BOOKS
From Audrey Perry:
Patterson, N.R. (1991). The shiniest rock of all. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Summary:
Robert Morris Reynolds, an 11 year old boy from Clarkston, Virginia who loves to collect rocks, has a speech impediment that makes it difficult to pronounce r sounds correctly. He is teased by students about his speech problem, but is reluctant to get help correcting the problem because he doesn’t like admitting that it’s that bad. However, Robert eventually goes to see Ms. Cooper, a speech therapist, who makes a deal with him that she will give him a shiny rock from her desk once he learns to make his r sounds correctly. Until he can, he gets to borrow the rock as a good luck charm and a reminder of what he’s working towards. The story ends before he is able to win the rock as his very own, but in the meantime people’s attitudes toward his speech impediment, and his attitude toward himself, improve.
Critique:
All the characters in this book are white, middle-class, churchgoing folk (some Christian denomination). Despite only representing this one demographic, there are no glaring stereotypes present with regard to any of this. What is most disturbing are some of the stereotypes with regard to gender issues. The adult males in the story are all very easygoing, in contrast to the nosy, bossy, "busybodies" that make up the entire female population in the story, young and old. Of particular notice are the following: one of the dares that Robert’s friends concoct for their little club, in which the dared person has to run a pair of girl’s underwear up a flagpole; one of the walls of the clubhouse is decorated with a bull’s eye, in the middle of which is a picture of Robert’s neighbor, Ashley, potentially encouraging violence against women; Ashley teaches "good table manners" for show and tell. Pretty much the only thing in this story that relates to women that isn’t totally stereotypical is that Ashley doesn’t freak out when she gets bitten by a snake (though she and her mother do blame Robert for the incident).
Grade Level: Upper Elementary (3-6)
Curricular Ideas:
You might use this story to illustrate some ways that young people with difficulties (particularly those relating to communication disorders) can take charge of their lives and regain self-esteem. However, it probably lends itself better to a teacher read-aloud, because then you could give some minilessons with regard to stereotypes of women and discuss how some of the things Robert does in this story are really pretty inappropriate.
Kline, S. (1992). Mary Marony and the snake. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
Summary:
Mary Marony is a 2nd grade girl who stutters, and the story gives an account of her experience starting a new grade, meeting new peers and a new teacher. The snake enters the story at the end when one of her classmates brings it in for show and tell, and Mary saves the day when she catches it after it escapes.
Critique:
This is a pretty good story, in which no characters are really particularly nasty or stereotypical. Mary is white, as is her teacher and most of the other characters, but her two best friends are Asian and African American. This story addresses the question of speech therapy, and depicts adult characters who stuttered as children, as well as one adult (their teacher) who continues to stutter only in situations of extreme anxiety (like when a snake is loose in her class), but is normally okay.
Grade Level: 2-4
Curricular Ideas:
This would work well in a literature circle for younger advanced readers (or as a teacher read-aloud for younger students in a diverse class) or as a book to have students read to discuss issues of speech or bullying.
Brown, A, & Forsberg, G. (1989). Lost boys never say die. New York: Delacorte Press.
Summary:
Lewis Dee is an 11 year old boy with a stutter who is supposed to go to a summer camp for kids with speech problems while his parents spend the summer in the Arctic, but instead of going he ditches his train and spends the summer at home alone. While hiding during the summer, he meets a friend who introduces him to acting, a medium that, despite being highly verbal, provides an opportunity for Lewis to speak without stuttering.
Critique:
Despite being written in 1989, the characters act like something out of a rip-off of The Outsiders, with very two-dimensional bullies and cheesy moments between the "good guys". Everybody’s white, and the first female character to enter the story is a member of the gang of bullies, named Cycle, who is very punked-out looking, with lots of piercings. The authors had this to say of her: "She was the only girl ? if you could call her that ? in Flynn’s gang." Perhaps it’s my own experience talking, but I take offense at there being something especially un-girly about a girl dressed the way Cycle is dressed, or that girls can’t be tough without resigning their status as girls. Anyway, I don’t think this story has aged well, but it at least describes a realistic scenario in which one who stutters can find fluency ? acting and singing. Also, at the end of story is a note to the reader that describes some statistics about childhood stuttering, and provides some information about the director of the Speech and Hearing Department at International Center for the Disabled in New York.
