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AN ACTIVE LEARNING APPROACH

,AURA%,EVINE\*OYCE-UNSCH hat makes this child development text so different? Why has it earned your colleagues’ praise? Be among the first to preview Laura E. Levine and Joyce Munsch’s innovative new approach to making the Child Development course a meaningful experience.

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Child Development: An Active Learning Approach is . . .

Applied Within each chapter, the authors demonstrate the wide range of real-world applications of psychological research to child development. Students learn to appreciate how research relates to the everyday realities of development—for example, how attachment theory affects development across the life span and how evolutionary developmental psychology helps explain early puberty in girls.

Current Students engage in the most up-to-the-minute topics shaping the field of child development— including a focus on neuroscience, diversity, and culture.

Topical Students learn about child development in a streamlined manner without repetition of each concept for each age group. This approach allows students to engage with each topic in depth and to clearly see the continuities and discontinuities in development.

Innovative The distinctive Active Learning features incorporated throughout the book foster a dynamic and personal learning process for students.

Virtual Instructors and students alike gain more from this course with the free, open-access robust ancillaries featuring PowerPoint slides, chapter-specific videos, self-quizzes, and “Learning From SAGE Journal Articles” available at www.sagepub.com/levine.

Engaging The text includes evidence-based teaching and learning strategies that involve inquiry into learning. The topical coverage and pedagogical features in this book help students discover the excitement of studying child development, enhance their learning, and equip them with tools they can use long after the class ends. Students gain a solid basis in both foundational and current child development topics to help them succeed not only in their course but beyond.

eflecting the increasing importance of the study of neuroscience in child development, the authors have devoted a separate section in the book to brain development and behavior as well as incorporated such Rinformation where relevant throughout the book in an accessible manner appropriate for students with a limited background in biology.

damage to this area of the brain h “The focus on neuroscience and culture ensures the textbook teaches Figure 9.1 Broca’s area (shown here in dark red), which controls speech the students about the most current Language centers of the brain. production, is next to the motor cortex that controls movement. Wernicke’s area (shown in pink), findings and thinking in the field, which controls language comprehension, is next to the auditory area that controls hearing. Parietal lobe Cerebral cortex and the focus on psychopathology

Functional Areas of the Cerebral Cortex Occipital lobe Frontal lobe Sight Image recognition provides students with information Visual Area: 1 Image perception Short-term that is useful for practitioners and Association Area 2 memory Equilibrium Emotion Initiation others who care for and work with Motor Function Area 3 of voluntary muscles children.” Muscles of speech 4 Broca’s Area

Hearing 5 Auditory Area Cerebellum —Jessica Dennis, California State Temporal lobe Pain Hunger Emotional Area Brain stem 6 “Fight or flight” response University, Los Angeles

7 Sensory Association Area Lateral View

Smelling 8 Olfactory Area Eye movement and orientation 12 Motor Function Area Sensation Sensory Area Concentration Planning 9 Higher Mental Functions from muscles and skin 13 Evaluation of weight, Judgment Emotional expression Creativity Inhibition Somatosensory Association Area Coordination of movement Balance 10 texture, temperature, etc. for object recognition Motor Functions 14 and equilibrium Posture Written and spoken Wernicke’s Area 11 language comprehension

g writing skills if they expect to be successful. siness world, they need to have a Bilingualism and Bilingual Education

The authors introduce issues of diversity 9. When a young child learns two Learning to speak a language is a complex cognitive task, so learning to speak two TRUE/FALSE languages at the ent languages is even more cognitively complex. For this reason, parents sometimes wonder and culture at the beginning of the book same time, the whether being bilingual is so demanding that it will hurt a child’s overall cognitive develop- extra effort it takes differ- and then integrate these concepts into each to learn the second ment. Fortunately this does not appear to be the case. Many people around the world speak language slows more than one language, and a growing body of research on bilingualism indicates that par- down the child’s ents do topical area to give the broader picture of how general cognitive not need to worry about having their children learn two languages at the same time at development. an early age (Bialystok & Viswanathan, 2009; Hakuta & Garcia, 1989; Kovács & Mehler, 2009; Sorace, 2006). Children who simultaneously learn two languages reach language milestones the many different circumstances of children’s False. Young children actually at approximately the same age as children who are monolingual (Petitto et al., 2001). However, can learn two there is not lives around the world influence each aspect languages strong research support for the idea that bilingualism gives children an across-the- board advantage in cognitive performance. Ellen Bialystok (2001), an expert in bilingualism and simultaneously of development. without great second-language acquisition, has said that difficulty. Contrary to ority are probably excessive and unsupportable”“broadly (p. based 188), althoughstatements there about is evidence intellectual to superi-support the belief that doing the idea that bilingual children have some advantages over monolingual children in some spe- this might hurt the child’s cognitive cific cognitive processes. development, there Learning a second language at a young age makes it more likely that the child will spe k i is some evidence without a detectable accent (Asher & Garcia 1969) and ill b Learning Disabilities that in some ways it t (Johnson & New 1 As you learned in Chapter 8, Dysgraphia of different types of learning problems. Here we will focus on learning disabilities that include A learning learning disabilities disability characterized the ability to understand or use spoken or writtenis language a broad term (NINDS, that encompasses2007). These problemsa number by difficulties with often co-occur, so it is not unusual, for instance, for a child with delayed speech development writing, including to have more difficulty than other children learning how to read. These disabilities may be very trouble with spelling, handwriting, or frustrating for children. Think for a moment about that uncomfortable feeling that goes along expressing thoughts on with having a word you are searching for on the tip of your tongue, and you will be able to paper. relate to the frustration that a child with a language disorder can experience on a regular basis (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 1997–2009). Reading and writing involve complex sets of skills that need to work together perfectly. When you read, you need to simultane ously“focus attention on the printed marks and control eye move ments across the page, recognize the sounds associated with The integrated coverage of psychopathology and - letters, understand words and grammar, build ideas and images, - compare new ideas to what you already know, [and] store ideas in developmental differences provides students with memory” (NIMH, 1993, p. 4). This process requires the interaction and coordination of the visual, language, and memory portions of a better understanding of the wide spectrum of the brain. Children with guishing or separating thedyslexia sounds inhave spoken particular words, difficulty which creates distin human behavior. problems when they are learning to spell and read written words - (Council for Exceptional Children, 2009; NIMH, 1993). As children move through the grades, the reading that they are expected to do shifts from recognition of letters and words to much more complex tasks that involve concept formation and reading com prehension. Some children with dyslexia may not be identi fied until the reading demands reach this level. The writing - disorder dysgraphia - or expressing thoughts includes on paper. trouble Writing with alsospelling, is a complex handwriting, skill because it involves the complex coordination of vocabulary, gram mar, hand movements, and memory (NIMH 1993) - Classroom-tested pedagogy encourages critical thinking and makes learning about child development a meaningful experience.

Test Your Knowledge true/false prereading assessments compel

Using flash cards, repetition, and word 6. True/False: students to consider their beliefs about child development—especially Test Your Knowledge drills is a good way to ensure that a child develops true or falsee, Test your knowledge of child development by deciding early literacy skills. By the time they reach eighth grade, in terms of what they may whether each of the following statements is 7. True/False: and then check your answers as you read the chapter. fewer than one third of students in the United think is “right.” This plants States are reading at or above their grade level. “The advantages and points of distinction are the Infants are born with a preference for When young children use spelling 1. True/False: 8. True/False: “invented” (rather than conventional listening to their native language. that they have a seed that is reinforced as Active Learning features, the Journey of Research A sensitive parent should be able to 2. True/False: spelling), it slows down their ability to learn how to tell the difference between a baby who is crying spell correctly. they read about each topic features, the web links, the great pictures, and the When a young child learns two because he is hungry and one who is crying 9. True/False: because he is in pain or is lonely. languages at the same time, the extra effort it takes wonderful examples the authors have provided. All of It is perfectly fine to use baby talk with in a given chapter. 3. True/False: to learn the second language slows down the infants. child’s general cognitive development. these features illustrate the course material and make Teaching babies to use sign language Most children who are learning 4. True/False: 10. True/False: will delay development of spoken“I language. goed outside,” disabled have average or above-average it easier for students to understand.” If a young child says, “No, you

5. True/False: intelligence. the child’s parent will be most likely to say, Fals (6) False, (5) False, (4) True, (3) False, (2) True, (1) answers: Correct went outside.’”

meant to say, ‘I —Amanda R. Lipko, e, (7) True, (8) False, (9) False, (10) True (10) False, (9) False, (8) True, (7) e, The College at Brockport, State University of New York

Observing Conversation Skills ACTIVE LEARNING You may not have thought about how many social skills we use when we engage in a conversation. All of these The authors have designed each distinctive Active Learning skills work together to give meaning to what we are saying and to ensure that we are actually communicating by exchanging information when we talk to each other. activity to solidify students’ knowledge by connecting their personal Find some place where you can watch people who know each other engage in conversation. A cafeteria on your campus or a student study lounge would beagoe a good place to do thisIfs. If you do this activity in classclass, you experiences to the materials presented in the book. Individual and can have some students be partners for this exercise by engaging in a conversation while other students con- duct the observations. To reduce someofte of the awkwardness, give the students a topic for their conversation. small-group activities range from students reflecting on and sharing It can be something as simple as discussing the weather last week, something that has happened on your campus recentltly, or ththei ir opini ibion aboutth whetherth or nott we shhouldld askkf for paper or pllasticti whenh we shoph forf their own experiences while growing up to seeking out additional our gr oceries (the topic really does n’tnt ma tter v ery mu chch, as long as it is not too controversial because we want to observe a conversationn,, not an argumentg )). As the y talk , for 3to53 to 5 minutes try to ca refully obse rve al l the things that they d otoso to sustain that conversa- information through the use of library resources or the Internet. tition anddt to communiticate effectff tilively. WhWhen you hhave a litist, compare it tto ththe descripi tition of conversatitionall clues in the text. How manyy of them did yoy u notice and include in youry notes?

