193. Teaching Little Kids Big Sentences: The Most Powerful Responsive Language Strategy for DLD

Today’s episode is a can’t-miss if you work with children with developmental language disorder (DLD) or developmental language delays. I’m sharing my #1 most powerful responsive language strategy—one that works with every child on your caseload, regardless of temperament. We’re going beyond basic expansions and simple recasts. Instead, I’ll show you how to transform simple sentences into complex ones by adding finite clauses—what I like to call “clausing.” You’ll hear about peer-reviewed research from: Gillian Steel et al. (2016) – demonstrating how complex sentence deficits persist in DLD. Amanda Owen Van Horne et al. (2023) – showing how targeting complex sentences drives broader language gains, including grammatical morphology. You’ll also learn practical ways to apply “clausing” during play, art, snack time, and book reading without memorizing verb lists or forcing structure—just natural, responsive modeling that works.

🎯 Key Takeaways:

The higher you aim, the higher the gains.

Responsive modeling of finite clauses builds both sentence complexity and verbal working memory.

Simple to implement. Powerful results. 

💚 Ready to take this strategy further?
If you love helping your students use bigger, bolder sentences, you’ll love the SIS Membership. Each week, you’ll get:
✅ Research-based language activities focused on complex syntax, literacy, and movement.
✅ Parent carryover visuals and whole-class Google Slides decks.
✅ Ready-to-use therapy tools that align with current research—so you can make an impact today, not 17 years from now.

Join at https://www.kellyvess.com/sis
 and start building complex sentences that stick.

Sources:

Owen Van Horne, A. J., Curran, M. K., Fey, M. E., & Tomblin, J. B. (2023). Teaching little kids big sentences: A randomized controlled trial of complex sentence intervention embedded in science instruction. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 58(5):1551-1569. 

Steel, G., Rose, M., & Eadie, P. (2016). The production of complement clauses in children with language impairment. Journal of Speech Language Hearing Research, 59(2):330-41.