Newsletter #143 for Internationally Adopting Parents
March 15, 2011
PAL Center Inc.

Latest Articles
from the
International Adoption Articles Directory

Tatyana Elleseff MA CCC-SLP
What are social pragmatic language deficits and how do they impact international adoptees years post adoption?

This article defines pragmatic language impairment, explains the referral process for assessment and intervention of pragmatic language deficits, cites select assessment instruments sensitive to detection of pragmatic language impairment as well as explains the advantages and disadvantages of social pragmatic assessment and intervention in school vs. private therapy settings.

Imagine a case of John. John is a bright 11 year old boy who was adopted at the age of 3 from Russia by American parents. John's favorite subject is math, he is good at sports but his most dreaded class is language arts. John has trouble understanding abstract information or summarizing what he has seen, heard or read. John's grades are steadily slipping and his reading comprehension is below grade level. He has trouble retelling stories and his answers often raise more questions due to being very confusing and difficult to follow. John has trouble maintaining friendships with kids his age, who consider him too immature and feel like he frequently "misses the point" due to his inability to appropriately join play activities and discussions, understand non-verbal body language, maintain conversations on age-level topics, or engage in perspective taking (understand other people's ideas, feelings, and thoughts). John had not received speech language services immediately post adoption despite exhibiting a severe speech and language delay at the time of adoption. The parents were told that "he'll catch up quickly", and he did, or so it seemed, at the time. John is undeniably bright yet with each day he struggles just a little bit more with understanding those around him and getting his point across. John's scores were within normal limits on typical speech and language tests administered at his school, so he did not qualify for school based speech language therapy. Yet John clearly needs help.

John's case is by no means unique. Numerous adopted children begin to experience similar difficulties; years post adoption, despite seemingly appropriate early social and academic development. What has many parents bewildered is that often times these difficulties are not glaringly pronounced in the early grades, which leads to delayed referral and lack of appropriate intervention for prolonged period of time.

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Children with FASD in Schools

The Center for Cognitive-Developmental Assessment and Remediation (BGCenter) announces a new project "Children with FASD in Schools"

There is no medical treatment for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD): an early implementation and continuous monitoring of an appropriate system of support at school and at home that include special education services, counseling and behavioral therapies is the only means of remediation.

FASD is acknowledged in some states as an educationally handicapping condition and is not accepted as such in others, but these children need to have an established diagnosis and individualized educational services as early as possible to help them compensate for their disabilities. That's where the Children with FASD in Schools project hopes to make a difference for families.

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