HP 252: Early Childhood Language Development

• The exam is on 3/27/2025, during HP 252 class and will last 75 minutes
• There will be 50 multiple choice questions
• There is 1 extra credit essay question on Disability Visibility Reading on Radical Visibility (pp. 90-100)

Early Childhood Development : Language

• Receptive language is related to comprehension and language processing for understanding spoken, written, and signed language
• Expressive language is the use of language to produce spoken, written, or signed communication, including Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)
• Phonology refers to the sounds and rules governing sound combinations in a language
• Semantics relates to word meaning and vocabulary, concerning the relationships between words
• Syntax is related to sentences and the arrangement of words to form sentences
• Morphology is the study of internal word structures and how they alter word meaning by adding suffixes or prefixes
• Pragmatics involves the social use of language, using subtle cues to read social situations

Learning Multiple Languages

• Learning multiple languages does not cause language delay
• It does not cause a smaller vocabulary
• It is not inherently more difficult for children
• It helps to preserve heritage language and culture
• Bilingual children with language disorders should not be limited to learning one language

Prelinguistic Stages

• From birth to 2 months, reflexive vocalizations occur that involve non-volitional baby sounds like burping, crying, and hiccuping
• From 2-4 months, cooing and laughter develop, involving sounds of comfort, controlled, and volitional
• From 4-6 months, vocal play emerges that involves sustained vowels, squeals, growls, raspberries, and bilabial trills for lip control
• Canonical babbling emerges at 6 months, which involves the emergence of consonant vowel (CV) syllables
• Canonical Babbling is paired with adult timing and intonation
• Two kinds of Canonical Babbling includes reduplicated babbling with the same consonants and Variegated babbling, involving two different consonants at around 12-13 months
• Jargon develops around 10 months and includes adult-like timing but is mostly non-sensical, and may contain some real words

First Words

• Connections occur between babbling and speech
• Preferred sound sequences in babble are likely to be found in first words
• Babble can be a predictor as the frequency of canonical babble correlates with expressive vocabulary and accuracy between 24-36 months
• Speech sound production of consonants involves the place of production in the front of the mouth (p, b, d, t, m, n, w)
• Manner of production includes nasals, stops, fricatives, and approximants (w, j)
• Expressive language includes nouns, like ball, baby, mama, dada, doggie, and milk, and exclamations, like bye-bye, no, all done, mine, up, go, more, uh-oh, moo, woof, and wee-oo

Expressive Language Development by Age

• At 2 years old p, b, d, m, n, h, w sounds develop
• At 3 years old k, t, g, ng, f, and y sounds develop
• At 4 years old v, s, z, sh, ch, j, and l sounds develop
• At 5 years old th (voiced, zh, r) sounds develop with R being hard to make
• At 6 years old th (voiceless) sounds develop
• At 2 years old, children use directives and verbs, and at 3 years old, they use complete sentences and engage in conversation

Language Development by Age

• 12-18 months: children refer to objects, use 50-100 words on average, and their syntax emerges when 2 words are combined
• 18-24 months: children requisition, answer, acknowledge, use 200-300 words by 24 months, and produce 2-word utterances
• 24-30 months: children engage in symbolic play, use what, who, and basic events, and start using -ing, plurals, no, not, can't, and question form
• 30-36 months: children use narratives, use "why", understand basic spatial terms, and use present tense auxiliaries with past-tense forms
• 36-42 months: children ask can you and would you questions, talk about themes, and use semantic relations between sentences to use complex sentences
• 42-48 months: children report, reason, predict, express empathy, and use when, how, and conjunctions to utilize full prepositional clauses and infinitives

Receptive Language Development

• There is a beginning to understand semantics, directions, "no", "all done", and wh- questions
• At 1.5-2 years, understand basic words, follow simple directions, and take in 1 semantic element
• At 2 years, take in 2 semantic elements and understand relational terms
• At 3 years old they can attend and respond to language, can identify objects, understand conversations, and they can use direction information
• At 4 years old they understand exclusionary concepts, temporal terms and understands passive voice

Variation in Development with Challenges

• Genetic syndromes include Down syndrome, Velocardiofacial syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and Landau-Kleffner syndrome
• Developmental/neurological differences include cerebral palsy, autism, and epilepsy
• Anatomical and sensory differences include cleft palate and being deaf or hard of hearing
• Also includes acquired speech and language disorders
• Many speech and language disorders have unknown etiologies
• Variation can occur in cases of global developmental delays

Identifying Support

• Early intervention is important for child development
• Diagnosing speech and language disorders can be challenging

Diagnostic Tools

• Speech and language errors are observed early on
• It is important to understand nature and severity of challenges
• Diagnostic tools help to discern typical development and differences and nature versus severity

Speech-Language Pathology Scope

• Speech sound production includes intelligibility and sounds usage
• Language includes receptive, expressive, spoken, and written language as well as reading/writing
• Fluency includes stuttering
• Voice includes qualities
• Feeding and swallowing includes difficulty when eating

Support Systems

• Support can include education, plans, caregiver training, services, and referrals

Language Use

• Asking "Can you say that again?" can cause a child to withdraw

Developmental Disabilities

• Developmental disabilities include the impact on life activities and they begin and continue over time

Down Syndrome

• Most common chromosomal condition, occurring in ~1/700 births in the US
• Results in increased life expectancy, many physical traits, ranges of uniqueness

Fragile X Syndrome

• Most common inherited cause of ID
• Results in females being mildly affected and gene abnormalities

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

• A preventable condition that is the result of diagnosis characteristics, prevalence, and characteristics

Phenylketonuria

• A genetically inherited metabolic disorder that can be removed with diet

Klinefelter Syndrome

• A condition that affects male development

Williams Syndrome

• Includes a variety of causes, prevalence and characteristics

Prader-Willi Syndrome

• A known genetic cause of life-threatening obesity, in children that has characteristics and behaviors

Autism

• Autism Spectrum Disorder is diagnosed based on DSM criteria in social communication, symptom count and serverity

Autism Characteristics

• Characteristics include cognitive abilities, social skills, language use and impairments
• A symptom is Echolalia

Eating Disorders

• Eating disorders occur in varying frequency across race, gender and social group
• Eating disorders occur biophysically and have diagnostic criterias

Disorders

• Most common is Binge Eating
• Bulimia
• Anorexia
• Other Specified, and new emerging disorders
• Optimal and Pathological Nutrition are a factor in Eating Disorders

REDS

• REDS or Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport occurs in deficient athletes and can be prevented with knowledge and a supportive environment.

Autism Diagnosis

• Diagnose Autism at age 2 for a reliable diagnosis and look for key characteristics.

Middle Childhood

• Middle childhood contains developments in the social, mental, and moral

Theories

• Piaget and Kohlberg's theories can be examined for influences and insight

Relationships

• Relationships can be examined in quality and dynamic
• Also impacted by bullying

Families

• Examine developmental changes, forms of discipline, and numbers of parents/siblings
• Also impacted by birth rates and incarceration

Maltreatment

• Examine the forms, outcomes, and factors in child abuse/maltreatment
• Must note cases of resilience

Middle School Students with Disabilities

• Examine laws, plans, and services for students in need
• Includes documentation, main disabilities, and the affects these inflict on learning