Grade Level: Middle School.
Curricular Ideas:
This lends itself to a literature circle pretty well, but I think it’d make a pretty boring read-aloud.
From Sacha:
Suess, Dr. (2000). Gerald McBoing Boing. Random House, New York.
Picture Book: 1st ? 3rd grade.
Gerald is a late talker. When he does begin to talk, he just makes sound effect noises. Neither doctor nor teacher can help him. He is ostracized until a producer hires him to do sounds for his show. He becomes rich and famous and lives happily ever after.
Although this is a very cute Dr. Suess book, it is not a good book to use for communication disorders. It is indexed under communication disorders in several library systems. In order to make a rhyme with teacher, Gerald is referred to as a creature. The whole premise of the book from the communication disorder perspective is freak makes good when he is sold as a side show. The book is adapted from a 1950’s cartoon. True to the era, there is no diversity to speak of in the book.
Kline, S. (1992). Mary Marony and the snake. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York.
Easy read for intermediate grades: 2nd ? 4th.
Mary is new to the school and she stutters. She avoids teasing by trying not to says words that will trigger her stutter. Through making new friends and working with a speech therapist, Mary has new confidence.
This book is good book for children to read to understand the feelings of children who stutter. It addresses both the desire to speak normally and the ability to accept yourself how you are. Through the illustrations, it is evident that her friends might be Asian American and African American.
Brown, A. & Forsberg, G. (1989). Lost boys never say die. Delacorte Press, New York.
5th grade ? 8th grade reading.
Lewis is supposed to attend a camp for his stuttering while his parents travel to the Arctic. He manages to avoid going to camp. He lives alone at home for the summer. He meets Max who introduces him to acting. Acting allows Lewis to confidently overcome his stutter.
This book is a good book for middle readers. It doesn’t have any apparent diversity in it. Aside from that it is about an early teen’s ability to have confidence in the face of his disability.
From Nicolle:
Lester, H. (1999). Hooway for Wodney Wat. New York: Houghton Mifflin. IL. Munsinger, L.
Grade: Pre-school to 2/3 grade
Plot:
All the other rodents tease Rodney Rat mercilessly because he can't pronounce his R's. Wodney is not included in games and becomes terribly shy, hiding in his jacket most of the time and keeping to himself. Camilla Capybara joins the class and announces that she is bigger, meaner, and smarter than any of the other rodents, everyone is afraid, especially Wodney. One day he unintentionally catches Camilla in a game of Simon Says, and surprises himself, saving his classmates from big bully Camilla.
Positive:
The animals provide a light hearted hook for a look at a speech impairment. The illustrations are colorful and lively, and the characters are animated.
Negative:
The book comes across as mocking Rodney. His impairment is presented as the root of all of his problems when really it's his classmates that are disabling him with their attitudes. It is interesting that the solution is to exclude the bully as Rodney was excluded.
Curriculum Use:
Cautiously Recommended: The text can provide the primary/elementary child with instruction in a variety of skills: animal identification, phonemic awareness, rhyme, however, social skills like acceptance, tolerance, cooperation, and handling bullies, all character development skills for including ALL students is not positive. This book could generate a discussion points about how to include all students in the classroom.
Kline, S. (1993). Mary Marony Hides Out. New York: G. P. Puttnam’s Sons. IL. Sims, B.
Grade: 2-6 grade
Plot:
A second grader is so embarrassed about her stuttering that she almost misses a chance to have lunch with her favorite author who has come to speak at school. When Mary gets up the courage to speak, a classmate makes fun of her, and Mary hides in the bathroom.
