Children with Hearing Related Atypical Language Development

Hearing impairments are present in over one million children in the United States.  With such prevalence, it's important to have a good understanding of the implications that a hearing impairment may have on your child's language and literacy development.

How do children with hearing impairments communicate and what tools help them with communication?

• Through lip reading
• With hearing aids or cochlear implants
• With American Sign Language (ASL)
• Combinations of the above methods

Issues that children with hearing impairments may have with the English language:

• Children may have issues when trying to understand verbal language from others.  Some sounds in the English language look similar when spoken. Example: "p", "b", and "m".
• Children may experience difficulty in producing their own verbal language.  They may omit certain phonemes (see the label "Phoneme" from the home page for more info on them), and may not produce typical speech rhythms and intonations.

References

Griffin, P. (2011). Ability Diversity: Hearing Impairment [Power Point Slides].  Retrieved from online lecture notes.

Simultaneous Bilingual Language Development

Children that learn two languages from the time of birth or by the age of three are considered to have simultaneous bilingual language.  Simultaneous bilingual language may present itself in a few different forms.  Here are some examples:

• Some children may have parents that speak one language, but another primary caretaker (such as a nanny or grandparent) that communicates with the child in another language.
• Children may have parents that speak one language, but live in a country that speaks another language.  Their school and community interactions provide exposure to the second language.
• Children may also have parents that speak one language, as well as live in a community that also predominantly speaks that language, but attend a school with instruction in another language.

When a child is bilingual, it is important to note that measurement of their language development should not be merely compared to monolingual speakers to determine if they are developing typically. Children will usually have a dominant language that is used more frequently and the level of exposure to each language will play a role in the speed of language development for each language.  In any developmental assessments, children should be tested in their dominant language.

Here are a few areas in which differences between bilingual and monolingual children may present themselves:

• Bilingual children may process word meanings at a slower rate than monolingual children, particularly in their non-dominant language. Bilingual children typically have lower scores on vocabulary tests in their languages, but this again depends on the level of exposure to each language.
• Bilingual children may at times say sentences in one of their languages with the grammar that applies to their other language. This is usually just a mistake and is not typically an indicator of confusion or an issue later in life with the languages.

What you can do:

• If your child is instructed in a different language an school than is spoken at home, provide books at home in the language spoken at home.  This will help your child to continue to development in the home language since it is not a focus in school.  It is often important for many families to prevent language loss of the family language.

The takeaway message here is: Bilingual children should not necessarily be viewed as being "delayed" in language development.  There will naturally be differences between the dominant language and the non-dominant language.  Families can support the development of one language in school, while also working on the second language at home.

References

Paradis, J., Genesee, F., & Crago, M.B. (2011). Dual language development & disorders: A handbook on bilingualism & second language learning. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Informative Sites: Jumpstart for Families

What a great resource for parents and guardians! Jump Start makes it clear that it is necessary for parents/guardians to work on the skills learned at school for the children to reach the greatest benefit. I loved the suggestions for parents to have a reading routine each day, whether its before bedtime, in the bath, or after dinner. They also provide a great list of books such as Where The Sidewalk Ends. What I like is the categories of books they include are so well rounded. They include books for social-emotional development, multi-cultural and anti-bias books, and books in Spanish and English.

My favorite thing on this part of the sight is the family calendar provided (in English and Spanish). Each month has suggestions for activities, book selections, and other great ideas. The calendar can easily be printed out for home use.

Another great resource is a data sheet that describes why early intervention is so important and gives plenty of statistics that explain what an issue literacy has become. Check out the site here: http://www.jstart.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WhatWeDo_Families

A Great Website for Parents and Guardians

Here's the link to a wonderful site with tons of information for parents and guardians: http://www.floridapartnership.usf.edu/resources/tips.htm

There are different "tip sheets" listed by category that provide so many helpful hints and tools for teachers and families. Here are a few of the tip sheets that I highly recommend:

*Fun Ways to Read Together (under Reading)-I loved this tip sheet. One suggestion is for parents to create a library of books at home to show the importance of and encourage reading. Other great ways to encourage reading that are mentioned include creating treasure hunts and making comics together. Making fun reading activities like these will really get kids excited!

