BIO

My name is Elaina Huerta and I am from St. Petersburg Florida! My main focus in research is helping children with communication disorders, and I am planning on becoming a Speech Language Pathologist! I am currently doing research with Dr. Farquharson with coaching teachers in language elicitation strategies and using print referencing in the TALES 2.0 lab. I wish to gain as much knowledge as possible through research and furthermore use it within my field.

Training Assistants in Language Elicitation Strategies (TALES)- Print Referencing for Pre-school Children with Speech and Language Delays

Abstract

Have you ever wondered why children with disabilities fall behind in reading? This question is very universal in today's world, and nobody knows the true answer. It can vary between each child, and what kind of disability they have. However, one way to enhance the improved of understanding print while they read is the teachers themselves reading to the child in class. Emphasizing print and word knowledge can furthermore increase reading comprehension with significant results. Another way in engaging a child with a disability to learn is through the teacher's interactive behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers engage in reading through print referencing and to train them on language elicitation strategies with preschool children with language delays. Language elicitation is defined as obtaining knowledge of language from another person. Print referencing is simply referencing the difference in print in a book to an audience while reading aloud. After further examination, we can positively say that there is a significant increase in the children's reading ability and language abilities as well. This is due to the teacher increasingly getting better each time she read and practiced by helping recognize print and word knowledge with children.

Keywords: elaina, speech, language, books, print