Positive:
She is supported by her parents, speech pathologist, and teacher. The black and white illustrations portray Asian American and African American girls as the friends of Mary. There are no blatant stereotypes unless you count the author and her messy hair, long skirt and wrinkled blouse. There is appropriate humor.
Negative:
It is geared towards girls. A bit of revenge takes place when Mary calls Marvin a nincompoop for teasing her during the assembly.
Curriculum Use:
Recommended: This book could be used to teach that it is ok to stutter.
Suess (1950). Gerald McBoing Boing. New York: Randon House. IL. Crawford, M.
Grade: Pre school to 2 grade
Plot:
When Gerald McCloy turns two, he doesn't start talking like most children--he says "Boing boing!" instead. His George Jetson-style father, turning gray, rushes to call Doctor Malone, who decrees there is no cure. In time, Gerald only increases in volume, shouting "Boom!" like a big keg of exploding powder. School is no help, either. He cuckoos and honks in the classroom. And as little Gerald grows older, he finds that when a fellow goes BAM! No one wants him around.
Outcast and forlorn, he runs away from home. But just as he is about to board a slow-moving freight, the owner of the BONG-BONG-BONG radio station accosts him by the tracks. "I need a smart fellow/ to make all the sounds,/ Who can bark like a dog/ and bay like the hounds!/ You're GONG is terrific,/ your toot is inspired!/ Quick come to BONG-BONG-BONG,/ McBoing Boing--you're hired!"
Positive:
It is a Dr. Seuss book and the words do rhyme. The illustrations are lively and colorful. There is a movie which the book is based upon.
Negative:
The story leaves much to be desired. Basically, the story says that if you are different, no one, not even your parents, doctors, or teachers like you or accept you, unless or until you become rich and famous. Only when you become rich and famous for the difference for which you were once scorned, punished, and ostracized, do your parents and other people like you. The characters are white and middle class.
Curriculum Use:
Cautiously Recommended: Perhaps this book could be used accompanied within a larger discussion of accepting differences and not only if you are rich and famous.
From James:
Espy, W. (1982). A children’s almanac of words at play. New York: Random House.
This book is written from the perspective of a grandfather who is telling his grandchildren about the interesting features of the English language. It contains interesting tongue twists, limericks, and jokes. The bulk of the text is playing with words. This book was listed as ages 9-12 on amazon.com. The various plays on words would serve as an interesting tool that could be used to teach language.
Funk, C. (2002). Heavens to Betsy! And other curious sayings. Boston: Harper.
This book contains over 400 figurative and slang sayings. It is illustrated with colorful pictures. It provides readers with the classic sources, historic events, and famous literature that produced many of the curious sayings. However, the "curious sayings" are curiously Eurocentric and other Americanism, particularly from historically marginalized groups, are not in this book. This book could be used in primary grades, but would be more appropriate for secondary readers.
Lorrain, W. (2004). Baby buggy, buggy baby. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
A short animated story that takes the reader
through different meanings that can be created by placing words in different
order. (Example: Tree in a house. House in a tree). Over all, a good book
for young K-1 students. The colorful illustrations are entertaining and
the book introduces the concept of word order. Students who struggle with
word order can benefit from the sentences in this book; however, the book
is quite juvenile, and may be insulting to older students who need to learn
the concepts behind this cutesy book.
From Luanne:
Small, D. (1992) Ruby Mae Has Something
to Say. New York: Crown Publishers.
Aunt Ruby Mae has big dreams, but she
struggles with her communication skills. She often blurts out words she
doesn’t intend to, and other times she is completely incomprehensible.
Her nephew creates a "magic" hat out of ordinary kitchen utensils and gives
it to Ruby Mae. With the help of this prop, she is able to finally express
herself. Her ability to express herself leads to great success… Because
the illustrations are excellent and it spreads a message about world peace,
I suggest you give it a quick read. This whimsically illustrated picture-book
is full of good humor. Written for approximately K-3 levels, some of the
humor may escape the level of reader/listener that it is geared for. For
this reason, the humor would be more effectively translated to children
if it was read out loud with character voices. Though the book touches
on the issue of a communication disability, the story line is rooted in
humor and the portrayal of a communication disorder is not true to life.
