Speech And Language Development ✅ Flashcards
What does speech require a combination of?
- Physical skills
- Cognitive skills
- Intact hearing
- Desire to communicate
What can problems in any of the areas required for speech and language development cause?
Impairment of acquisition of meaningful language
What is required on a physical level for a newborn baby to cry?
Intact neuromuscular control of vocal apparatus
How does an infants cry progress?
Infant will soon learn that crying can be used to communicate, and uses it to signal hunger, distress, or fatigue.
Through experimenting, sounds become tuneful babble, followed by polysyllable sounds
What can speech development after the polysyllable stage be influenced by?
- Temperament
- Presence or absence of siblings
- Bilingual home situation
- Use of other methods of communication, e.g. good non-verbal skills
What are the main elements of spoken language?
- Phonology
- Semantics
- Grammar
- Pragmatics
What is phonology?
The structure and form of speech sounds
What are semantics?
The vocabulary and use of words to convey meaning
What is grammar?
The syntax (sentence structure) and morphology (use of tense etc)
What is pragmatics?
The social and situational use of language
Which children have particular trouble with phonology?
Children with hearing impairment or oromotor dysfunction
What elements of speech to children with autism have particular problems with?
Semantic and pragmatic language
What is the first step in language development?
Vocalisations which become a tuneful babble
What is the ballpark age for true spoken words?
Around 12 months
When does a child’s vocabulary expand rapidly?
During 2nd year of life
What are the features of a child’s speech at around their second birthday?
- Know 100-500 words
- Understand far more words, and can follow single-stage commands
- May start to produce two word sentences
- Still have a lot of ‘jargon’
- Words may still be unclear, or with speech sounds missing or substituted
- Pace and volume may not be correct
- Use of pronouns appears, but may be confused
- Able to point to major body parts when asked, but not yet able to name them
What is meant by jargon in speech development?
Meaningless sound used in the lace of true words, but still having pace and intonation as if having meaning
What should be at the forefront of considerations when assessing a child with speech delay?
Undiagnosed hearing impairment
What often happens to children with speech delay?
They catch up with their language skills without any intervention
How can SALT help with speech delay?
- Give guidance to parents on how to promote language acquisition
- Children with difficulties may be taught to use signs in order to supplement their language skills