“I really like the Active Learning exercises. I think this is one of the major ways the text is superior to other texts I have used.” —Claire Novosad, Southern Connecticut State University Bilingual Education—Sink or Swim? plified when entry into nited States This trend was am the U - 2001). rns in and pro of - raised conce akers cation is embed World War I erman JOURNEY al edu oc l poke G ilingu l, andan socia the loyalty of non-English spe - esearch on b ophicaophic about ical,ca , philosphilo ity against people whoostility s became hosin politpo voked hostil this h RESEARCH ded in our educational systemere ty language ts. At times mes th minori al contex alism, at ti (PBS, 2001). Eventually use of any all bilingu her times it st the s, virtually R ated bilingu tilityy again d-1920 commod has ac n to it, and at still ot This the mi ford,or 1995). schools. By ols had been eliminated The Journey of Research features provide students has been oppositio (Craw from the public scho gelyg ignored n part education in against a en lar east i want 1960s has be tude resulted at l would gain in the s and e atti (PBS, 2001). nged a school with the historical context for important topics in laissez-fair ish speakers “melting de cha ublic hat non-Engl The ti n in p her at American egatio 1995). Anot assumption t he gre kly learn op of desegr wford, - into t o quic backdr t (Cra n assimilated their own t ldn’t ovemen titude toward bili to be ive on em wou vil rights m in at er of development. This helps students understand that ld str l syst the ci e numb pot” and wou ationa ctor in this shift in th hat the educ itate this. important fa crease h so t facil the sharp in By the mid- Englis g special to m was ub- our ideas in developmental science change as our o do anythin turies, immigrantsir gualis need t an the ants arriving in the country. and 19th cen nities and r immigr In the 18th ir own commu immigrant populations comprised a s s— in the on was given in theirce 1960s, he school-age populationt popupopu lationin some knowledge grows. often lived tructi migran stantial part of t ese im s in aws country. Th own schools in which ins of thethe Francisco, Cuban familie language (Public Broadcasting Servi parts n San native ols in the Texas—increasingly . At this time, several statesn schoscho had l Chinese families i ies in ught i t. hicano famil [PBS], 2001) ren to be ta reques child he parents’ Miami, and C that allowed s at t ge of their parent 0s, the tide had langua he 180 r, by the end of t Howeve

This book also . . .

u Focuses on what constitutes evidence: In keeping with current best practices throughout the social and behavioral sciences, the authors explain and then reinforce the importance of convincing evidence within an agreed-upon framework. u Encourages critical thinking and analysis: Along with the pedagogy integrated throughout to make students think deeply about the material, this text encourages students to become good consumers of information on development (as seen in Chapter 1; in Chapter 3 the authors specifically address how to evaluate information found on the web). u Emphasizes how to learn: The authors ensure that learning and engagement continue far beyond the classroom. They include guidelines, tools, and resources throughout the book and online (such as the use of databases including PsycINFO and Medline as well as the Internet) to inspire students to delve further into studying and understanding child development. Comprehensive online resources at www.sagepub.com/levine support and enhance instructors’ and students’ experiences.

Child Development An Active Learning Approach Laura E. Levine and Joyce Munsch

First-time Users About the Book

Within each chapter of this innovative topical text, the authors engage students Many of the materials on the instructor site, are only available to Faculty and by demonstrating the wide range of real-world applications of psychological Administrative Staff at Higher Education research connected to child development. In particular, the distinctive Active Institutions who have been approved to Learning features incorporated throughout the book foster a dynamic and request Review Copies by SAGE. personal learning process for students. The authors cover the latest topics shaping the field of child development—including a focus on neuroscience, diversity, and culture—without losing the interest of undergraduate students. To create an account, please click here. In The pedagogical features in this text and the accompanying ancillaries package order to be approved, you must provide your help students discover the excitement of studying child development, enhance institution and the course that you are or will their learning, and equip them with tools they can use long after the class ends. be teaching. Once you have created an account and you have been validated as a Instructor Resources faculty member, you will be able to access Authors: Laura E. Levine and the instructor site. Joyce Munsch This site is password protected Please note: Validation usually takes Pub Date: September 2010 Please read the information to your right. To access the site, click on the sign approximately 24-48 hours to be completed. Pages: 656 in button on the right hand side below. Learn more about this book This site is designed to help create a significant learning opportunity for your If you have any questions, please contact students by encouraging active participation, experience and reflection. SAGE Customer Service at 1.800.818.7243 from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm PST. Student Resources

This open-access website is intended to enhance your use of Child Development: Returning Users An Active Learning Approach by Laura E. Levine and Joyce Munsch with a variety of study materials and additional resources. If you already have an account with SAGE, log in using the email address and password created when registering with SAGE.

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u Instructors benefit from access to the password-protected Instructor Teaching Site, which includes a test bank; PowerPoint slides; video resources; chapter lecture notes and teaching tips; long- and short-term course projects; classroom activities and discussion questions; tables, figures, and illustrative materials from the text; and sample course syllabi for quarter and semester programs. u Students maximize their understanding of child development through the free, open-access Student Study Site. Valuable resources such as eFlashcards; self-quizzes, including multiple-choice and true/false questions; Internet exercises; video resources correlated to each chapter; and full-text SAGE journal articles help promote critical thinking and active learning. AN ACTIVE LEARNING APPROACH

Laura E. Levine Central Connecticut State University Joyce Munsch California State University, Northridge

This is a sample chapter only. Complete title coming in September 2010!

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4129-6850-8 $79.95 Three-hole punch ISBN: 978-1-4129-8918-3 $59.95 www.sagepub.com/childdevelopment

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc.

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NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. Brief Contents

About the Authors Preface

PART I. UNDERSTANDING DEVELOPMENT: WHY AND HOW WE STUDY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS 1. Introduction: Issues in Child Development 2. Theories of Development 3. How We Study Children and Adolescents

PART II. BEGINNINGS 4. How Children Develop: Nature Through Nurture 5. Prenatal Development, Birth, and the Newborn

PART III. BUILDING BLOCKS OF DEVELOPMENT: HOW CHILDREN GROW 6. Physical Development: The Body and the Brain 7. Cognitive Development 8. Intelligence and Academic Achievement 9. Language Development 10. Emotional Development and Attachment 11. Identity: The Self, Gender, and Moral Development 12. Social Development: Parents, Peers, and Beyond

PART IV. CONTEXTS FOR DEVELOPMENT 13. Play, Extracurricular Activities, and Media Use 14. Families 15. Health, Well-Being, and Resilience

References Index

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. NOTNNOT FORFFOR DISTRIBUTION.DIISTISS RRIBRI UTITIONN. CCoCopyrightpyyry igighight © 201122001111 byby SAGESSAGA E Publications,Pubblb icaatioti nsss,, Inc.Inc. ThisTThiThhisss samplesampama material is not yet final and may change before publication. Detailed Contents

About the Authors Preface PART I. UNDERSTANDING DEVELOPMENT: WHY AND HOW WE STUDY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

1. Introduction: Issues in Child Development Why We Study the Development of Children and Adolescents Childhood—The First Step in the Process of Development The Impact of Early Experience on Later Development The Impact of Later Experience JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Attachment and Its Consequences Understanding How Development Happens Domains of Development Issues in the Field of Development The Relative Influence of Nature and Nurture Continuous Versus Stagelike Development Quantitative Change and Qualitative Change Stability Versus Change Adaptive and Maladaptive Development Individual Differences and Diversity The Role of the Child in Development How We Study the Development of Children and Adolescents Research Methods JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: From Baby Diaries to Structural Equation Modeling Being a Good Consumer of Developmental Information Know the Source of Your Information Something Old, Something New Become a Critical Thinker Beware Generalizations Perceptual Bias “It’s All Common Sense” ACTIVE LEARNING: Testing Your Knowledge of Child Development

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. How We Apply Child Development Knowledge to Support Optimal Development Parents and Family Members Child Development Professionals ACTIVE LEARNING: How Much Do You Know About Careers in Child Development? Government, Organizations, and Citizens: Creating Social Policy ACTIVE LEARNING: Social Policy Affecting Children and Adolescents

