Hypermedia Boosts Children's 
Language

Dr. Martin Fischer
Scottish Rite Center for 
Childhood Lang auage Disorders
1630 Columbia Road, NW 
Washington,  DC  20009

Children with language and learning disabilities often experience frustration, low self-esteem, behavior problems, and poor motivation when placed in a typical classroom and taught using standard methods. For example, a child with dyslexia, given the task of writing a book report, may receive an "F" even though he did read and understand the book.
	At the Scottish Rite Center for Childhood Language Disorders in Washington, DC, we often encounter children with just such language-learning problems. The Center is a cooperative effort of the Scottish Rite and Children's National Medical Center. It is staffed by hearing and speech professionals, many of whom are bilingual since the Center serves a largely Latino population.  Consequently, we work with a lot of children who have English language delays caused by two factors, carryover from their native language and blocking caused by various learning disabilities.
	Four years ago, we began using Computer Assisted Language Therapy (CALT) with children who were having significant learning problems in school.
	Children use a variety of interactive media in this program to create an end product. This method, often called  hypermedia, includes graphics, sound, text, and animation to create a total learning experience. For example, if assigned a book report, the child may record his own voice into the program to explain a segment of the story. Or, he may use animation and graphics to describe a situation in which the main character was involved. Text can be used throughout the program but in small doses.
	Once this task is completed, the child can carry over his newly acquired organizational skills into the classroom, and by using this computer technology, children who would ordinarily need special education services can become able to perform in a normal educational environment.
	For more information about this program, call the Washington, DC, Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Center at (202) 939-4703.     s
