Technology

In this 4th and final entry in the Summer Study Series for 2024, we will circle back to the expository side of language. Teresa Ukrainetz has always been one of my go-to experts on a number of aspects of discourse, and literally wrote the book on “Conceptualized Language Intervention.” It was with some excitement that I discovered her recent article, “Evidence-Based Expository Intervention: A Tutorial for Speech-Language Pathologists” (2024).

This month we will look at a study using play contexts to build narrative language. It’s notable that since the publication of this 2020 study, “Believing in Make‐Believe: Efficacy of a Pretend Play Intervention for School‐Aged Children with High‐Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder,” there have been some significant shifts in our field’s focus towards neurodiversity-affirming language and approaches. For example, we should avoid stigmatizing labels such as “high-functioning”...

I have often reflected that MindWing’s approaches have equipped me with invaluable tools when working with younger populations, but also older clients. While still focused on pediatrics, I often have an adult or two on my caseload who presents with language comprehension or expression difficulties...

Escape rooms are popular diversions in real life and are inherently story-based through their varied themes. These experiences wrap language and visual cues into fun problem-solving situations, but can be pretty difficult to simulate in educational and intervention situations. Digital formats make this much easier! Check out Hooda Math’s huge variety of free escape games—my favorite selections are the US State and National Park collections. These are always a hit with students and, though on their surface seem simple point-and-click games, offer a lot in terms of general language and tie-ins with expository text...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, of course, one of the hottest topics in technology these days. Its recently emerging abilities are producing a mix of excitement and anxiety for the ways that it is disrupting education and other fields, but like many technology developments, it should be viewed as a tool. You may not know where to start, but one path is using ChatGPT’s free tools along with prompts that can help you plan narrative language interventions. ChatGPT is a chatbot from OpenAI (owned by Microsoft) using generative AI, which is a form of artificial intelligence that can create text, images, video and other media...

Looking for narrative structure in varied places will yield you many TOOLs! This includes sources such as games, current events, interactive websites, and of course, videos. In this post I want to expand upon the great work of Dr. Anna Vagin, who several years ago co-presented a webinar with Maryellen Moreau on the power of using animations for social and language learning (still available for free here). A quote from this webinar resonates strongly: Jerome Bruner (1986, 1996) referred to narrative thinking as a capacity to “read other minds”; “to make accurate inferences about the motives and intentions of others based on their observable behavior and the social situations in which they act. Narrative thinking is the very process we use to understand the social life around us,” take perspective and to construct situation models...