Language Development Principles

Language vs. Communication

• Language is a structured system using symbols (spoken, written, or signed) for communication.
• Speech is the physical production of sounds.
• Communication encompasses exchanging information, including gestures and body language.

Language Properties

• Rule-governed: Follows specific rules.
• Socially shared: Language is understood and used by a community.
• Arbitrary symbols: Words don't inherently relate to their meaning.
• Generative and dynamic: Continuously growing and changing.

Language Development Principles

• Predictable sequences: Development follows a pattern.
• Varying by culture and environment: Language development influenced by surroundings.
• Influenced by biological and social factors: Biological factors and social interactions both play a role.

Language Areas & Parameters

• Form: Phonology (sounds), Morphology (word structure), Syntax (sentence structure).
• Content: Semantics (meaning of words and sentences).
• Use: Pragmatics (use of language in social contexts).

Language Disorders

• Difficulties in comprehension and/or production (ASHA, Paul, DSM-5).
• Naturalistic perspective: Measurable deficits in language ability.
• Normative perspective: Impact on daily life and communication.

Types of Language Disorders

• Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): Language difficulties without another condition.
• Specific Language Impairment (SLI): Difficulty acquiring language without a known underlying cause.
• Language-based learning disability: Includes difficulties in reading, writing, and spelling.
• Co-occurrence: DLD can exist with other disorders like ADHD or ASD.

Key Linguistic Characteristics of DLD

• Form difficulties: Grammar, verb tense, and sentence structure.
• Content difficulties: Vocabulary and word retrieval challenges.
• Use difficulties: Conversation and storytelling challenges.

Diagnosis & Best Practices

• Cognitive referencing is inappropriate for language assessment.
• WHO ICF Model differentiates between impairment, disability, and handicap.
• Warning signs: Late talking, difficulty following directions, limited vocabulary.

Language Difference vs. Disorder

• Language difference: Usage that deviates from mainstream but is rule-governed within a specific cultural community.
• Language disorder: Communication falls below expected levels, calls attention to itself, and interferes with communication within a community.

Cultural & Linguistic Diversity (CLD)

• Pluralism: Acknowledging multiple cultures.
• Cultural responsiveness: Adapting to and understanding different cultures.
• Bilingualism: Learning two languages simultaneously or sequentially.
• Language difference vs. disorder: Important to differentiate between variations and disorders.

Assessment & Treatment in CLD Populations

• Dynamic assessment: Measures learning potential.
• Best practices: Consider dialectal variations, cultural appropriateness in assessments, and communication strategies.
• Cultural sensitivity in interventions.

Intellectual Disability & Syndromes

• Definition: significant cognitive and adaptive deficits.
• Two areas of deficits: Intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior
• IQ cutoff is below 70.

World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health

• Impairment: Loss of physical, psychological or anatomical structure.
• Disability: Reduction in ability to meet daily living needs.
• Handicap: Social/occupational disadvantage caused by impairment or disability.

Syndrome Examples

• Down Syndrome: Most common non-inherited genetic disorder (Trisomy 21).
• Williams Syndrome: Congenital, not hereditary; friendly and lack social restraint.
• Fragile X Syndrome: Most common inherited genetic cause of intellectual disability.
• Prader-Willi Syndrome: Genetic disorder.

This quiz explores key concepts in language and communication, highlighting the properties of language and the principles of language development. It covers aspects such as rule governance, the role of culture, and the various areas involved in language structure. Test your understanding of how language functions and develops within social contexts.