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Language Disorders in Children: Fundamental Concepts of Assessment and Intervention

Third Edition

Joan N. Kaderavek, Victoria S. Henbest

Details: 454 pages, 2-Color, Softcover, 8.5" x 11"

ISBN13: 978-1-63550-758-4

© 2026 | Available

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This modernized third edition of Language Disorders in Children: Fundamental Concepts of Assessment and Intervention offers a comprehensive overview of language disorders in children for speech-language pathology students. The expert authors bring together decades of clinical experience and pedagogical expertise to create a comprehensive resource with instructional strategies and clinical applications, enhanced with numerous activities, discussions, and case studies that promote critical thinking. This edition introduces a groundbreaking model that utilizes a story-based approach to explain the dimensions of choosing and developing interventions. This method engages students in a thought experiment that illuminates the nuances of clinical decision-making, particularly for children with developmental language disorder, autism, and other developmental disabilities. The book revisits and expands upon the well-regarded five communication subdomains framework, providing a clear and structured approach to understanding language development from early pragmatic skills to advanced discourse. 

New to the Third Edition

  • New coauthor, Victoria S. Henbest, PhD, CCC-SLP  
  • A color layout with refreshed illustrations to enhance visual comprehension
  • Increased emphasis on multicultural considerations in assessment and treatment of child language disorders
  • Added content on the use of technology in clinical practice
  • Additional class activities and discussions to facilitate clinical thinking skills
  • Updated ancillary resources for instructor and students 

Key Features

  • A two-step approach to language sample analysis is presented with clarifying case studies, figures, and directions for completing a language sample 
  • Chapter overview questions at the beginning of chapters serve as a road map for students
  • QR codes direct readers to helpful video clips and web resources
  • Boxed focus points effectively communicate the most crucial aspects of the text
  • Bolded key terms and a comprehensive glossary help improve retention of the material
  • Case studies and discussion and in-class activities encourage students to delve deeper into the material 
  • Concise chapter summaries end each chapter to reinforce key takeways
  • Appendices containing valuable supplementary materials such as worksheets, case studies, language analyses guides, standard score interpretation tutorial, and assessment reports

PluralPlus Online Ancillaries

For instructors: PowerPoint Slides, Test Bank
For students: eFlashcards, Quizzes

Preface
Contributors

Part I. Foundations of Assessment and Intervention in Language Disorders

Chapter 1. The Foundations of Language and Clinical Practice 
Chapter Overview Questions
Definitions and Background Information: Language Disorders 
The Speech Chain
Form, Content, and Use: The Cornerstones of Language 
The Three Cornerstones of Evidence-Based Practice 
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities
Case Studies

Chapter 2. Language Theory and the Communication Subdomains 
Chapter Overview Questions
Theories of Language Development
The Five Communication Subdomains 
Communication Subdomain 1: Early Pragmatic Skills
Communication Subdomain 2: Vocabulary Development 
Communication Subdomain 3: Multiple Word Combinations 
Communication Subdomain 4: Morphosyntax Development 
Communication Subdomain 5: Advanced Pragmatic and Discourse Development
Revisiting the Interrelationship of Communication Subdomain Development
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities
Case Study

Chapter 3. Assessment of Language Disorders 
Chapter Overview Questions
Assessment Tools
Psychometric Features of Assessment 
Language Sample Analysis
The Language Assessment Process 
Identifying Potential Intervention Communication Targets
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities 
Case Study 

Chapter 4. Decision Making in Assessment and Intervention 
Chapter Overview Questions
A Model of Decision Making
Decision Making: Assessment
Decision Making: Intervention
Decision Making: Environment
Decision Making: Progress Monitoring and Dismissal 
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities 
Case Study

Chapter 5. Principles of Intervention 
Chapter Overview Questions
Critical Components of Intervention
Intervention Strategies: Looking Behind the Curtain 
Intervention: Forms and Functions
Technology: Clinical Use of Apps
Goal Writing, Goal Attack Strategies, and Dosage
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities
Case Study

Part II. Language Disorders

Chapter 6. Children With Development Language Disorder (DLD) 
Chapter Overview Questions
Definition, Prevalence, Causation, and Major Characteristics 
Supporting Vocabulary Development With a Tiered Approach
Supporting the Conversational Skills of Children With Language Impairments
Peer-Mediated Interventions for Children With Language Impairments 
Assessment
Intervention 
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities
Case Studies

Chapter 7. Children With Hearing Loss 
Lori A. Pakulski and Erika Squires
Chapter Overview Questions
Description of the Disorder
Causation, Risk Factors, and Communication Impairments 
Factors Influencing Outcomes for Children With Hearing Loss 
Approaches Focusing on Talking and Listening
Approaches Focusing on Visual Learning and Manual Communication
Family role in Intervention
Assessment and Progress Monitoring
Intervention
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities
Case Study

