LIVE 5pm ET Tuesday 7/23/24
Pragmatic language encompasses not only social appropriateness but also figurative language, which adds context and color to communication. Hence, there are many benefits to considering the clinical implications of non-literal language skills. This presentation explores the production of figurative expressions of adolescents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and its implications for speech-language pathology practice. During the transition from childhood to adolescence, language skills required for social communication, understanding abstract concepts, inferential thinking, social interactions, and conveying figurative expressions increases (Farnia, 2018; Nippold, 2007). The use of figurative expressions utilized by adolescents is correlated to higher language functioning (Dean Qualls, et. al, 2003). Across cultures, especially within African American (AA) communities, figurative language is frequently used as a form of symbolic expression to convey meaning in discourse. African American English (AAE) speakers may organize their narratives in patterns that draw on an increased use of figurative expressions (Jackson, et. al., 2020 pg. 109). For that reason, researchers have found that metaphors, similes, and proverbs forms are mostly frequently observed in the discourse samples of AA speakers (Fraser, 1998; Hall, 2007, Wright-Harp & Brown, 2014).Knowledge of figurative language skills may help speech-language pathologists better serve populations with language-based disorders. Therefore, through a combination of practical examples, literature reviews, and data analysis, attendees will learn strategies to assess and identify higher functioning language skills such as the use of figurative expressions to increase diagnostic accuracy.