*Helping Your Child Concentrate (under Supporting Children's Academic Success & Development)-There were a lot of great tips on this tip sheet. Ideas include games such as "think of animals that begin with each letter of the alphabet" and "count down from 20". Parents can use fun games like these to help children with their concentration.

Understanding Syntax

Let's start out by defining syntax.  Syntax involves the rules of constructing phrases and sentences in a language.  Think about the different aspects of sentences and phrases: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, etc. and how they are arranged to interact together and form an appropriate sentence or phrase.

Here's an example of a sentence with good syntax: "My Mom is a nice lady."
Now here's one with problems with syntax: "Mom make cake". This sentence is missing a verb (like "is") and there is trouble with tense and agreement ("make cake" could be "is making cake" or "makes cake".

It is common for young children to use syntax inappropriately while they are still learning up until around the age of 6.  Little ones may utter phrases such as "me hungry", which certainly gets the point across, but the syntactic structure is incorrect. 

Working with your child to improve their use of syntax can be educational and fun.  Here's a few ways to guide them along:

• Read to them, read to them, read to them!  Reading to your child will allow them to see and hear the way proper sentence structures are formed.  Find a time to read to your child each day, whether it's before bed, after school, or after dinner.  Be sure to have a good selection of different types of books so that your child will not become bored with any one book. 
• Take opportunities to correct your child's sentences when the syntax is incorrect and show them the correct way to relay the sentence.
• Make index cards with various nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc. and help your child to put the words together to form sentences.

References

Griffin, P. (2011). Language development: Syntax [Power Point Slides].  Retrieved from online lecture notes.

Inkless Tales

This is a really fun site for little ones to explore reading and enhance their vocabulary. There are stories in various formats and often with great eye catching graphics.  Children can read some of the stories themselves or listen as others are read aloud.  Many of the stories are interactive, allowing children to click each page of the story and click on various graphics. Check it out!

The site can be located here: http://www.inklesstales.com/stories/index.shtml

Understanding Phonology

What is phonology?  To put it simply, it concerns the sounds of the language we use.  Let's review some of the pieces of phonology:

• Phonological Awareness: This refers to the amount of awareness your child has of the sound form of language.  This includes their knowledge of syllables, as well as sentence intonation (a rise in voice when asking a question, for example).
• Phonemic Awareness: Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in language.  For example, the word "cat" has three phonemes: "c", "a", "t".  One way in which a child can show their knowledge of phonemic awareness is by recognizing the words "dog", "danger", and "dip" begin with the same sound, "d".

Common Errors Made/Ages at which Errors Should Disappear:

• Until the age of about three and a half, children may make errors in omitting the final consonant of words.  Example: "daaawww" instead of "dog".
• Children may also have difficulty with the first sound of a word until about three and a half. Example: "sick" instead of "stick".
• Until the age of four, children may omit a consonant in a consonant cluster. Example: "pring" instead of "spring".

It should be noted that bilingual children who are taught in a language different than that spoken at home may reach phonological milestones differently than mentioned.  Children with hearing impairements may also progress at different rates.

How to practice phonological skills with your child:

• "Rhyme games": Help your child enhance their phonemic awareness by giving them a word such as "cat" and asking to name words that rhyme such as "bat", "mat", "sat" and so on.
• Play "name games" with your children.  Give them a letter and ask them to name objects in the room that begin with that letter.

Why is it so important to work on phonology?

• Research has suggested that children with better phonological awareness will have less difficulty with reading comprehension.  Understanding sound units and syllables is key in decoding meanings of words.  Word decoding, in turn, is key in reading comprehension.

References

Griffin, P. (2011). Language development: Phonology [Power Point Slides].  Retrieved from online lecture notes.

Paradis, J., Genesee, F., & Crago, M.B. (2011). Dual language development & disorders: A handbook on bilingualism & second language learning. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Understanding Vocabulary

A child's vocabulary consists of all of the words they know.  When thinking about your child's vocabulary, think of it in terms of these characteristics:

• Breadth: How many words does your child know? Children show an increase in their vocabulary breadth in numerous ways such as the following:

Having various words to describe similar actions like throw, toss, and fling.
Using adverbs more often.  Examples of adverbs include always, only, and really.