2. Theories of Development Basic Principles and Applications Why Are Theories Important? How Do Developmental Theories Differ? How Does Change Happen? Why Does Change Happen? Theories of Child and Adolescent Development Psychoanalytic Theory The Conscious and Unconscious Mind ACTIVE LEARNING: Free Association The Id, the Ego, and the Superego Psychosexual Stages of Development Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages Modern Applications of Psychoanalytic Theory Learning Theories Behaviorism and Social Cognitive Theory John B. Watson and Classical Conditioning ACTIVE LEARNING: Understanding the Process of Classical Conditioning Modern Applications of Classical Conditioning B. F. Skinner and Operant Conditioning Schedules of Reinforcement ACTIVE LEARNING: Reward Yourself! Shaping Behaviors Negative Reinforcement Punishment and Extinction Modern Applications of Operant Conditioning Albert Bandura and Social Cognitive Theory Modern Applications of Social Cognitive Theory Theories of Cognitive Development Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory What Is a Schema? How Do We Use Schemas? Stages of Development Modern Applications of Piaget’s Theory Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory Modern Applications of Vygotsky’s Theory Information Processing ACTIVE LEARNING: Encoding Processes Modern Applications of Information Processing Evolutionary Theories

NOT FORFORDR DISTRIBUTION.DISTRIBUTIONON. CCoCopyrightpyrihight©t © 20112011 byb SAGESAGEPE Publications,Publbliicatitions, Inc.IInc. ThisThis samplesamplle materialmatteriiall isi nott yetyetft finalfiinal andandd may changechhange beforebefof re ppubublication.blilicatition. Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution Ethology ACTIVE LEARNING: Rough-and-Tumble Play Sociobiology Modern Applications of Evolutionary Theory Ecological Theory ACTIVE LEARNING: Examples of Ecological Systems Modern Applications of Ecological Theory JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Theories in Historical Context Biological Approaches to Understanding Child Development Maturational Theories Dynamic Systems Theory Neuropsychology and Behavioral Genomics Culture and Developmental Theory ACTIVE LEARNING: Mnemonics 3. How We Study Children and Adolescents The Scientific Method Basic and Applied Research Developing Hypotheses ACTIVE LEARNING: The Scientific Method—Forming a Hypothesis Operationalizing Concepts ACTIVE LEARNING: The Scientific Method—Operationalizing Concepts Reliability and Validity Sampling and Representative Samples ACTIVE LEARNING: The Scientific Method—Sampling Methods and Measures Observations ACTIVE LEARNING: Observation or Interpretation? JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Doing Observational Research Self-Report Measures JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Children’s Eyewitness Testimony Standardized Tests JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Standardized Testing Physiological Measures Archival Records Case Studies ACTIVE LEARNING: The Scientific Method—Measures How Research Is Designed Experimental Designs: Identifying the Causes of Behavior How Experiments Are Done ACTIVE LEARNING: The Experimental Method Natural or “Quasi” Experiments Correlational Designs ACTIVE LEARNING: Positive and Negative Correlations

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Direction of Effects ACTIVE LEARNING: The Scientific Method— Research Methods Developmental Designs Longitudinal Research Cross-Sectional Research Cross-Sequential Research ACTIVE LEARNING: Developmental Research Designs Interpreting the Results of a Study Replication of Results Ethics in Research With Children and Adolescents Finding and Assessing Information About Development ACTIVE LEARNING: Evaluating Information on the Web

PART II. BEGINNINGS 4. How Children Develop: Nature Through Nurture

JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Genes and Environment The Study of Genetics and Behavior How We Study Genes and Behavior Molecular Genetics Behavioral Genetics Behavioral Genomics How Do Genes Work? Our Genetic Beginnings Chromosomes, Genes, DNA, and Bases (ACTG) Mendelian Inheritance: Dominant and Recessive Genes ACTIVE LEARNING: Understanding the Inheritance of Tay-Sachs Disease One Behavior, Many Genes; One Gene, Many Effects Genetic Disorders Single-Gene Disorders Problems Associated With the Y Chromosome Chromosome Disorders Multifactorial Inheritance Disorder Genetic Counseling and Testing Gene Therapy The Interaction of Genes and Environment Canalization How the Environment Shapes Gene Expression Uncertainties in the Study of Gene–Environment Interaction How Genes Shape the Environment Behavioral Genetics Studies of Adopted Children ACTIVE LEARNING: Alcoholism, Genes, and Environment Research Comparing Identical and Fraternal Twins Identical Twins Reared Apart ACTIVE LEARNING: Twins Separated at Birth More Recent Research Approaches

NOT FORFORDR DISTRIBUTION.DISTRIBUTIONON. CCoCopyrightpyrihight©t © 20112011 byb SAGESAGEPE Publications,Publbliicatitions, Inc.IInc. ThisThis samplesamplle materialmatteriiall isi nott yetyetft finalfiinal andandd may changechhange beforebefof re ppubublication.blilicatition. The Study of Culture and Behavior What Is Culture? Stereotyping and Prejudice Difference Versus Deficit ACTIVE LEARNING: Cultural Competence and Grief Individualism and Collectivism ACTIVE LEARNING: What Are Your Culturally Based Beliefs? The Transmission of Culture

5. Prenatal Development, Birth, and the Newborn Prenatal Development The Three Stages of Prenatal Development The Germinal Stage (Conception to 2 Weeks) Infertility The Embryonic Stage (2 Weeks to 2 Months) The Fetal Stage (2 Months to Birth) ACTIVE LEARNING: Old Wives’ Tale or Scientific Fact? Health and Risks in Pregnancy Three Trimesters of Pregnancy ACTIVE LEARNING: An Interview With a Mother The Expectant Father Miscarriage Maternal Health and Well-Being Maternal Diet Teratogens Alcohol and Smoking JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Understanding the Effects of Alcohol on a Pregnancy Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs ACTIVE LEARNING: Safety of Medications During Pregnancy Illegal Drugs Diseases Maternal Stress The Birth Experience Labor and Delivery Birthing Options The Birth Experience of the Baby The Birth Experience of the Mother The Birth Experience of the Father The Couple’s Experience The Newborn Newborn Capabilities Infant States Risks to Infants’ Health and Well-Being Infant Mortality Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Prematurity and Low Birth Weight JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: From Child Hatchery to Modern NICU

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. The Transition to Parenthood ACTIVE LEARNING: When Partners Become Parents

PART III. BUILDING BLOCKS OF DEVELOPMENT: HOW CHILDREN GROW

6. Physical Development: The Body and the Brain Brain Development ACTIVE LEARNING: Brain and Body Structures of the Brain Developmental Processes Neurons and Synaptic Connections Plasticity of the Brain: Experience Expectant Versus Experience Dependent Brain Development Myelination of Neurons in the Brain ACTIVE LEARNING: Teenage Brain Development Disabilities Related to Brain Development Cerebral Palsy Autism JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Searching for the Cause of Autism ACTIVE LEARNING: Community Resources Motor Development Infant Reflexes Development of Motor Skills Myelination of Motor Neurons Variability in Motor Milestones ACTIVE LEARNING: Checklist of Motor Skill Development The Importance of Physical Activity Sensation and Perception Mirror Neurons Development of the Five Senses Vision Hearing ACTIVE LEARNING: Prenatal Hearing Smell Taste Touch Cross-Modal Transfer of Perception ACTIVE LEARNING: How Toys Stimulate Babies’ Senses Sensory Preferences and Connection to Caregiver Body Growth and Changes Infant Proportions ACTIVE LEARNING: Head to Body Proportions Changing Bodily Proportions ACTIVE LEARNING: Your Growth in Childhood Teething and “The Tooth Fairy”

NOT FORFORDR DISTRIBUTION.DISTRIBUTIONON. CCoCopyrightpyrihight©t © 20112011 byb SAGESAGEPE Publications,Publbliicatitions, Inc.IInc. ThisThis samplesamplle materialmatteriiall isi nott yetyetft finalfiinal andandd may changechhange beforebefof re ppubublication.blilicatition. Sexual Development Puberty The Timing of Puberty ACTIVE LEARNING: Timing of Puberty Rites of Passage From Childhood to Adulthood ACTIVE LEARNING: Rites of Passage Risks of Sexual Maturation Adolescent Pregnancy Sexually Transmitted Infections Nutrition Breastfeeding Healthy Eating Malnourishment Obesity Eating Disorders

7. Cognitive Development What Is Cognitive Development? JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Binet’s Intelligence Test and Its Unintended Consequences Theories of Cognitive Development Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development ACTIVE LEARNING: Organizing by Cognitive Schema Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Stage (Birth–2 Years) ACTIVE LEARNING: Testing Object Permanence JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: The Debate About Object Permanence Preoperational Stage (2–7 Years) ACTIVE LEARNING: Conservation Stage of Concrete Operations (7–12 Years) Stage of Formal Operations (12 Years and Older) ACTIVE LEARNING: Formal Operations Critique of Piaget’s Work Ages and Stages Are There Really Stages of Cognitive Development? How Universal Is Cognitive Change? Core Knowledge Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) Scaffolding Private Speech Information Processing Attention Attention in Infancy Attention in Childhood Attention in Adolescence Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Memory

