Improving clinical services: be aware of fuzzy connections between principles and strategies

This article is a response to Alan Kamhi's treatise on improving clinical practices for children with language and learning disorders by focusing on what is known about learning (see Kamhi, 2014, article in this issue).

Descriptive methods are used to discuss general learning principles and the fact that they do not always translate readily into effective language intervention practices. The authors give examples of 2 instances in which popular intervention strategies should have worked but did not. The authors also summarize what they learned about their own approach to contextualized language intervention for teaching priority goals related to narration and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010).

Even theoretically sound, well-intentioned, and carefully implemented interventions can result in equivocal outcomes. When they do, careful attention to the evidence and willingness to rethink strategy often serves to right the course.