A syntax program designed to present base linguistic structures to language-disordered children

An intervention strategy for teaching syntax to language-disordered children is described, and the results of its use in a controlled study with 11 children are reported. The therapy program attempts to move the child from single words through a series of successive approximations to use of the construct noun + "is" + verbing + noun, incorporating auditory directions and visual stimuli in the form of cards and boards upon which the cards are sequentially ordered. The results of the experimental group who participated in this therapeutic sequence were compared to those of 11 control subjects and suggested significant gains as measured by the pre- to postprogram performance (t = 2.31, p 0.05). Advantages and limitations of this type of intervention strategy are also discussed.