SPHY309 - Language, literacy and cognition across the lifespan

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

SPHY202 Language Disorders (Acquired) AND SPHY207 Speech Pathology Practice 2B

Incompatible

SPHY308 Multimodal Communication Across the Lifespan

Unit rationale, description and aim

Language and cognition underpin successful communication, including the acquisition and use of literacy skills. Speech pathologists require a strong theoretical knowledge of the development of and links between, language, literacy, and cognition to provide support for individuals with challenges in these areas and to enable communicative participation.

In this unit, students will explore key theories and models of language and cognition, and the relationship between language and cognition across the lifespan. Building on earlier units of study, students will consider how theoretical models can inform speech pathology understanding and practice related a range of developmental, acquired and progressive conditions whose core features impact language, literacy and/or cognition. Consideration will be given to the assessment and management of these conditions.

The overall aim of this unit is to enable students to develop capabilities for supporting individuals with language, literacy and/or cognitive-communication needs across the lifespan.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Content

Topics will include:

• Theories of language and cognition
• Cognitive science and linguistics, language, and speech pathology

-Models of language processing

-Models and theories of literacy

-Cognitive functions associated with language and literacy 

• Developmental conditions impacting language, literacy and/or cognition and their assessment and management.
• Acquired and/or progressive conditions impacting language, literacy and/or cognition and their assessment and management.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit utilises a blended learning approach to support students to develop their understanding of language, literacy and cognition and their relationship to various presentations across the lifespan. The blended learning strategy will combine online material, in which key information will be presented, and interactive tutorials, in which students will have opportunities to discuss and apply information about language, literacy and cognitive-communication needs. This unit involves 150 hours of learning, inclusive of a combination of face-to-face and online delivery, interactive and independent learning, and assessment tasks.

Assessment strategy and rationale

In this unit students are required to demonstrate their understanding of key theories regarding the development of language, literacy and cognition and the relationships between these three areas of practice. Consequently, assessment tasks will examine students’ theoretical understanding of language, literacy and cognition, the impact of various developmental, acquired and progressive conditions on language, literacy and cognitive functioning, and the way in which speech pathologists might contribute to the assessment and support of individuals with these difficulties.

The first assessment requires students to undertake a quiz to recall, compare and distinguish between the key theories underpinning language, literacy and cognition. The second assessment requires students to apply their understanding of relevant language, literacy and/or cognition theories to a particular condition, including impact on participation, and explain the role of speech pathologists in supporting individuals who experience this condition using evidence-based approaches. This assessment will be presented in the format of an oral presentation. The third task requires students to integrate and apply theories of language, literacy and cognition for the appropriate management (assessment and intervention) of individuals affected by language, literacy and cognitive-communication needs.

Together, the assessment tasks allow students to clearly demonstrate knowledge, integration, and application of language, literacy and cognition concepts that can be applied to future theoretical and professional practice units.

In order to pass this unit students must demonstrate achievement of every learning outcome and obtain a minimum mark of 50% for the unit.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Barkley, R. A. (2012). Executive Functions. What they are, how they work, and why they evolved. The Guilford Press.

Baron-Cohen, S. Tager-Flusberg, H., & Lombardo, M. V. (2013). Understanding other minds. Perspectives from developmental social neuroscience. Oxford University Press.

Catts, H., & Kamhi, A. G. (2005). The connections between language and reading disabilities. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Kimbarow, M. L. (2019). Cognitive communication disorders (3rd ed.). Plural Publishing.

Nippold, M. A. (2000). Language development during the adolescent years: Aspects of pragmatics, syntax, and semantics. Topics in Language Disorders, 20(2), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1097/00011363-200020020-00004

Siegler, R., Saffran, J. R., Gershoff, E., Eisenberg, N., & Leaper, C. (2020). How Children Develop (6th ed). Macmillan International.

Stackhouse, J. & Wells, B. (1997). Children's Speech and Literacy Difficulties I: A Psycholinguistic Framework. Whurr Publishers.

Stackhouse, J. & Wells, B. (2001). Children's Speech and Literacy Difficulties II: Identification and Intervention. Whurr Publishers.

Whitworth, A., Webster, J., & Howard, D. (2014). A cognitive neuropsychological approach to assessment and intervention in aphasia (2nd ed.) Psychology Press.