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. Memory in Infancy Infantile Amnesia Memory in Childhood Knowledge Base False Memories Executive Function ACTIVE LEARNING: Executive Function Metacognition Comparing Theories of Cognitive Development

8. Intelligence and Academic Achievement Intelligence Definition and Assessment ACTIVE LEARNING: Define Intelligence JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: The History of Intelligence Tests The Nature–Nurture Controversy and Intelligence IQ Scores and Academic Achievement Alternative Views of Intelligence Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences ACTIVE LEARNING: Applying Multiple Intelligences Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory Cognitive Development and Academic Achievement Infant Intelligence Cognitive Deficits and Intellectual Gifts Creativity and Intelligence ACTIVE LEARNING: Creativity Tests Societal Context: The Impact of Poverty on Academic Achievement Promoting Learning in School The Role of Class Size Grade Retention Expectancy Effects ACTIVE LEARNING: Teacher-Heroes in Movies and Real Life Ability Grouping The Possible “Boy Problem” in Schools The Possible “Girl Problem” in Math and Science Single-Sex Classrooms School Dropouts and the “Forgotten Half”

9. Language Development Aspects of Language Theories of Language Development Behaviorism and Social Cognitive Learning Theory Nativism Interactionism Cognitive Processing Theory Language and the Brain Stages of Language Development Prenatal Development

NOT FORFORDR DISTRIBUTION.DISTRIBUTIONON. CCoCopyrightpyrihight©t © 20112011 byb SAGESAGEPE Publications,Publbliicatitions, Inc.IInc. ThisThis samplesamplle materialmatteriiall isi nott yetyetft finalfiinal andandd may changechhange beforebefof re ppubublication.blilicatition. Infants’ Preverbal Communication How Adults Foster Language Development Child-Directed Speech Shared Attention, Gestures, and Sign Language Toddlers’ Development of Words and Sentences Growth of Vocabulary ACTIVE LEARNING: Using Linguistic Constraints Two-Word Phrases Telegraphic Speech ACTIVE LEARNING: The Impact of Word Order Language Development of Preschoolers ACTIVE LEARNING: Collecting a Language Sample Egocentric Versus Private Speech ACTIVE LEARNING: Private Speech Written Language: Early Literacy ACTIVE LEARNING: Using Dialogic Reading Language Development in School-Age Children ACTIVE LEARNING: Metalinguistic Awareness Reading in School-Age Children JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: What’s the Best Way to Learn to Read? ACTIVE LEARNING: Phonics Can Be Fun Writing Skills The Language of Teenagers Bilingualism and Bilingual Education JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Bilingual Education—Sink or Swim? Language Disorders Communication Disorders Autism Spectrum Disorders ACTIVE LEARNING: Observing Conversation Skills Learning Disabilities

10. Emotional Development and Attachment Emotions: Universality and Difference What Is Emotion? ACTIVE LEARNING: Emotions and Communication—Why We Use Emoticons Temperament ACTIVE LEARNING: Temperament Attachment ACTIVE LEARNING: Experiencing a Sense of Secure Attachment Attachment and Adaptation JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: The History of the Study of Attachment The Development of Attachment: Bowlby’s Stages Preattachment Attachment in the Making

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. Clear-Cut Attachment Goal-Corrected Partnership Ainsworth’s Types of Attachment Attachment as a Relationship The Role of the Mother The Role of the Father The Role of the Infant All Together Now! ACTIVE LEARNING: Educating Parents The Biology of Attachment Attachment and Culture The Impact of Both Early Attachment and Later Experiences on Development The Myth of Bonding Long-Term Outcomes of Infant Attachment The Importance of Later Experiences Attachment in Childhood and Adolescence ACTIVE LEARNING: Romantic Attachment Styles Child Care and Attachment Attachment to Nonparental Caregivers Quality of Care Attachment Disorders Causes of Attachment Disorder Prevention and Treatment of Attachment Disorders Development of Emotions From Basic to Complex Emotions ACTIVE LEARNING: Shame and Guilt Empathy ACTIVE LEARNING: Empathy and Sympathy Social Referencing Representation of Emotions Regulation of Emotions ACTIVE LEARNING: How Do Children Resist Temptation? Emotions and Emotional Problems of Childhood and Adolescence Anxiety and Fear Sadness and Depression Anger and Aggression 11. Identity: The Self, Gender, and Moral Development Development of Self-Concept Self-Concept and Culture The Self in Infants and Toddlers The Self in Preschoolers The Self in School-Age Children The Self in Adolescents Marcia’s Identity Statuses Self-Esteem ACTIVE LEARNING: The Difference Between Self-Concept and Self-Esteem Self-Esteem During Childhood

NOT FORFORDR DISTRIBUTION.DISTRIBUTIONON. CCoCopyrightpyrihight©t © 20112011 byb SAGESAGEPE Publications,Publbliicatitions, Inc.IInc. ThisThis samplesamplle materialmatteriiall isi nott yetyetft finalfiinal andandd may changechhange beforebefof re ppubublication.blilicatition. JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: The Self-Esteem Movement Self-Esteem During Adolescence Development of Gender Identity Psychoanalytic Theory Behaviorism and Social Learning Theory Cognitive Developmental Theory ACTIVE LEARNING: Kohlberg’s Cognitive Developmental Theory of Gender Development Gender Schema Theory Gender Segregation Puberty and Gender Intensification ACTIVE LEARNING: A Masculinity–Femininity “Test” Gender Stereotyping and Androgyny ACTIVE LEARNING: Going Against Gender Stereotypes Development of Sexual Preference ACTIVE LEARNING: The Heterosexual Questionnaire JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Explanations for Homosexuality Ethnic Identity Moral Development The Role of the Environment The Role of Cognitive Development JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Kohlberg’s History and His Theory Gender Differences in Moral Thought Cultural Differences in Moral Thought Moral Thought and Moral Action The Role of Emotional Development Development of Self-Control Self-Control in Infants and Toddlers Executive Control, Effortful Control, and Delay of Gratification ACTIVE LEARNING: How Do Children Resist Temptation? Difficulties With Self-Regulation Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Conduct Problems Oppositional Defiant Disorder Conduct Disorder

12. Social Development: Parents, Peers, and Beyond Social Cognition Theory of Mind ACTIVE LEARNING: Mind Reading and Mindblindness ACTIVE LEARNING: False Beliefs Interactions With Parents Early Social Interactions Socialization in Childhood Parenting Strategies and Techniques Changes in Relationships During Adolescence Increasing Autonomy

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. Parent–Adolescent Conflict ACTIVE LEARNING: Sources of Parent–Adolescent Conflict Interactions With Peers Infants and Toddlers Preschoolers School-Age Children ACTIVE LEARNING: Rejection Sensitivity Adolescents Friendships ACTIVE LEARNING: Friends—Similar or Different? Cliques and Crowds ACTIVE LEARNING: Recognizing a Crowd When You See One Peer Pressure JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: The Influence of Parents and Peers Bullying, Harassment, and Intimidation Romantic Relationships in Adolescence ACTIVE LEARNING: Romance as Seen on TV Beyond Parents and Peers Important Nonparental Adults Functions Filled by Nonparental Adults Impact of Nonparental Adults ACTIVE LEARNING: Relationships With Nonparental Adults

PART IV. CONTEXTS FOR DEVELOPMENT

13. Play, Extracurricular Activities, and Media Use The Daily Lives of Children and Adolescents ACTIVE LEARNING: The Daily Life of a Teen The Role of Play ACTIVE LEARNING: What Is Play? Types of Play and Levels of Development Parten’s Stages of Social Play ACTIVE LEARNING: Parten’s Stages of Play Piaget’s Cognitive Levels of Play The Effects of Play on Children’s Development Physical Development Emotional Development Social Development Cognitive Development Playgrounds That Accommodate Children (and Adults) With Disabilities Gender and Play Gender Differences in Style of Play ACTIVE LEARNING: Gender Play Preferences

NOT FORFORDR DISTRIBUTION.DISTRIBUTIONON. CCoCopyrightpyrihight©t © 20112011 byb SAGESAGEPE Publications,Publbliicatitions, Inc.IInc. ThisThis samplesamplle materialmatteriiall isi nott yetyetft finalfiinal andandd may changechhange beforebefof re ppubublication.blilicatition. Extracurricular Activities Unstructured Time Structured Time The Amount of Scheduled Time Organized Sports Positive Youth Development Creative Activities Media Use Media Use by Children and Adolescents Media and Physical Development Media, Cognitive Development, and Academic Achievement JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Educational TV and Sesame Street ACTIVE LEARNING: The Pace of TV ACTIVE LEARNING: Studying and Distractions Media and Social Development Aggression and Prosocial Behavior Communication Media and Self-Concept Helping Children and Adolescents Use Media Wisely Parental Guidance Teaching Media Literacy 14. Families What Constitutes a Family? Differing Cultural Definitions Changes in the American Family and Their Impact on Children Divorce Helping Children Cope With Divorce ACTIVE LEARNING: Parenting and Divorce Single Parenting Noncustodial Parents Stepfamilies and Blended Families ACTIVE LEARNING: Diagram Your Family Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Gay and Lesbian Parents Adoptive Families Foster Care How Do Families Function? Family Time ACTIVE LEARNING: Family Mealtime The Changing Roles of Mothers and Fathers JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Changing Views of Parenting Parenting Styles ACTIVE LEARNING: How Parents React Parenting Models Congruence of Parenting Styles Parenting in Context ACTIVE LEARNING: Exploring Your Parents’ Style