The characters are white middle/upper class, but the lead character represents
a female overcoming a disability and achieving fantastical success. A reading
of this book could serve as an introduction to the subject of communication
disorders, as long as it was followed with a discussion that linked it
to more realistic depictions of communication disorders. However, the book
would make a better introduction to a unit about world peace.
Skurzynski, G. (1999) Spider’s Voice.
New
York: Simon & Schuster
This book is for grades 8 and up. The
medieval storyline of this book is told through the main character Aran.
He is a mute boy who endures a great deal of familial childhood abuse.
Just when it appears that he is destined to be a life-long abuse victim,
the famous educator Abelard rescues him so that he can act as his personal
servant (who cannot speak about what he sees). As a silent servant to Abelard,
Aran becomes educated in books and love. Aran witnesses the famous love
affair of Abelard and Eloise and eventually transcends his communication
disorder
Though Aran it is a fictitious character telling a famous historical love affair, a reader can identify with the frustration he has with his speech disorder. The medieval story’s characters are subject to aristocratic hierarchy and they definitely represent a European perspective while glorifying the historical stereo type of a master "saving" his servant. Yet, in the context of a fairy tale, it is an enjoyable story of a boy who is very adept despite his communication disorder.
This book could be used within a medieval
history unit. On the last page of the book, the author includes internet
addresses to links, historical information and a CD all related to the
story of the historical Abelard and Heloise. It would also be a good book
to introduce to a student that is mute of struggles with verbal/social
communication.
Patterson, K. A. (1991) The Shiniest
Rock of All. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux
Robert Reynolds can’t say his r’s and
considering his name, this is a problem. He is a typical (white middle
class) fourth grader in every way, but his speech disorder makes him feel
different. When he decides to consult a speech pathologist for his speech
disorder, she loans him a shiny rock for good luck so that he can learn
to say his r’s correctly. Once he achieves his goal, he’ll be able to keep
the pretty rock. The storyline encompasses the evolvement of relationship
rooted in teasing that he has with a "perfect" girl in his class. All in
all, it is a quick and enjoyable read.
Written for students around the age of the protagonist who is in the fourth grade, this book effectively addresses the issue of being ostracized for a speech disorder and seeking the help one needs. It is oriented for a male reader, but could appeal to both genders. The characters appear to be of the white middle class.
This book could be read out loud to students in order to launch into a discussion about speech disorders and the subject of community. It could also appeal to a student who is experiencing the identification of a speech disorder
From Pam:
Blatchford, C. H. (1995). Nick’s
mission. Minneapolis: Learner Publications
Nick, a twelve-year-old who has been deaf
since he was six, was looking forward to a summer of leisure, swimming
and snorkeling around the lake near his home. He is upset when his mom
insists he take speech therapy during the summer so he can continue to
speak well enough to go to the mainstream school. He stumbles upon a bird
smuggling ring, and needs good communication skills to save a kidnapped
gardener and birds and the lake. This story was a quick, fun read, by an
author with the same disability that she is writing about. She weaves into
her story the controversy over learning sign language or exclusively relying
on lip-reading, and of going to mainstream schools versus schools for the
deaf. She gives the readers a glimpse of the struggles and frustrations
of people who are deaf, as well as lip reading and TTY phone keyboards.
The protagonist, Nick, lives in a single parent household with a working
mother. The is a minor character in the story who is a non-English speaking
Hispanic, who works as a gardener and at first helps the bad guys, then
tries to do the right thing and stop them. The villains are both men and
a woman. I was a bit uncomfortable when Nick met up with a stranger without
telling his mom (but then bad things happened because he did what the stranger
requested, even though the stranger was OK).
This book is for readers from about 9-12 (4th through 6th grade). It could be used as part of a realistic literature or mystery unit, or as a part of a unit on disabilities.
Lester, H. (1999). Hooway for Wodney Wat. Boston:Houghton Mifflin Co.
