WORKING WITH ADOLESCENTS

Question 1

Typically developing adolescents can

Answer 1

Typically developing adolescents can …
 take part in conversations with adults and peers
 pay good attention as a listener and provide all information that a listener needs
 ask and answer questions
 tell personal stories to inform, entertain and persuade
 use small talk as a “social gel”
 adapt verbal and non-verbal communication style to on the situation
 understand communicator’s point-of-view and convey this understanding
 be tactful and concise

Question 2

In school adolescents need good communication
skills to

Answer 2

n school adolescents need good communication
skills to …
 speak and write clearly and efficiently
 develop specialized vocabulary for different subjects
 develop new concepts and abstract ideas
 explain and summarize information
 follow increasingly complex stories, plays, books …
 solve problems, infer solutions, predict outcomes
 convince and negotiate
 explore new social connections, manage friendships and other relationships

Question 3

Adolescents with Language Disorders

Answer 3

Adolescents with Language Disorders
* Difficult time communicating with peers and adults in all settings
* Difficulties in the classroom
* Speaking, understanding, reading, writing, social media literacy
* May lead to poor self-esteem, poor academic and social success and high
drop out rate
* Highest rate of problems with authority/the law
* Difficult time with self-awareness, metacognition and advocacy skills

Question 4

What kind of problems can you see in
adolescents with language disorders?

Answer 4

What kind of problems can you see in
adolescents with language disorders?
 avoid speaking
 limited vocabulary and problems finding the right word
 difficulty understanding what people say or write, often understands “face
value”
 doesn’t understand grammar well and uses incorrect grammar
 doesn’t realize he/she doesn’t understand, often doesn’t ask for clarification
 struggle to talk about thoughts and feelings

difficulty organizing information
difficulty telling stories, staying on topic
have difficulty getting a message across clearly
have trouble understanding idioms, riddles, jokes, sarcasm, and
slang
have difficulty problem-solving, thinking up possible solutions, and
making likely predictions

Question 5

Narrative development
2 to 4.5
4 different stages

Answer 5

Narrative development
* Develops between 2.5 and 11 years old
o 2 y.o. : heaps. Collection of unrelated ideas through 1-2 words phrases
o 2-3 y.o. : sequences. Central theme, but no transition
o 3-4 y.o. : primitive narrative. 3 story grammar components: initiating
event, action, consequence. Start to interpret/predict event
o 4-4.5 y.o. : unfocused chains. Logical sequence of events,
development of cause/effect relationship, but rare use of connectors
(“and”, “but”, “because”)

Question 6

Narrative development
5 to 11

Answer 6

5 y.o. : focused chains. Story grammar development. Initiating event,
action, consequence and abrupt ending (for you to interpret). Central
character, transitions, logical sequence, conjunctions.
o 6-7 y.o. : true narratives I. Includes resolution/ending. Consistent
perspective focusing around one incident. Developed plot, character
and sequence of events
o 7-11 y.o. :true narrative II. Summarize and categorize stories.
Objective and/or subjective (exciting, sad, …)

Question 7

Narrative development
12

Answer 7

12 y.o. can tell a story in interactive episodes:
– Describe events from several different perspectives
– Two major characters with separate goals
– Actions of each character influence the actions of the other
– Reaction or consequence for one character serves as an initiating event for another
character
– Importance of perspective taking and emotional relatedness
* Adolescents with language disorders have poor narrative skills, which
affects learning and social success
* Think of therapeutic goals and materials to address narrative problems

Question 8

Social emotional development

Answer 8

Social emotional development
* During adolescence,
– Building identity, independence, values
– Importance of peer influence and media
– Strong feelings, intense emotions
– Self-consciousness
– Decision-making development
* As a therapist
– Role-model that adolescent can relate to
– Listen to feelings and be genuine about yours
– Focus on positive
* Social thinking, by michele Garcia Winner