•  Depth: How much knowledge does your child have about the words he/she knows? Can they use the words appropriately in a sentence? Children show increased depth in ways such as:

Understanding synonyms and antonyms for words like "happy" and "joy" or "empty" and "full".
Understanding words with similar roots and how they are related like "fire", "fire truck", and "fireman".

• Speed: How fast can your child remember and use the words in their vocabulary?

 A child's vocabulary may differ depending on their culture, language spoken in the home and community, and language spoken in school.  It is especially important for the families of bilingual children or children taught in a language other than spoken at home to work closely with teachers and school faculty to ensure your child is on the right track.

Some average milestones to be aware of:

• Two and half year olds typically have a vocabulary consisting of 500 or so words.
• By the time they reach six years old, children average about 6,000 words!

Studies have supported the notion that the more words in a child's vocabulary by the 1st grade, the better their reading comprehension will be as they get older.  The best way to expand your child's vocabulary is to expose them to new words through reading and other activities.

Ways to help expand your child's vocabulary breadth, depth, and speed:

• Ask your child to identify items at the grocery store, in a book, at a museum, or anywhere that presents an opportunity for them to learn new vocabulary as well as use the vocabulary they already have. 
• Help your child to learn a new word every day.  Each day, select a word from the dictionary to discuss with your child.  Relate the word to their life and their experiences.
• Practice synonyms and antonyms with your child.  Create index cards with groups of words and play a "matching game" with your child by pairing words that are synonyms or antonyms.

References

Griffin, P. (2011). Language aspects: Vocabulary [Power Point Slides].  Retrieved from online lecture notes.

Maroulis, L., & Neuman, S. (2010).  The effects of vocabulary intervention on young children's word learning: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 80 (3), 300-335.

Language Acts: How Children Use Language

In understanding the language development of your child, it is important to note three particular language acts: Expressive, Receptive, and Meta-linguistic.  Here's some information to give you a good knowledge base regarding these acts:


Expressive Acts: These acts refer to how children produce and use their own language.  Children use expressive acts early on by cooing and babbling as a way to use language.  As children get older, they begin to construct longer sentences to tell stories or explain events. Expressive Acts demonstrate a child's ability to understand the meaning of language and apply it to their own language.
Example: A child effectively using expressive language may comment to a playmate, "I went to the doctor yesterday because my belly hurt." or "I like drawing because it makes me happy!"

Receptive Acts: This is how children take in another person's language.  Children using receptive language are typically able to answer who, what, when, why, and how questions and are able to respond to requests for information from others. Receptive Acts indicate an understanding of language.
Example: Adult-"What color is the shirt I have on?"
                 Child-"It is blue!"

Meta-linguistic Acts: Rather than focusing on the meaning of language, as expressive and receptive language does, meta-linguistic acts demonstrate a child's knowledge about the form of language. Children use meta-linguistic acts in various ways such as correcting grammatical and sentence errors, asking for clarification of another's language, and playing rhyming games with language.
Example: "I sawed, I mean saw, the puppy"

It is so important for parents and guardians to work with their children from the moment they are born to encourage expressive, receptive, and meta-linguistic language.  Research has shown that children with difficulty in some or all of these areas are at a higher risk for having issues with literacy as adults.  Research also provides evidence to indicate that children that are frequently read to and have access to many books at home are at a lower risk for issues in these areas. 

How do you work with your child to encourage and assess their use of these acts?  Well I'm glad you asked : )

• Take every opportunity available to have conversations with your child. Car rides, shopping trips, and family dinners are great forums for discussion. Encourage your child to tell you about their day and ask questions.
• After reading a story or watching a movie, ask your child to tell you their thoughts on the story and ask specific questions about their likes and dislikes.
• Create fun games, such as a "rhyming game" with your child.  Pick a word, such as "dog", and take turns with your child naming as many words that rhyme with "dog" as possible.

References

Schoon, I., Parsons, S., Rush, R., & Law, J. (2010). Childhood language skills and adult literacy:A 29-year follow-up study.  Pediatrics, 125 (3), 459-466.