Intervention for English Learners With Developmental Language Disorder Connecting to Classroom English Language Arts Curriculum Through Increasing Academic Vocabulary Skills

There are increasing numbers of English learners (ELs) in American classrooms today. Some of them have developmental language disorder (DLD) and receive intervention in the school setting. It is ideal to provide intervention that supports bilingual development in both the first language (L1) and English. When providing therapy, speech-language pathologists can most benefit ELs with DLD by connecting therapy to the curriculum of the classroom, particularly focusing on Tier 2 academic classroom vocabulary. This article provides a scientifically-based description of how to teach English academic vocabulary most effectively to ELs with DLD. The article concludes with practical recommendations for methods and materials that can be used to support academic success for these students.