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. Relationships With Siblings Birth Order and Sibling Roles Differential Parental Treatment Shared and Nonshared Environments ACTIVE LEARNING: Examining Nonshared Environments Only Children Interventions for a Better Family Life ACTIVE LEARNING: Finding Community Interventions

15. Health, Well-Being, and Resilience Stress and Coping What Is Stress? Normative Stress Versus Non-Normative Stress Coping Ways to Help Children Cope With Stress ACTIVE LEARNING: Finding Resources to Cope With Stress Illnesses and Other Health Threats Common Illnesses Chronic Illnesses ACTIVE LEARNING: Creating a Personal Health History Environmental Toxins and Threats Accidents Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs Violence ACTIVE LEARNING: School Violence From a Student’s Perspective The Impact of Poverty Child Abuse and Neglect What Is Abuse? Incidence of Maltreatment Victims and Perpetrators Sexual Abuse The Impact of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention and Intervention JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Child Protective Legislation Racial Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination Mental Health and Mental Disorders Mood Disorders Anxiety Disorders ACTIVE LEARNING: Intrusive Thoughts Psychotic Disorders: Childhood Schizophrenia Resilience JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Invincible, Invulnerable, and Resilient Characteristics of Resilient Children ACTIVE LEARNING: Resilience References Index

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. About the Authors

Laura E. Levine received her PhD in developmental and clinical psychology from the University of Michigan. After working with children and families at the Chil- dren’s Psychiatric Hospital and in private practice in Ann Arbor for 10 years, she moved to Connecticut and was a stay-at-home mother of her two children for 6 years. She returned to academia in 1994 and has been teach- ing child psychology and life span human development for over 15 years at Central Connecticut State University, where she is currently a professor in the Department of Psychology. She has received two teaching awards, and her research on the social development of young children and on the relation of media use to attention difficulties has appeared in journals such as Developmental Psychology, the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Infant Mental Health Journal, Infant and Child Development, Computers and Education, and CyberPsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Dr. Levine has been very active in promoting excellence in college teaching. She was involved in the creation of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Leadership Develop- ment at Central Connecticut State University and served on the board of the Connecti- cut Consortium to Enhance Learning and Teaching. She created numerous programs for faculty both at her university and at regional and national conferences. Her work on the scholarship of teaching and learning can be found in New Directions for Teaching and Learning, College Teaching, and the International Journal for the Scholarship of Teach- ing and Learning. Joyce Munsch received her PhD in human development and family studies from Cornell University. She was a faculty member in human development and family stud- ies at Texas Tech University for 14 years, where she also served as associate dean for research in the College of Human Sciences for 2 years. In 2002, Dr. Munsch came to California State University at Northridge as the found- ing chair and professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Development. Dr. Munsch’s research has focused on adolescent stress and coping and social network research. Her

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work has been published in the Journal of School Psychology, Adolescence, The Journal of Early Adolescence, the Journal of Research on Adolescence, and the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Throughout her career, Dr. Munsch has administered grants that support community-based programs. She was the codirector of the Early Head Start program at Texas Tech University and co–principal investigator for three Texas Youth Commission (Department of Juvenile Justice) grants. At Cal State Northridge, she has administered the Jumpstart program for over 7 years. Her commitment to community service learning was recognized in 2005 when she was awarded the CSUN Visionary Community Service Learning Award. At Texas Tech, she was the College of Human Sciences nominee for the Hemphill-Wells New Professor Excellence in Teaching Award, the Barnie E. Rushing Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research Award, the El Paso Energy Foundation Faculty Achievement Award, and the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and she received the Kathryn Burleson Faculty Service Award and the College of Human Sciences Outstanding Researcher Award.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. Preface

he inspiration for this book grew out of an experience that I, Laura Levine, had several years ago on my campus at Central Connecticut State University. I led a T faculty discussion group that focused on a book by Dee Fink called Creating Sig- nificant Learning Experiences. That discussion inspired me and the other participants to revise our courses in ways that would create long-lasting experiences for our students. I chose to change my child development course using ideas from that discussion. As I used these ideas with my students, I realized that my new approach could be incorporated into a textbook that would make learning about children and adolescents a more active and personal process for students. Fortunately, SAGE shared my excitement and introduced me to Joyce Munsch, at California State University at Northridge, whose expertise in adolescent development and passion for teaching were a perfect match. Both of us are strongly committed to enhancing student learning in our courses by creating significant learning experiences. Child Development: An Active Learning Approach is the result of our efforts to make this happen. In this book, we take a topical approach to child development that allows students to clearly see the continuities and discontinuities in development without the necessity of reintroducing each topical area with each new age group studied. Through- out the book, we encourage students to take part in activities that will help them connect to the content in a relevant way so that they are engaged in an active journey to discover the principles and understand the findings from the field of child development. The top- ical coverage and pedagogical features in this book have been conceived and carefully executed to help students discover the excitement of studying child development and to equip them with tools they can use long after they take this class.

Philosophical Approach Challenging Misconceptions

One of the challenges in teaching this course is to help students give up some of the intuitive ideas or simplistic thinking that they have about child development. Many students enter courses on child and adolescent development confident that they already know most of what they need to know about development and that this is “all just common sense,” but experienced instructors know that some of the most impor- tant information in their courses is, in fact, counterintuitive. Unfortunately, students’ original ideas are often quite difficult to change, and many students complete courses in child development with their misconceptions intact. We ask students to begin each

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chapter by testing their knowledge of child development. Unexpected or surpris- ing answers to these questions draw the students into the chapter to find information related to their misconceptions. In addition, the activities throughout the book encour- age students to seek out further information and to learn to evaluate that information rather than accepting what they hear without question. Finally, we provide opportuni- ties throughout the book for students to better understand how our understanding of child development has evolved through the scientific process to reach our current state of knowledge.

Active Learning

This book actively engages students to provide them with a solid foundation in theories, research, and the application of information related to child and adolescent develop- ment. Features that engage students are often included in textbooks as “add-ons,” but our active learning philosophy is at the heart of all of the pedagogy provided throughout this book. As educators, we know that students must act on the material presented in a course to make it their own. We all try to do this in a number of ways in our classrooms, but for the student, reading a textbook is a solitary and often passive process. To combat this tendency, we use the key pedagogical features described below to capture students’ interest and turn reading into an active process.

Focus on What Constitutes Evidence

We help students realize that although there is a place for “what I think” and for indi- vidual examples, the strength of social science rests on marshaling convincing evidence within an agreed-upon framework. Basic concepts about research are introduced in a separate chapter, but these ideas are also reinforced and developed throughout the book.

Emphasis on Learning How to Learn

Long after they leave the classroom, students who interact with children and adolescents will need to find information to answer questions that arise. We want to encourage stu- dents’ independent pursuit of knowledge about child development, so we provide them with tools that will help them do that. They are introduced to the use of databases includ- ing PsycINFO and Medline, as well as the Internet, as research tools, and activities in the text and in the Online Instructor’s Manual suggest ways in which they can conduct their own research and find information on topics that interest them.

Critical Thinking Skills

When students look for information on their own, they need to critically evaluate the content of the information they find. In Chapter 1 we talk about how to be a good con- sumer of information on development, and in Chapter 3 we talk about how to evalu- ate information found on the web. In addition, the true/false questions continuously challenge students to thoughtfully consider what they believe about child development and to evaluate the sources of those beliefs. The Online Instructor’s Manual and student webpage provide access to research articles that students can explore independently to add to their understanding of topics. The ability to evaluate ideas about children and their development will be beneficial to students who plan to go on for graduate study, those who will work directly with children and families in professional careers, and those who will use these ideas when caring for their own children.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. Preface xxvii

Key Topics

Neuroscience

To reflect the burgeoning interest in the field of neuroscience and its implications for child development, we have devoted a separate section in the book to brain development and behavior. In addition, we have included information on brain function where it is rel- evant throughout the book. This information is presented in clear language that makes it appropriate for the student of child development who may not have a strong background in biology.

Diversity and Culture

Issues of diversity and culture are introduced at the beginning of the text, but these con- cepts are then integrated into each topic area in order to give the broader picture of how each aspect of development is influenced by the many different circumstances that con- stitute children’s lives around the world.

Psychopathology

Coverage of topics related to psychopathology or developmental differences gives stu- dents a better understanding of the continuum of human behavior. Rather than confine information on psychopathology to a single chapter, we have integrated these topics where they give students a deeper understanding of how they relate to the development of all children.