Chapter 8. Children With Intellectual Disability 
Chapter Overview Questions
Description, Prevalence, Causation, and Major Characteristics
Characteristics of ID and the Implications for Intervention
Linguistic Profiles: Understanding the Development of Form, Content, and Use Within Subtypes of ID
Assessment
Intervention
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities
Case Study

Chapter 9. Autism
Angela B. Anthony
Chapter Overview Questions
Describing Individuals on the Autism Spectrum
Prevalence of Autism, Co-occurrence of Other Disorders, and Differential Diagnosis
Assessment and Progress Monitoring
Intervention
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities 
Case Studies

Chapter 10. Emergent Literacy, Reading, Spelling, and Writing 
Chapter Overview Questions
The Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist in Reading and Writing 
Spoken Versus Written Language
Emergent Literacy: Prevention of Reading Disability in Young Children 
Conventional Literacy and Literacy-Related Domains, Assessment, and Intervention
Narratives
Text-level Conventional Literacy Domains 
Working With Teachers
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities
Case Study

Chapter 11. Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Julia M. Fischer and Pamela Terrell
Chapter Overview Questions
Background and Description
AAC System Components
Assessment
Intervention
AAC: Literacy and Cultural Considerations
Summary
Discussion and In-Class Activities
Case Studies

Appendix A 
Appendix B 
Appendix C 
Appendix D 
Appendix E 
Appendix F 
Appendix G
Glossary
References
Index

Joan N. Kaderavek

Joan N. Kaderavek is a Distinguished University Professor (Emeritus) at the University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio. She currently lives in Pensacola, Florida. She is a Fellow of the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association. She received her bachelor’s degree from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), her master’s degree from the Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio), her doctoral degree from Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio), and completed a NIH-funded post-doctoral fellowship focusing on children’s early literacy development at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan). Kaderavek worked as a clinician and as the Director of Speech-Language Pathology Services at the Toledo Hearing and Speech Center for 10 years, prior to her doctoral education. During her academic career, Dr. Kaderavek taught over 30 different courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level within the fields of speech-language pathology, early childhood education, and special education. She has published numerous book chapters, peer-reviewed articles, and presented both at the national and international level. She has served as a co-principal investigator on multiple nationally-funded multi-million dollar research projects, in the areas of early literacy development and early childhood science education. Her work within the field of science education has developed her expertise in training teachers to use pedagogical practices facilitating students’ high-level, critical thinking.

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Victoria S. Henbest

Victoria S. Henbest is an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist and assistant professor in the Speech Pathology and Audiology Department at the University of South Alabama where she teaches the undergraduate introductory courses on language and speech disorders as well as the graduate-level school-age language and literacy and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) courses. Dr. Henbest earned a Bachelor of Science in Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Arkansas, a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Missouri State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. Prior to earning her doctoral degree, Dr. Henbest worked for 5 years as a full-time clinician in a public-school early childhood setting with pre-school age children with speech, language, and literacy needs including children on the autism spectrum, those with intellectual disabilities, and medically complex children.  Since joining the faculty at the University of South Alabama, Dr. Henbest’s clinical service provision has been through clinical education where she has supported graduate student clinicians with evaluation and intervention for school-age children with spoken and written language difficulties.  Dr. Henbest’s primary research interests include word-level reading and spelling and the relation between linguistic awareness skills, particularly morphological awareness, and literacy development. She has published and presented on these topics at the state, national, and international levels. As part of this work, Dr. Henbest is co-author of a standardized test of morphological awareness entitled the Morphological Awareness Test for Reading (MATRS).

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Language Disorders in Children: Fundamental Concepts of Assessment and Intervention, Third Edition comes with access to supplementary student and instructor resources on a PluralPlus companion website.

The companion website is located at: https://www.pluralpublishing.com/publication/ldc3e

STUDENTS:

The student resources include eflashcards and quizzes.

To access the student resources, you must register on the companion website and log in using the access code located in the front of your textbook.

INSTRUCTORS:

The instructor resources include PowerPoint slides and a test bank. You will also have access to all of the student resources listed above.

To access the instructor resources, you must contact Plural Publishing, Inc. to be verified as an instructor and receive your access code.

            Email: instructormaterials@pluralpublishing.com

            Tel: 866-758-7251 (toll free) or 858-492-1555

*Note for students: If you have purchased this textbook used or have rented it, your access code will not work if it was already redeemed by the original buyer of the book. Plural Publishing does not offer replacement access codes for used or rented textbooks.

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