In this installment of Child Language Case Studies, Margo Kinzer Courter, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, presents the case of Julia, a 7th-grade student with ongoing difficulty in both receptive and expressive Tier II vocabulary.
Although Julia demonstrates age-appropriate decoding skills, gaps in vocabulary knowledge significantly impact her comprehension. She frequently skips over unfamiliar words while listening and reading, which leads to missed details, reduced understanding of main ideas, and difficulty engaging with grade-level content. She also struggles to use context clues to determine word meaning, further limiting her access to academic language.
This session highlights how vocabulary weaknesses can quietly interfere with comprehension in older students and shares targeted, evidence-based strategies to support Tier II vocabulary development. Practical ideas for collaboration with educators are also included to help reinforce vocabulary learning across classroom contexts.
No matter your setting, supporting vocabulary growth is essential for helping students succeed in their most important daily task: learning in school.
Although Julia demonstrates age-appropriate decoding skills, gaps in vocabulary knowledge significantly impact her comprehension. She frequently skips over unfamiliar words while listening and reading, which leads to missed details, reduced understanding of main ideas, and difficulty engaging with grade-level content. She also struggles to use context clues to determine word meaning, further limiting her access to academic language.
This session highlights how vocabulary weaknesses can quietly interfere with comprehension in older students and shares targeted, evidence-based strategies to support Tier II vocabulary development. Practical ideas for collaboration with educators are also included to help reinforce vocabulary learning across classroom contexts.
No matter your setting, supporting vocabulary growth is essential for helping students succeed in their most important daily task: learning in school.