Key Features Active Learning

A variety of active learning activities in the text complement and enhance the ideas pre- sented in each chapter. Activities might involve asking students (a) to reflect on their own experiences while growing up (and perhaps compare those experiences to the experi- ences of classmates), (b) to immediately test their understanding of a concept, (c) to con- duct an observation or interview related to text material, (d) to carry out a simple activity and reflect on what they’ve learned, or (e) to seek out information that goes beyond the text through the use of library resources or the Internet. Each of these activities is designed to consolidate student learning through personal experiences that illustrate the ideas presented in the book.

Test Your Knowledge

To challenge misconceptions that students often bring with them to a course in child development, each chapter begins with a true/false quiz that contains interesting and provocative questions related to the material in that chapter. The quizzes are designed to tap into commonly held beliefs or ideas that have a strong intuitive sense of what should be “right.” Students can immediately check whether their answers are correct. When they get a question wrong, they can satisfy their own curiosity about the topic by finding that question with a brief answer in the margins of the relevant section in the text. Their interest is piqued when their assumptions are challenged. This plants a seed that is rein- forced when they again read about the topic in the context of the chapter.

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Journey of Research

It is not unusual for students of child and adolescent development to expect that by the end of the semester, they will have simple answers to a number of very complex ques- tions. Of course we can seldom provide these simple answers. Instead we need to help students understand that the science of child development is an ongoing endeavor and that we continue to build and add to our understanding each day. Although it is important that students learn about our current best knowledge, this information is more meaning- ful when students understand it in the context of our evolving ideas about development. To help students better understand this material, we keep the focus of the text on the cur- rent state of knowledge and use the Journey of Research feature to provide the historical contextual information on the topic. This helps students understand that what they learn today in their class may be information that changes—sometimes substantially—in the future as our body of knowledge grows. This is, after all, how the scientific process works.

Ancillaries For the Instructor

The password-protected Instructor Site at www.sagepub.com/levine gives instructors access to an Online Instructor’s Manual with a full complement of resources to support and enhance their child development course. The following assets are available on the teaching site: u A test bank with more than 1,500 author-created multiple-choice, true/false, short-answer, and essay questions. The test bank is provided on the site in Word format as well as in our Diploma computerized testing software. Diploma is a question authoring and management tool that enables instructors to edit the existing test bank questions, add their own questions, and create customizable quizzes and exams. After tests have been created, they can be printed, exported into Word, or exported into popular course management systems such as Black- board or WebCT. u PowerPoint slides for each chapter, for use in lecture and review. Slides are inte- grated with the book’s distinctive features and incorporate key tables, figures, and photos. u Video resources that enhance the information in each chapter. Video icons are strategically placed within the textbook to indicate where a video resource is available on both the Instructor and Student Sites. The Instructor Teaching Site also has an expanded set of additional video links. u Chapter lecture notes that summarize content and provide key teaching points. u Chapter teaching tips that offer strategies to promote active learning in the classroom. u Long- and short-term course projects, classroom activities, and discussion questions to stimulate creative and interactive approaches to the material. u Tables, figures, and illustrative materials in PDF form for use in PowerPoint slides or online teaching demonstration. u Sample course syllabi for quarter and semester systems. For the Student

To maximize students’ understanding of child development and promote critical think- ing and active learning, we have provided the following chapter-specific student resources on the open-access portion of www.sagepub.com/levine:

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u eFlashcards that reiterate key chapter terms and concepts. u Self-quizzes, including multiple-choice and true/false questions. u Internet activities designed to encourage student exploration of child development. u Video resources related to each chapter. u Full-text SAGE journal articles with critical thinking questions.

Acknowledgments

We want to thank our wonderful team at SAGE Publications who have helped us bring this book into being. Cheri Delello brought us together and started us on the path. Erik Evans guided us and cheered us along through a first draft of the manuscript. Chris Car- done brought us through the home stretch to make this book a reality. We also want to thank our developmental editors Deya Saoud and Julie Nemer for their help in our writing process. Jerry Westby and Lisa Shaw offered their support at crucial times. We appreciate the help of Stephanie Adams for promoting and marketing the book, Eve Oettinger for helping us through the ancillary process, and Laureen Gleason and Melinda Masson for their invaluable help with bringing the book through the produc- tion process. Finally, thanks go to editorial assistants Lara Grambling and Sarita Sarak for all their help. We also are grateful to our students who helped us as we prepared the book, includ- ing Johanna Correll, Alissa Giacona, Amanda Johnson, Sajel Lala, Sarah Newton, Renee Ortiz, and Elizabeth Torres. We also received helpful feedback from the students who took our child development courses and used earlier versions of the book manuscript. They provided us with invaluable feedback on what worked well and what didn’t. We thank them for their thoughtful comments and their patience. It goes without saying that much appreciation must go to our families and friends who supported us throughout this lengthy and intensive process. We would like to thank the following individuals who assisted in the development of the manuscript through their careful and thoughtful reviews:

P. Gnanaolivu Aaron, Indiana State Amanda R. Lipko, State University of University New York–Brockport Maria Carla Chiarella, Wingate University Ashley Maynard, University of Hawaii Youngon Choi, Skidmore College Simone Nguyen, University of North Joanne Curran, State University of New Carolina–Wilmington York–Oneonta Claire Novosad, Southern Connecticut Jessica Dennis, California State University– State University Los Angeles Sarah Pierce, Louisiana State University Tina Du Rocher Schudlich, Western Lisa Rosen, University of Texas at Dallas Washington University Elizabeth Short, Case Western Reserve Nancy Dye, Humboldt State University University Christine E. Fullmer Delgado, University Tami Sullivan, State University of New of Miami York–Brockport Hema Ganapathy Coleman, Indiana State Dana Van Abbema, St. Mary’s College of University Maryland Kee Jeong Kim, Virginia Tech University Paige Ware, Southern Methodist Mary R. Langenbrunner, Eastern Tennessee University State University Sheri D. Young, John Carroll University

Finally, we want to thank our family, friends, students, and others whose stories have become a part of this book.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. Copyright © 2011 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This sample material is not yet final and may change before publication. Chapter Outline

Aspects of Language Theories of Language Development Behaviorism and Social Cognitive Learning Theory chapter 9 Nativism Interactionism Cognitive Processing Theory Language and the Brain Stages of Language Development Prenatal Development Infants’ Preverbal Communication How Adults Foster Language Development Child-Directed Speech Shared Attention, Gestures, and Sign Language Toddlers’ Development of Words and Sentences Growth of Vocabulary ACTIVE LEARNING: Using Linguistic Constraints Two-Word Phrases Telegraphic Speech ACTIVE LEARNING: The Impact of Word Order Language Development of Preschoolers ACTIVE LEARNING: Collecting a Language Sample Egocentric Versus Private Speech ACTIVE LEARNING: Private Speech Written Language: Early Literacy ACTIVE LEARNING: Using Dialogic Reading Language Development in School-Age Children ACTIVE LEARNING: Metalinguistic Awareness Reading in School-Age Children JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: What’s the Best Way to Learn to Read? ACTIVE LEARNING: Phonics Can Be Fun Writing Skills The Language of Teenagers Bilingualism and Bilingual Education JOURNEY OF RESEARCH: Bilingual Education—Sink or Swim? Language Disorders Communication Disorders Autism Spectrum Disorders ACTIVE LEARNING: Observing Conversation Skills Learning Disabilities Language Development

rom their very first cries, human beings communicate with the world around them. Infants communicate through sounds (crying and cooing) and through body language (pointing and other gestures). However, sometime between9 8 and F 18 months of age, a major developmental milestone occurs when infants begin to use words to speak. Words are symbolic representations; that is, when a child says “table,” we understand that he is referring to a specific thing, and we don’t have to see that object. The word repre- sents the object. Language can be defined as a system of symbols that is used to communi- Language A system of cate. Although language is used to communicate with others, we may also “talk to ourselves” symbols that is used to communicate with and use words in our thinking. The words we use may influence the way we think about and others or in our thinking. understand our experiences.

Test Your Knowledge Test your knowledge of child development by deciding 6. True/False: Using flash cards, repetition, and word whether each of the following statements is true or false, drills is a good way to ensure that a child develops and then check your answers as you read the chapter. early literacy skills. 7. True/False: By the time they reach eighth grade, 1. True/False: Infants are born with a preference for fewer than one third of students in the United listening to their native language. States are reading at or above their grade level. 2. True/False: A sensitive parent should be able to 8. True/False: When young children use spelling tell the difference between a baby who is crying that they have“invented” (rather than conventional because he is hungry and one who is crying spelling), it slows down their ability to learn how to because he is in pain or is lonely. spell correctly. 3. True/False: It is perfectly fine to use baby talk with 9. True/False: When a young child learns two infants. languages at the same time, the extra effort it takes 4. True/False: Teaching babies to use sign language to learn the second language slows down the will delay development of spoken language. child’s general cognitive development. 5. True/False: If a young child says,“I goed outside,” 10. True/False: Most children who are learning the child’s parent will be most likely to say,“No, you disabled have average or above-average

meant to say, ‘I went outside.’” intelligence. Correct answers: (1) True, (2) False, (3) True, (4) False, (5) False, (6) False, (7) True, (8) False, (9) False, (10) True (10) False, (9) False, (8) True, (7) False, (6) False, (5) False, (4) True, (3) False, (2) True, (1) answers: Correct

1 2 Part III. BUILDING BLOCKS OF DEVELOPMENT

After defining some basic aspects of language that we will use throughout the chapter, we will describe some of the theories that try to explain the amazing process by which we acquire and use language. We will then look at the brain’s role in processing and producing language. After a description of the stages of language development—from a baby’s first cries through the slang used by teenagers—we will look at the topic of bilingualism. We will examine how learning to speak more than one language affects a child’s language development and how our educational system is trying to deal with the increasing number of bilingual children in the classroom. Finally, we will end the chapter with information about disorders that can interfere with children’s language development.

