Language Function

Literacy teaching tends to take a structural approach to language, focusing on concepts such as sounds, morphemes, words, sentences, and vocabulary. However, new research suggests that the majority of English speakers actually think and learn in visual terms, and that there is a cultural and linguistic mismatch between language teaching and language learning. This has important implications for educators of students with neurogenic disabilities, such as autism. In her new book, Dr. Ellyn Arwood outlines a revolutionary new four-tiered model of how a learner acquires language, and suggests ways to impose visual language functions onto language in order to assist both neurotypical learners and those with neurogenic disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorders and ADHD. Dr. Arwood provides tried-and-tested intervention strategies that can be used with such individuals at all levels, as well as tools for working effectively with those who think in terms of a visual, spatial, contextual kind of language. This book takes a fresh look at how language and literacy interact, and will be of interest to educators and special educators, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, and other professionals who support language learning and development.