Rodney Rat is teased horribly by his classmates because he makes a "W" for "R" substitution. He feels so shy and withdrawn he hides inside his jacket. One day Camille Capybara joins his class. She is bigger, meaner, and smarter than everyone else. Rodney has to lead the class in Simon says and Camille takes his mispronounced words literally. She ends up, rather than taking a rest with everyone else, going west into the sunset, never to bother the rest of them again. This book is really cute, with darling pictures by Lynn Munsinger. It has a message that we need to be tolerant and that those things perceived as weaknesses may actually be strengths. However, at the same time, the little rodents are really mean to Rodney Rat, and their meanness is not directly addressed.
This book is for children from four to eight years old (preK to 2nd grade). It could be used in lessons on phonemic awareness, onset and rhyme, social skills, tolerance, cooperation, bullying, and even animal identification.
Patterson, N. R. (1991). Shiniest Rock of All. New York:Farrar, Straus, Giroux
Robert Reynolds mispronounces his name and other words with "r"s and kids tease him about it. He had trouble with a girl, forming his new club, and his old neighbor lady. He decides to go to speech therapy and shape up other parts of his life, too. The story is OK, but not great. The characters are rather stereotypical: white, middle-class.
The book is appropriate for children from six to eight or nine (2nd to 4th grades). The book could be used for realistic fiction, disabilities, and overcoming adversity.
WEBSITES
(Sacha) This is the official site for the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. This site keeps members and interested parties up to date about the organization’s fifty chapters in fourteen countries and all news and research regarding people with complex communication needs. Represented here are "people who use AAC and their families, service providers and researchers, manufacturers and government representatives working together to make augmentative and alternative communication known and available to all who are unable to speak."
The most useful aspect of the site is its in-depth information about AAC. The research link currently has no research attached to it. The link entitled Interactive is also useful. It is a bulletin board of posts regarding conferences, meetings, and other news worthy items for the AAC community. It seems that anyone can post on this bulletin board.
(Sacha) This site is for a professional association of manufacturers that produce aids for augmented and alternative communication. The website is overall pretty useless. The links for workshops, free catalogs, and resources do not work. The link for calendar of events works. To get a better idea of what these events are there is a link for the brochures. This link does not work.
The most useful part is the page that lists its members and has links to there websites. On the member websites you can browse for communication aids to aids that let children with communication disorders play games. There are a variety of aids manufactured that present different ways and interfaces to make communication more accessible. (These links are a good resource for parents and teachers.)
Nicolle: The National Stuttering Association (NSA) is the largest self-help/support organization in the United States for people who stutter. It provides information for parents/families, clinicians, educators, and employers. There is extensive information about becoming a member (You can become a member as young as 6 years old) and the contact information is clear. The educator link has short informative articles that give suggestions for communicating in the classroom and treatment information that is useful. The site is easy to navigate and offers clear information about many aspects and interest for people who stutter and their lives. The site also offers links to support groups, workshops, national events, an online book store, and research information.
http://www.speech-express.com/communication-impairments.html
Nicolle: Speechville Express is a great resource for families, educators, and medical professionals, offering information about language development in children, helping those who care for toddlers and young children who are late talkers, and connecting you with others who have been down this road. Language disorders and communication impairments included are apraxia, stuttering, pervasive developmental disorder, dysarthria, and aphasia, among others. The site also offers links to support groups, workshops, national events, an online book store, and research information. It is easy to navigate, the contact information is clear, it is updated regularly, and it has been rated by:
Nicolle: The Internet Content Rating Association is an international, independent, nonprofit organization... that empowers the public, especially parents, to make informed decisions about electronic media by means of an open, objective, content advisory system.
http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp
Nicolle:Bobby is a Web-based tool that analyzes Web pages for their accessibility to people with disabilities.
http://newton.uor.edu/facultyfolder/rider/
Nicolle:Planning Language Therapy. Department of Communicative Disorders
University of Redlands - Redlands, California
Choosing what to teach in a language therapy session can be problematic. This site attempts to maximize the teaching decisions by providing a suggested content teaching order and supplying links to existing therapy materials. Grammatical categories included are listed below.