Aspects of Language

Phonology The study There are four basic aspects of language that have been studied: phonology, syntax, semantics, of the sounds of a and pragmatics. Phonology is the study of the sounds of a language. (To remember this term, language. think of the sounds that come from your telephone, or the word cacophony, meaning a lot of Syntax The grammar of a language. loud, annoying sounds!) Syntax is the grammar of a language—that is, how we put words in Semantics The study of order and how we change words (for example, play becomes played when we talk about the the meanings of words. past) so they make sense to our listeners. Semantics is the meanings of words. Pragmatics is Pragmatics The rules how we use language. For example, you probably speak in different ways to your professor, to that guide how we your friends, and certainly to a 2-year-old. In each case, you are using language in a different use language in social situations (for example, way. When children develop the ability to communicate with language, they are developing changing the way we all four of these areas (Gleason, 2005). They must understand and form the sounds of the lan- speak when we talk guage they are learning. They must learn what words mean and how to put them together so with friends vs. with an authority figure). they make sense, and they must learn when and how to use language to accommodate to their Morpheme The smallest listeners and to accomplish their goals. We will consider all of these aspects as we describe lan- unit in a language that guage development. has meaning. Two basic units are central to the study of language and its development: morphemes Phoneme The smallest and phonemes. A morpheme is the smallest unit that has meaning in a language. For distinct sound in a example, the word cats has two morphemes: cat and s. Cat refers to the animal, and s means particular language that signals differences more than one. A phoneme is the smallest distinct sound in a particular language that between words. signals differences between words. For example, cat and bat are clearly distinct words in English, as indicated by the different beginning sounds. Different languages have types of phonemes that are distinct. For instance, in Japanese, the length of a vowel can indicate a different word. The word toko means “bed,” while toko with a long final o means “travel” (Sato, Sogabe, & Mazuka, 2010). In English, no matter how long we draw out the a in cat, it still means “cat.”

Theories of Language Development

There are many different ideas about how children learn to talk and understand language, and many controversies persist to this day. We are still learning about how this amazing process can occur so quickly in the first years of life.

Behaviorism and Social Cognitive Learning Theory

If you were to take a survey of people on the street and ask them how children learn lan- guage, the chances are that many would answer “by imitation.” Of course imitation must play an important role. After all, children learn the language that they hear, not some other lan- guage! The idea that language is learned through imitation is connected with Bandura’s theory

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of social cognitive learning that we read about in Chapter 2. Imitation is the central learning principle of social cognitive theory. According to B. F. Skinner (1957), language is also shaped through operant conditioning, or reinforce- ment. When we respond to a baby’s babbling with a smile or some vocalization of our own, babies babble even more. If we respond to a request for “cookie” with the desired cookie, it becomes more likely that the child will use that word again the next time she wants a cookie. If we remember that reinforce- ment is anything that makes a behavior continue, then it is clear that we reinforce the development of a child’s language in many ways. Consistent with these ideas, research has shown that the more that moth- ers respond to their babies’ vocalizations, the sooner A mother-infant “conversation.” Social cognitive theory emphasizes the their babies develop language (Tamis-LeMonda, importance of social interaction for language learning. As this mother talks to Bornstein, & Baumwell, 2001). her infant, she models using language to communicate, and the infant wants to imitate her mother to continue the fun.

Nativism Nativism A theory of language development Noam Chomsky (1968) developed a theory that proposes that the human brain is innately that hypothesizes wired to learn language. He believes that children could not learn something as complex that human brains as human language as quickly as they do unless there is already a grammatical structure are innately wired to learn language and for language hardwired in their brains before they ever hear human language. He calls that hearing spoken this universal grammar. According to this theory, hearing spoken language triggers the language triggers the activation of this structure and does more than just promote imitation. Chomsky believes activation of a universal grammar. that the language that we usually hear is not adequate to explain the construction of all of the rules of language that children quickly learn. Universal grammar For instance, nativists such as Chomsky point to the evidence that children will say things A hypothesized set of grammatical rules and they have never heard, such as “The cats eated the mouses” rather than “The cats ate the constraints proposed by mice.” We hope that children have never heard adults say something like “eated” or “mouses” Chomsky that is thought and therefore they could not just be imitating language they have heard. However, you can to underlie all languages and that is hardwired in easily see that, although the first sentence is grammatically incorrect, in some respects it could the human brain. be correct. In English we do add -ed for the past tense and -s for plurals. However, we have exceptions to that rule, called irregular verbs or nouns. When children make this type of gram- Overregularization A type of grammatical matical error they are showing that they have learned a pattern, but they are applying it to error in which children words that don’t follow that pattern. This process of acting as if irregular words follow the regu- apply a language rule to lar rules is called overregularization. Children are creating these words from their own under- words that don’t follow that rule or pattern (for standing of grammar, and Chomsky believes that the basic principles of grammar are innate. example, adding an s to Clearly, we do not all speak the same language and the rules for grammar are not the same make the plural of a word in all languages, so how can there be a universal grammar? Chomsky believes that there are like foot). basic language principles that are hardwired in the brain, similar to the basic principles that Interactionism A theory underlie the operation of the hard drive of your computer. Just as your computer’s hard drive of language development can run many different types of software, the language structures in your brain can process the that proposes that the child’s biological specific characteristics of many different languages. readiness to learn language interacts with the child’s experiences Interactionism with language in the environment to bring A third approach incorporates aspects of both behaviorism and nativism. According to about the child’s interactionism, both children’s biological readiness to learn language and their experiences language development.

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with language in their environment come together to bring about language development. Just as we learned about how nature is expressed through nurture in Chapter 4, these theorists argue that both are equally necessary for the child to develop language and both must work together. In addition, interactionism means that language is created socially, in the interaction between infant and adult. For example, adults naturally simplify their speech to young children not because they think “I need to teach this child how to speak!” but because the child then under- stands and responds to what the adult is saying. The adult is sensitive to the effectiveness of his communication so that when the child does not understand, he simplifies his language until the child does understand (Bohannon & Bonvillian, 2005). Research on mother-infant speech in a variety of cultures has found that mothers make many of the same modifications in their speech to infants, perhaps because these changes produce a good fit between the mother’s speech and the infant’s perceptual and cognitive capabilities (Fernald & Morikawa, 1993). In addition, adults Recast To facilitate often repeat what children say but recast it into more advanced grammar. For example, a child language learning, might say, “More cookie,” and the adult might respond, “Oh, do you want more cookies?” In adults often repeat what the process, he is modeling a slightly higher level of language proficiency, which the child can children say but put it into more advanced then imitate. The child in this example might then say, “Want more cookies.” grammar. Cognitive processing theory The theory Cognitive Processing Theory that learning language is a process of “data The question has been raised whether social interaction is enough to explain how children crunching,” in which learn language. Another point of view is that learning language is a process of “data crunch- the actual process of ing,” in which children take in and process the language they hear (Hoff & Naigles, 2002, learning words and their p. 422). These theorists argue that infants are processing language even during the first year of meanings relies on the computational ability of life, before they can speak (Naigles et al., 2009). Therefore, their understanding of language is the human brain. learned and is not innate as Chomsky’s theory asserts. These theorists would say that although the learning may be motivated by social interaction, the actual process of learning words and their meanings may rely more on the computational ability of the human brain. Hoff and Naigles (2002) found that toddlers’ language learning was not related to the level or nature of social engagement between them and their mothers. Rather, the toddlers they studied learned more words when their mothers exposed them to more language; that is, they talked to them more and used more different words and longer, more complex utterances. Cognitive processing theorists argue that language learning happens independently of mothers’ respon- siveness to their children’s speech and of children’s social abilities. They point to the fact that even socially limited children with autism can still develop language as evidence that language development is not dependent on social interaction. One basic question that this approach has addressed is how infants learn to differentiate words out of the stream of sounds they hear. Although we can see the spaces between words on a written page, these “spaces” are often not evident when we speak. For example, if you heard someone say, “Theelephantisdrinkingwater,” how would you figure out that elephant is a separate word rather than antis? One answer is that infants’ brains are constantly “crunching data”; that is, they are figuring out statistically how likely it is that certain sounds will follow each other (Saffran, Johnson, Aslin, & Newport, 1999). For example, when we hear ele, it is most often followed by phant or vator, while the entire word elephant can be followed in a sen- tence by many different sounds. Researchers have used made-up words embedded in random syllables to see whether adults, children, and infants can differentiate the “words” from the rest of the utterance (Saffran et al., 1999; Saffran, Newport, Aslin, Tunick, & Barrueco, 1997). Take a look at the “sentence” below and see if you can figure out what the “word” is:

