The Advanced Grammar and Sentence Structure Program for Speech Therapy: Why Grammar and Syntax is SO Important
TWO. EXHAUSTING. MONTHS. It all started when I sat down and started thinking about how often I hear in IEP meetings: this student struggles with reading comprehension. Now, I WAS working on comprehension goals, but I felt like I needed to dig deeper. What SPECIFIC areas of language could I target that would best help my students in the classroom? There had to be more answers out there. First, I read “ A Case for the Sentence in Reading Comprehension ” (Scott). Next, I read “ Reading Comprehension Deficits in Adolescents " (Nippold). I was intrigued. I became obsessed. See, it all made sense: every word, phrase, and clause in a sentence works together to affect meaning. Additionally, every sentence in a passage impacts the overall message. Kind of a big problem when academic textbooks are riddled with crazy amounts of modifiers and center-embedded clauses. It became clear to me that comprehension of grammar/ syntax is not only important- it’s essential. As a language specia