Join hosts Tara Ross and Kristen Smith, both experienced Speech-Language Pathologists with the Upper Grand District School Board, as they embark on a journey through the world of Co-regulation and Declarative Language in their podcast, Social Learning Road Trip. This engaging twelve-episode series delves into two powerful social learning handbooks written by Linda K. Murphy, The Co-regulation Handbook, and The Declarative Language handbook.
In each episode, Tara and Kristen speak with Linda, along with a variety of educators, including teachers, special education experts and administrators, to explore how co-regulation and declarative language can enhance student engagement, understanding and interactions.
Tune in for a dynamic mix of expert advice, practical tips and real-world applications, all aimed at helping educators foster more inclusive and communicative learning environments. Whether you're an educator, parent, or simply interested in enhancing your understanding of social learning skills, this podcast is your roadmap to success.
DLD and Multilingual Learners with Johanne Paradis
In Episode 8 of The Social Learning Road Trip Podcast, Tara Ross and Kristen Smith explore Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) through the important lens of multilingualism with guest expert Dr. Joanne Paradis. A leading researcher in bilingual language development, Dr. Paradis shares practical, research‑based insights to help educators and families better understand how to support multilingual children.
This episode tackles a common concern: how to tell the difference between a language difference and a language disorder when a child is learning English as an additional language. Dr. Paradis explains why looking at early language milestones, gathering family history, and using dynamic assessment approaches are key—while cautioning against relying solely on standardized tests designed for monolingual learners.
Listeners will also learn about patterns to watch for in multilingual learners with DLD, including persistent difficulties with verb morphology, and why no single “red flag” tells the whole story. The conversation highlights the importance of considering cultural, linguistic, and experiential factors—particularly for children from immigrant or refugee backgrounds.
A powerful focus of the episode is the value of maintaining a child’s heritage language. Dr. Paradis dispels the myth that bilingualism worsens language difficulties, emphasizing that strong skills in a first language can support English development, strengthen family relationships, and promote identity and well‑being.
The episode closes with practical, everyday strategies for supporting multilingual children with DLD, from creating language‑rich interactions during play to incorporating storytelling, conversation, and culturally meaningful activities in both home and school environments.
Whether you’re a parent, educator, or clinician, this episode offers reassurance, clarity, and actionable ideas to better support multilingual learners with diverse language profiles.
25 May 2026
DLD and Social Emotional Wellness with Kailey Thompson
18 May 2026
DLD and Literacy with Ashley Champ and Jaqueline Weresch
In Episode 5 of The Social Learning Road Trip, Kristen Smith and Tara Ross turn their focus to the critical connection between Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and literacy development across the school years. They are joined by Ashley Champ, Speech‑Language Pathologist, and Jacquie Weresch, Special Education Consultant, from the Upper Grand District School Board’s Special Education Literacy Team. Together, they unpack why learning to read and write involves far more than decoding and phonics, and how underlying oral language skills form the foundation for literacy success.
The conversation explores how language profiles associated with DLD influence reading comprehension, vocabulary development, sentence structure, spelling, and written expression. Ashley and Jacquie explain why early oral language weaknesses are one of the strongest predictors of later reading difficulties—even for students whose decoding skills appear intact. Listeners will gain clarity on phonological processing, the overlap between DLD and learning disabilities such as dyslexia, and why language demands often expose greater challenges as students move through the grades.
The episode also highlights evidence‑based instructional practices that support students with DLD and benefit all learners. Key strategies include explicit and systematic instruction, making implicit language rules explicit, increased oral rehearsal before written work, intentional read‑alouds, vocabulary and morphology instruction, visual supports, cumulative review, and scaffolding to reduce cognitive load. This episode offers practical guidance for educators and families seeking to strengthen literacy outcomes by addressing language at the core.
Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100
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