault M.A. CCC-SLP is an award-winning speaker and consultant for trauma-informed care as well as a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP). She collaborates with service providers (SLPs, doctors, PT/OT, etc.), parents, businesses (schools, hospitals, universities, rehab), and communities to incorporate trauma-informed care into their setting. 

In 2018, Rachel was an SLP at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL when an internationally publicized traumatic event happened at her workplace. After wondering how she could better work with her students (and self) who had undergone trauma, she found trauma-informed care. Her lived experience of trauma in combination with her profession allow her to bridge the gap for SLPs and other service providers who want to learn about and implement trauma-informed care in any setting. Rachel is a neurodivergent SLP, (PTSD & ADHD) and advocates for mental health trainings for SLPs. 

Rachel uses her unique journey to help put a face to trauma for healthcare providers, parents, and universities.

In this conversion, we discuss:

✅Negotiating salary for SLPs at the district level and giving public comment. 

✅Making a case for districts to hire additional clinicians; including how to show the negative impact of high caseload numbers. 

✅How to stay informed and understand how state and local policy impacts your ability to provide quality services. 

✅Common knowledge gaps for clinicians; including people management, business operations, sales, marketing, and personal finance. 

Listen to Rachel’s previous interview on De Facto Leaders here: EP 115: Trauma-informed care for therapists, teachers, and school leaders (with Rachel Archambault) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-115-trauma-informed-care-for-therapists-teachers-and-school-leaders-with-rachel-archambault/

You can learn more about Rachel’s services or how to book her for a speaking engagement here: https://www.ptsdslp.com/

Follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ptsd.slp/

Follow her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/PTSD.SLP/

Connect with her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-archambault/

Listen to the Speech Science Podcast here: https://www.speechsciencepodcast.com/episodes

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Most people agree that the “online learning” that happened during COVID was a challenge for many students; especially those with disabilities.

However, what happened during the pandemic wasn’t a true version of what “distance learning” or “telehealth” should be. 

There’s a difference between leveraging technology to enhance in-person experiences vs. using it as a temporary solution in an emergency situation.

There’s also a difference between using technology to provide opportunities that wouldn’t be possible in-person vs. having an unhealthy relationship with social media.

That’s why I invited Seth Fleischauer to De Facto Leaders to discuss distance learning best practices, social media, and how to use technology responsibly in education.

Seth Fleischauer is the President of Banyan Global Learning, which he founded in 2008 after teaching elementary school with NYC Teaching Fellows. Banyan pioneered daily international EFL distance learning and has since expanded to train teachers and educate K-12 students across three continents. His programs focus on teaching digital and cultural competencies through a global lens and have delivered over 40,000 live teaching sessions. Seth has also hosted nearly 100 podcast episodes, including Make It Mindful and Why Distance Learning?

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅Why “COVID online learning” wasn’t an accurate representation of true distance learning. 

✅Opportunities, access, and equity: Using distance learning experiences when IRL isn’t possible.

✅How do we know when kids are ready for social media?

✅Defining the “digital footprint” and how to talk to kids about safe online practices.

You can learn more about Seth’s company, Banyan Global Learning at: https://banyangloballearning.com/

Listen to the Make it Mindful Podcast at: https://feeds.transistor.fm/make-it-mindful-an-education-podcast

Listen to the Why Distance Learning Podcast at: https://whydistancelearning.transistor.fm/

Learn more about the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration here: https://www.cilc.org/

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

The writing process comes with internal resistance, even for strong writers.

Most people who say they enjoy writing don’t enjoy the entire process; particularly the “getting started” part. 

This is why writing is a common challenge when executive functioning is impacted. 

Layer on issues with background knowledge, language, and decoding, and it becomes even more complex. 

Kids need support with the “puzzle pieces” that fit together to support writing. Things like vocabulary, syntax, the ability to decode words, and the ability to spell. 

But while we’re working on these foundational skills, we also need to make sure kids get support with the “glue” that holds them together. 

This is where self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) can be really powerful. SRSD is a metacognitive strategy designed to help students with the planning and execution of challenging academic tasks like writing. 

That’s why I invited Dr. Nelly Kaakaty to episode 192 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about her research and work in the field with SRSD and supporting students with learning differences.
Dr. Nelly Kaakaty is an educational therapist and psychology professor dedicated to creating a more accessible world, one classroom at a time. She has spent the last 12 years as a teacher, learning specialist, and researcher, designing academic programs to support all types of learners. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Child Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Dallas, a Master’s degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and a doctorate in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Special Education from A&M-Commerce. Her current work is twofold: she is learning specialist at an independent school, where she provides academic support to high school students, and she is a professor at a community college, where she teaches courses in psychology.

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅Why so many writing challenges are tied to executive functioning.

✅The power of micro-commitments and working through the struggle.

✅Scaffolding, fading prompts, and giving “just enough” support.

✅“We start writing before we start writing” and why starting with 5 minutes is okay.

