On January 27th, Eva Aguilar, Pep Pérez and Mario Varela, I+DEL members joined forces with CREIX in order to create a workshop addressed to professionals (especially teachers). We were offering the participants an opportunity to learn about the adequate tools and strategies for detecting and intervening throughout the different areas affected by Specific Language Impairment. Subsequently, we are giving the professionals dealing with this cases the chance to learn about the research done in this area.
People suffering from Specific Language Impairment show an inferior language level acquisition than the one expected at a certain age without presenting other types of difficulties such as hearing, cognitive, neurological or socio-emotional from which the SLI could be explained. This speech difficulties can affect the kid in his personal, social and scholar world. These difficulties can be the cause of low self-esteem, presenting problems with socializing and/or academic failure, among others. The main idea for this workshop was about offering the professionals the perfect tools, in order to be able to identify these kids, to learn about the educational and personal support needs in and out the class and to be able to give them the adequate answer to their needs.
Around thirty people joined us for this event on January 27th between 9 am and 8 pm. During the first part, we talked about the particular characteristics of SLI. The psychological and speech evaluation was taught using a practical case during the second part. During the third and fourth part, we gave the professionals the adequate tools that would allow them to intervene in a psychosocial and speech level. Finally, during the last part, we talked about the educational needs required by kids suffering from SLI.
To conclude, it is important for us to mention, that we are glad to have had the chance to collaborate with CREIX and we are thankful for the opportunity given. We were being able, one more time, to bring close the research to the application field. We are firm believers about a closer approach from research and academic knowledge to the professionals and the families that deal with this situations on a day-to-day basis. This kind of workshops allows us to transfer and to spread the knowledge acquired from research and settle the baseline for a good work in SLI.