Prepositions, Pronouns, Verb Tenses, Adjectives, Adverbs, Conjunctions, Interjections, and Question Forms
This web site is very informative and has many interactive web links that can stimulate teachers for ideas of how to teach language. Although geared to language therapy, it has useful information.
Audrey P: This is the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s website. It provides resources for the public regarding how to find qualified professionals to help with communication disorders, how to get SLP services covered by health insurance plans, and what families should ask their speech service providers. It also provides a number of articles meant to inform the public about issues relating to speech and language. It is also meant as a resource for professionals and students interested in becoming speech professionals. To help people with vision problems, the website is available in small, medium and large print.
Audrey P:This is the site for the Stuttering Foundation of America, which is a nonprofit organization. It provides a list of referrals to SLP professionals by state, you can download brochures, and the site also offers products for sale. The site is also available in Spanish.
http://www.mnsu.edu/dept/comdis/kuster2/welcome.html
James:This site user friendly, and is very easy to use. This site contains links that help to define and diagnose speech and language disorders. It links the user to on-line professional services. The site also has an index of materials used in therapy. The age range of these materials are children - adult.
http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/disorders/children_with_communication_disorders.shtml#top
James:This site contains information that deals specifically with working with children who have communication disorder. The site links it’s users to: definitions of communication disorder, statistics of children with communication disorder, characteristics of the disorder, the educational implication of the disorder, and additional resource. The site is easily navigated, and is thus very user friendly.
Luanne: A MUST for EDUCATORS. The Stuttering Foundation of America website is a wonderful source of information and easily navigated. The site has an on-line store available to purchase videotapes, books and brochures. It also has a wealth of free information: notes for teachers, contact phone numbers, press releases, news articles, research articles, the latest SFA newsletter and links to other stuttering sites.
(A man named Malcolm Fraser founded an organization for stuttering in 1947. Fraser’s personal experience with stuttering served as the impetus for forming the organization. His organization evolved into The Stuttering Foundation of America of today. The SFA is a non-profit, yet charitable, organization and seeks to educate and advise the public about stuttering and alert people to the latest research.
Luanne: The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) is a sub-group of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Their mission is to support research for Deafness and other Communication disorders. The NIDCD website is a very extensive, yet user friendly. The following link is a section within the site that provides useful information for educators and activities for students:
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/education/index.asp
The educational link includes news, games and classroom activities, AWESOME on-line short videos for kids ("What is Sound?", "How Loud is too Loud?" and "Travel Inside the Ear"), as well as, the following educational campaigns: Improving Health Literacy , WISE EARS!® Protect You and Your Family From Noise-Induced Hearing Loss , and Healthy Hearing 2010. Check out the NIDCD website. It will assist you as a teacher and be helpful for parents and children.
Pam:
This web site of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association was initially
extremely annoying because the font used in the site was so small I couldn’t
read it. I found that if I printed it out the print was still tiny,
but not so distorted, and I could read the hard copy. This site is
geared for ASHA members, with information on getting jobs and developing
you SLP career, continuing education in speech and language, convention
information, and finally, information for the public. The information
section for the public (the green box on the far right—if you can’t tell
by looking at it) included speech and language development and early childhood
language milestones. If you go to the dropbox marked "for the public" then
"speech, language, and swallowing", there is the speech and learning disorders
section, where there are 31 different topics, and the speech and language
development section, with 12 sub-topics. ASHA also has information
packets on speech/language/hearing information. The site has a Spanish
option.
Pam: This
website has links and information on a broad range of topics related to
speech, language, and hearing. The site is intended for speech and
language professionals, audiologists, and people with speech and language
difficulties and their support people (not specifically teachers).
There are many links to discussion forums, as well as a multitude of links
for information on disabilities with a communication disorder component.
The site was made by and maintained by Judith Magginnis Kuster, an Associate
Professor at Minnesota State University.