✅Self-talk is for strategy and self-image: We need to model and explicitly teach both.

You can connect with Dr. K on Instagram @learningwithdrk, or on her website here: https://learningwithdrk.com/?ref=collabs.io

Learn about the resources she offers on her Amazon page here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/learningwithdr.k?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_aipsflearningwithdr.k_BMWF4ZEERV80HH7SES3B

Connect with her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nellykaakaty/?ref=collabs.io

In this episode, I mentioned the following resources:

Think SRSD : https://thinksrsd.com/

IRIS Center: SRSD Resources : https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/srs/

EP 130: Using private practice to offer accessible services and advocate for your profession (with Ebony Green) : https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-162-the-summer-slide-real-phenomenon-or-invented-by-tutoring-companies-with-david-schipper/

EP 176: Building the language skills for reading, writing, and spelling (with Dr. Jan Wasowicz): https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-176-building-the-language-skills-for-reading-writing-and-spelling-with-dr-jan-wasowicz/

“Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching” by Anita L. Archer and Charles A. Hughes : https://explicitinstruction.org/

 “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield : https://stevenpressfield.com/books/the-war-of-art/

“Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12543.Bird_by_Bird

Tim Ferriss Show Episode Episode 263: Master Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky-Exploring Creativity, Ignoring Critics, and Marking Art: https://tim.blog/2017/09/09/darren-aronofsky/

Tim Ferriss Show Episode 154: The Habits of a Master-Paulo Coehlo, Author of the Alchemist: https://tim.blog/2016/04/23/paulo-coelho-the-alchemist/

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

High-impact tutoring has a wide body of evidence to support its efficacy, but how do you know what is and isn’t “high-impact”?

Is it better to brand yourself as an academic coach or an executive functioning coach?
Should “executive functioning” be a class in school, or should it be embedded into all the classes?
I invited my colleague David Schipper to episode 191 of De Facto Leaders to ponder some of these questions. 

David Schipper is the director of Strategic Learning Clinic, a position he has held since 2013. David obtained a B.A. in English Literature from Concordia University in 1998 as well as a B.Ed. in Secondary Education (English and History) from McGill University in 2002. After some work as a local teacher in Montreal, David founded 2Torial Educational Centre in 2007. Aside from his ability to put both parents and students at ease, David uses his clinic's fairly unique approach to help get to the root of students' learning challenges and propose the most suitable remediation to resolve these weaknesses. As a father of two children, David knows how to relate to the concerns of parents and as an experienced educator, thoroughly understands the struggles of students. His passion and dedication to teaching and learning is second to none. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅The features of high-impact tutoring vs. traditional tutoring.

✅How are “COVID high schoolers” doing now that they’re in college?

✅Strategies are important, but can you use a strategy without content knowledge?

✅Executive functioning in the schools: How should it look across Tiers 1, 2, and 3?

You can connect with David on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-schipper-1537972a/

You can learn more about Strategic Learning Clinic on their website here: https://strategiclearning.ca/ 
on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/SLCStrategicLearningClinic
or on Instagram @strategiclearningclinic (https://www.instagram.com/strategiclearningclinic/)

You can find the National Education Association article on High-Impact Tutoring here: https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/high-impact-tutoring, and can find additional research on the impact of High-Impact Tutoring and COVID learning loss here: https://educationlab.uchicago.edu/2024/03/national-study-finds-in-school-tutoring-programs-are-successfully-accelerating-student-learning-reversing-pandemic-era-learning-loss/
 
We also mentioned Natalie Wexler’s work in this episode. You can learn more about her work on her website here: https://nataliewexler.com/

Listen to David’s previous interview on De Facto Leaders here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-162-the-summer-slide-real-phenomenon-or-invented-by-tutoring-companies-with-david-schipper/

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Many of my colleagues working in the public sector are skeptical of companies selling products to school districts. 

I’ve felt some of this skepticism myself as I’ve seen certain approaches gain traction because they’re well-marketed (yet not evidence-based). 

So it’s understandable to me that people would question the motives of companies selling products; especially in the for-profit space.

The elephant in the room, of course, is that Dr. Karen, LLC is a for-profit EdTech company. 

I’ve also spent a fair amount of time interacting with people who either work for larger EdTech or curriculum companies, or who have started one themselves.

Most of them are therapists, administrators, or teachers who felt inspired to create something who are trying to make a living doing something that matters. 

This would describe many of the hosts on the Be Podcast Network, which is why I wanted to invite one of the network co-founders, Ross Romano, to De Facto Leaders to talk about his experiences coaching EdTech and education-related start-up founders. 

Ross Romano has worked with over 100 companies and nonprofit organizations in the education space and collaborated with countless schools, districts, and educators. Ross is founder and CEO of September Strategies, an award-winning consulting firm helping leaders and organizations connect vision to decision through coaching, strategic advisement, and marketing consulting. Ross is also co-founder of the BE Podcast Network, a media company producing 40+ series reaching more than 50,000 educators and parents every month. He is also Strategic Advisor for the American Consortium for Equity in Education and the Founding Program Chair of the Consortium’s Excellence in Equity Awards.

