[Spoken and written language abilities of remedial class children placed back into mainstream education]

Current literature emphasizes the role of the speech-language therapist with regard to language learning disabled children. A lack of research regarding the language abilities of the older language learning disabled child was, however, identified. The possibility of continued spoken and written language problems in aid class children who have been placed back into mainstream education, served as a motivation for this research project. The empirical survey was administered on twenty-eight Afrikaans and English speaking ex-aid class children. According to experimental aims the subjects' level of performance in spoken and written language and scholastic skills were analysed and described qualitatively and quantitatively, through the Test for Oral Language Production and the South African Written Language Test. The findings indicate that a significant percentage of the subjects evidenced spoken and written language problems and moderate difficulties in the school subjects Afrikaans and English. Meaningful correlations were found to exist between spoken and written language, and language skills and scholastic performance. Implications for dealing with the language learning disabled child are discussed, and continuation of speech-language intervention with aid class children who have been placed back into mainstream education, is strongly recommended. A need for further research with regard to the older language learning disabled child is expressed in order to support and expand these results.