Early Childhood Language Skills

Language development: Letter recognition- The children will identify upper case letters by corresponding the letters to familiar objects.

Nature and nurture both play various roles in children’s language development. Nature is a child’s inherited genetics and characteristics. Nurture is the persuasive influence a child develops from their environmental surroundings. The two have created many debates on whether one has more influence on a child’s language development than the other. In this essay I will discuss, the roles nature and nurture play in children’s language development, how they structure communication and the theoretical debate of their impact.

The acquisition of language is essential to the development of a child. Though some children are born genetically mutated, specifically children with Down’s syndrome, the capabilities of acquiring language during developmental markers is far less than a child with just 21 chromosomes. Parents and/or guardians of infants and toddlers with Down’s syndrome believe that their child will one day be able to verbally communicate with them. They presume the possibility, but does research support their beliefs? For the purpose of this paper, the child from infancy through three-years old will be discussed in regards to the developmental domain that are affected by Down’s syndrome. The undeniable assumption is if an institution provides early intervention for an infant or toddler with Down’s syndrome, then that child’s social-emotional and language will be affected.

In each session, we had together I notice that he was improving on learning rhyming words pairs and he could point out words that rhyme together. He began to meet the needs of the overall goals which very limited for the short time we spend together in the four weeks. My learning was very clear for his age group. In each lesson, I would model activity and pounced each word for him so he could hear and see each rhyming words. “language modeling responses provide children with demonstrations of linguistic forms, content and uses” In the article Crating language Rich Preschool Classroom Environment by Laura M. Justice. This article highlight one of the strategies I use to work with Zachary.

In the Oxford dictionary, Discourse is defined as a human oral or written communications between. Word allows people to express their thoughts and ideas through grammar, pronunciation, etc., and understand complex issues. For children in terms of education, language is a vital part of the development of education. People 's daily dialogue, learning, etc. are all required language skills. It requires the use of language between people convey their ideas. So in early childhood education, the development of language is very important. This article will relate to theories about early childhood language learning, content at different stages of children 's language development, the adult children of the relationship between language and language development, and so on.

Developmentally appropriate practice is a method where the instructor teaches to the level of the child’s mental capability based on research. I am majoring in Speech Language Pathology and this method is absolutely huge in this field. Everything we do is based off of where the child is supposed to be developmentally. I have had already a full semester class and two more to come full semester classes just on the development of language in children. Every assessment is done based off of the developmental milestones of the child. For example, by 22 months of age a child should have around 200 words in their vocabulary. If this child comes in and is still babbling and produces maybe 12 words this would give us a huge red flag. We know this because

If used correctly, reinforcement can be a very effective tool when it comes to the development of language. Positive reinforcement gives a child an incentive to do whatever it is that will result in a reward. In my opinion, positive reinforcement, in many ways, is just an innate reaction to a positive behavior. If I’m with a child and they do something good, I don’t think twice before I praise them. Positive reinforcement is not running through my mind, I simply wish to compliment their great behavior. Reinforcement motivates a child which is necessary in trying to develop language skills.

Johanson, M., Justice, L. M., & Logan, J. (2016). Kindergarten Impacts of a Preschool Language-Focused Intervention. Applied Developmental Science, 20(2), 94-107. doi:10.1080/10888691.2015.1074050

Language can be divided into two fundamental categories of “oral” and “non oral” however it is important to acknowledge there is more to these components than simply “speaking” and “listening”. There are many theories on the processes in which language is learnt during childhood. These theories range from Piaget’s cognitive development theory, of immersion is the best environment for learning (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014. p.50., Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013. pp.81-94) to Chomsky’s Nativist theory stating environment is not as important since we are biologically adapted to learn language as an inherent life skill (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014. p.49). Researchers continue to debate that no single theory is solely responsible for language

Yesterday, I went to the mall and I have observed few babies in the children center, and I saw the babies mostly talked out the right side more than the left side. Before I went to the mall, I predicted babies will move the mouth of right side more than the left side because I think it like handedness that most people is right handed because the right side always make people feel comfortable when do something. However, that is just my opinion because in the textbook third paragraph on page 138, it says, "The infant's brain has a generalized set of tools that it employs across all of the subdomains of cognitive development. These tools allow infants to extract general principles from all kinds of specific experiences, including language" this is means when babies talking, the left or right mouth side move is depend on the brain function. In addition, I also researched more information about talking babies, and I found when the emotion and language are connected to the brain function.

We must engage with the children and help create interesting and enjoyable experiences in which they can learn from.

Through language one can connect with other people and make sense of their experiences. Imagine what it must be like for their child to develop these skills that one takes for granted. As a parent, teacher, or other type of caregiver, you shape a child’s language development to reflect the identity, values, and experiences of their family and community. Therefore, it is up to one own self to create a warm and comfortable environment in which their child can grow to learn the complexities of language. The communication skills that their child learns early in life will be the foundation for his or her communication abilities for the future. Strong language skills are an asset that will promote a lifetime of effective communication.

In the study, there was a substantial variety in the child-directed talk within the sample. Children who experienced more child-directed talk “heard on average seven times more words, five times more utterances, three times more different words, and sentences that were twice as long” (Hurtado, et al, 2008, p.6). While there was no correlation between the mothers’ speech and the children’s vocabulary at 18 months; at 24 months there was a correlation between the amount of gains and amount of child-directed speech they received. This directly relates to previous studies that

There are many needs that need to be met by children and one of them is speech, language and communication.

The development and acquisition of language skills in a child’s early years is critical to his/her development (Otto & Otto, 2013). During a child’s first five years of life the brain goes through a sensitive period in regards to language development, making many synapses and connections that leads to communication (Otto & Otto, 2013). There are many factors that contribute to the development of language such as innate neurobiological factors and cognitive capabilities (Sylvestre, Bussieres, & Bouchard, 2015). However, in order to put these capabilities into motion, they must be combined with social interactions (Sylvestre, Bussieres, & Bouchard, 2015). Children become a part of a social environment from the moment they are born. Each social interaction a child experiences plays a crucial role in developing and shaping his/her language skills (Sylvestre, Bussieres, & Bouchard, 2015). The deprivation of these social interactions at a young age, which can be seen in children who have been abused and/or neglected can lead to severe language delays across multiple areas of development.