Prior to starting September Strategies, Ross was Managing Director of MindRocket Media Group, a K-12 marketing firm. Previously, he was head of communications for ASCD, working closely with the organization’s authors, product developers, administrator members, constituent leaders, and advocacy teams on a diverse array of initiatives. Ross has created and/or hosted dozens of podcast series, written a number of white papers and ebooks, is a contributing editor to Educate AI Magazine, and has been a contributor to Entrepreneur, The Learning Counsel, edCircuit, Access & Equity PreK-12, and more.

Ross serves on the advisory boards for Shenandoah University’s Transformative Leadership program and Morning Brew Learning. In 2023, he was listed as a Top 10 leadership coach of the year and was profiled by CIO Views as one of the visionary leaders transforming education.

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅Business advice that creates ethical dilemmas for companies selling products to school districts.

✅Can companies stand for equity without sacrificing product quality and customer service? 

✅Who is the true end-user when products are sold to schools?

✅When a product isn’t resulting in increased student outcomes, is it really just about the quality of the product? 

✅Who is making purchasing decisions for schools, and what matters to them? 

Learn more about the BE Podcast Network here: https://bepodcast.network/

Listen to Ross on The Sideline Sessions Podcast here: https://ss.bepodcast.network/people/ross-romano

Listen to Ross on The Authority Podcast here: https://authoritypodcast.net/

Learn more about Ross’s coaching and media services for education-related companies here: https://www.septemberstrat.com/

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Many people treat social skills groups as if they’re the complete package, when in fact they’re just one part of a bigger service plan. 

When we “lesson plan” we can’t think of our intervention as something that starts and ends with a 20-minute therapy session. Instead, we should think of it as a “planning” or a “priming” session. 

That’s why one of the very first things I teach clinicians in the School of Clinical Leadership is how to utilize multiple service delivery models when supporting executive functioning because social skills should fall under this umbrella.  

In this episode, I wanted to share two sneak peaks from the program. I’ll share the audio from two video clips from the School of Clinical Leadership that will set the stage for effective social skills intervention.

You’ll learn:

✅How to use social skill-building sessions in a way that builds resilience, situational awareness, and considers a student’s neurodevelopmental differences. 

✅Why many premade social narratives don’t result in good generalization, and how to be a good consumer of commercially available products. 

✅The three components of effective social skills intervention and where the “social skills group” fits. 

✅The components of good social narratives, and how to create them “on the fly”.

*In the video modeling tutorial, I mention that a lot of people write goals for eye contact-and I wanted to clarify that I do not recommend writing eye contact goals. Instead, I recommend focusing on helping kids with the underlying communicative function, such as showing others you're paying attention or gaining attention of others, which can be achieved through other ways besides eye contact.

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Syntactic use is considered an “academic” skill that’s useful for reading comprehension and writing, but the impact of sentence comprehension goes way beyond school.

Our ability to comprehend messages at the word and sentence level in oral and written language has a huge impact on our ability to function.

So when clinicians ask me, “Should I focus on syntax, or should I focus on life skills?”, my response is that syntax IS a life skill.

The same is true about semantic knowledge because of the significant impact background knowledge has in our ability to navigate in functional situations.

Yet scaffolding for students who are not yet able to read and write can be challenging; which is why I wanted to share two questions on this topic from a session done with my Language Therapy Advance Foundation’s members’ group. 

In this session, I share:

✅Examples of complex syntax that may occur during functional tasks, like signing up for medical appointments, applying for a job, or grocery shopping.

✅Why effective vocabulary instruction in content areas, such as science and social studies, is essential for positive life outcomes.

✅Scaffolding syntactic study for nonreaders or emergent readers.

✅Does it make sense to do semantic feature analysis with a student who has an intellectual disability?

✅Following directions, topic maintenance, and self-advocacy: What language skills do we need to meet these type of goals, and should even we be writing IEP goals for these skills?

In this episode, I mentioned the following episodes of De Facto Leaders:

EP 102: The science of reading: A team approach (with Brett Stevens) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-102-the-science-of-reading-a-team-approach-with-brett-stevens/

EP 180: The relationship of language and literacy and involvement with the justice system (with Dr. Shameka Stewart) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-180-the-relationship-of-literacy-and-language-skills-and-involvement-with-the-justice-system-with-dr-shameka-stewart/

EP 181: Developmental language disorder: Impacts on literacy and life outcomes beyond school (with Dr. Karla McGregor) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-181-developmental-language-disorder-impacts-on-literacy-and-life-beyond-school-with-dr-karla-mcgregor/

In this episode I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

If you’re already a member of either program and you refer a friend, tell them to email me at [email protected] if they join and let me know you referred them and 

I’ll send you a $100 referral bonus. 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.