Bupadapatubitutibubupadadutabapidabupada

Did you discover bupada? This is just a brief sample, but when people of all ages hear lengthy readings such as this they are able to pick out what the “words” are even though they have no

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real meaning. As infants cannot be asked what a word is, they have been tested by seeing how long they listen to nonsense “words” (such as bupada) and how long they listen to random syl- lables after exposure to a stream of sounds such as that shown above. The consistent result is that they listen longer to the nonwords, which are newer and more interesting to them, than to the more familiar “words” (Aslin, Saffran, & Newport, 1998). Therefore, these researchers argue that our brains are designed like computers to automatically use statistical probability to pick out the words in a stream of speech. Language and the Brain

As we learned in Chapter 6, there are two halves or hemispheres that comprise the human brain. The left hemisphere contains two areas that are central to language: Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area. As shown in Figure 9.1, Broca’s area, which is involved in the production of Broca’s area The part speech, is located near the motor center of the brain that produces movement of the tongue of the brain that is involved in the physical and lips (Gleason, 2005). A person with damage to this area will have difficulty speaking, production of speech. leaving out the “little words.” For example, when a person with damage in Broca’s area was asked about his upcoming weekend plans, he answered, “Boston. College. Football. Saturday” (Gleason, 2005, p. 17). Wernicke’s area You can see in Figure 9.1 that Wernicke’s area, which has to do with understanding and The part of the brain that has to do with creating the meaning in speech, is located near the auditory center of the brain. Someone with understanding the damage to this area of the brain has no trouble producing words, but he has difficulty making meaning in speech.

Figure 9.1

Language centers of the brain. Broca’s area (shown here in dark red), which controls speech production, is next to the motor cortex that controls movement. Wernicke’s area (shown in pink), which controls language comprehension, is next to the auditory area that controls hearing.

Functional Areas of the Cerebral Cortex Cerebral cortex Parietal lobe Visual Area: Sight Image recognition 1 Frontal lobe Image perception Occipital lobe Association Area Short-term 2 memory Equilibrium Emotion

Motor Function Area Initiation 3 of voluntary muscles

4 Broca’s Area Muscles of speech

5 Auditory Area Hearing

Emotional Area Pain Hunger 6 Temporal lobe Fight or flight response Brain stem Cerebellum 7 Sensory Association Area

Lateral View 8 Olfactory Area Smelling

Sensory Area Sensation 12 Motor Function Area Eye movement and orientation from muscles and skin

Somatosensory Association Area Evaluation of weight, Higher Mental Functions Concentration Planning 10 13 texture, temperature, etc. for ob ect recognition Judgment Emotional expression Creativity Inhibition

Wernicke’s Area Written and spoken Motor Functions Coordination of movement alance 11 14 language comprehension and equilibrium Posture

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sense. For example, one patient with damage to Wernicke’s area responded as follows to the question “What brings you to the hospital?” Boy I’m sweating, I’m awful nervous, you know, once in a while I get caught up, I can’t mention the tarripoi, a month ago, quite a little, I’ve done a lot well, I impose a lot, while, on the other hand, you know what I mean, I have to run around, look it over, trebbin and all that sort of stuff. (Gardner, 1976, p. 68) This patient speaks without any problem but is not making any sense and makes up words, such as trebbin. The capabilities of these two regions do not develop at the same time. Infants understand words before they can say them. Another way we describe this is to say comprehension of language precedes production of language. When you tell a 1-year-old to put a toy in a box, she will most likely understand you and might follow your directions, yet she is not likely to Receptive language be able to say anything close to “put the toy in the box.” This differential between receptive The ability to understand and expressive language continues throughout life (Celce-Murcia & Olshtain, 2001). Even words or sentences. college students can understand a sophisticated or technical lecture in class, while their own Expressive language The written speech and writing are likely to be less complex. The brain is not a simple organ, and we con- or spoken language that tinue to learn about its complexity. For instance, although language is primarily handled by the we use to convey our left hemisphere of the brain, some aspects of language, such as recognition of the emotion in thoughts, emotions, someone’s words, are found in the right hemisphere (Gleason, 2005). Also, language functions or needs. may be distributed differently in women than in men. When researchers watched brain func- tion using an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), they found that men responded to rhyming tasks with left-hemisphere activity, while women responded with activity from areas in both the left and the right hemisphere (Shaywitz et al., 1995).

Stages of Language Development

In this section we will describe the development of language, with particular focus on the abil- ity to talk. We purposely de-emphasize the ages at which these developments occur because children differ enormously in the rate at which they develop language. Later in this chapter we will discuss when a caregiver should be concerned about language delays.

Prenatal Development

1. Infants are born Of course babies do not speak before they are born, yet language learning appears to begin with a preference before birth. As we described in Chapter 6, during the last trimester of prenatal development for listening to their TRUE/FALSE native language. the fetus can hear its mother’s voice as shown by changes in fetal heart rate and motor activity when the mother is speaking, and this affects its preferences for language after birth in a number True. Infants can hear before they of ways (Karmiloff & Karmiloff-Smith, 2001). This was demonstrated in a study in which preg- are born, and nant women read passages from the Dr. Seuss book The Cat in the Hat twice a day when they they develop a thought their fetus was awake (DeCasper & Spence, 1986). After the babies were born, those preference for the sound patterns of who had heard the story were more likely to try to elicit (by sucking a pacifier in a certain way) the language they the sound of their mother reading The Cat in the Hat rather than a new poem they had never hear prenatally. heard before. It appears that infants become familiar with and prefer “the rhythms and sounds of language” that they have heard prenatally (Karmiloff & Karmiloff-Smith, 2001, p. 43). As a result, within the first few days of life infants show a preference for the particular language their mother speaks, whether it is English, Arabic, or Chinese. This prenatal awareness of language sets the stage for language learning once the baby is born. In one study it was even shown that babies only 3–5 days old sound like the language they have been hearing when they cry. French babies cried from low pitch to high, while German babies cried from high pitch to low, mimick- ing the sounds of the language they hear (Mampe, Friederici, Christophe, & Wermke, 2009).

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Infants’ Preverbal Communication Crying

Babies cry as soon as they are born. At first this is a reflexive behavior, not intentional commu- 2. A sensitive parent nication from the infant. However, crying is not pleasant for adults to hear, so we are motivated should be able to tell the difference to do what it takes to make it stop. The process of communication begins when babies begin to between a baby who TRUE/FALSE learn that crying can act as a signal that brings relief from hunger, discomfort, and loneliness. is crying because Although babies cry for many reasons, there does not appear to be clear evidence that they he is hungry and one who is crying have different cries for hunger, pain, or loneliness. Research shows only that parents differenti- because he is in ate the intensity and severity of crying, not the specific reason for the cry (Gustafson, Wood, & pain or is lonely. Green, 2000). Knowing this should bring relief to parents who have been told that they should False. Infants’ recognize why their baby is crying but realize that they cannot. crying can differ in intensity and Cooing severity, but there does not appear to Between 2 and 4 months after birth, babies begin to make more pleasant sounds (Menn & be a specific cry to Stoel-Gammon, 2005). The sounds they can make are limited because of aspects of their physi- signal hunger, pain, or loneliness. Even ology, so they sound a bit like doves “cooing.” At this stage they also begin to laugh, which is a sensitive parents great reward to parents! Infants at this stage begin to join in a prelanguage “conversation” with usually can’t make parents (Tamis-LeMonda, Cristofaro, Rodrigues, & Bornstein, 2006). The baby coos; the par- these distinctions. ent talks back; the baby looks and laughs; the parent smiles and talks. In this way, babies begin to learn how to use language even before they can speak. Babbling Video Link 9.1 Babies typically begin to make one-syllable sounds, such as ba and da, when they are 4–6 Cooing. months old and begin to combine those sounds (baba, daga) when they are 6–8 months old (Sachs, 2005). The most common consonant sounds are /b/, /d/, and /m/. At this point, parents get very excited, thinking that the baby means “daddy” when he says “dada” or “mommy” when he says “mama.” Although it does not appear that these first vocalizations are meaning- Video Link 9.2 ful, babies may start to learn their meaning because of the way their parents respond to these Babbling. sounds (Menn & Stoel-Gammon, 2005). It is interesting to note that in languages from around the world, even among those with no common origins, the words for father—dada (English), abba (Hebrew), and baba (Mandarin Chinese)—and mother—mama (English), ahm (Arabic), and manah (Greek)—start with the earliest sounds babies make. Bababa changes to daDAWee derBEH as babbling begins to sound more and more like the Video Links 9.3 and 9.4 Babbling and talking. language the baby is hearing (maybe the second phrase sounds like the doggie under the bed) and not like other languages. Although babies initially are able to make all the sounds in languages around the world, at this point a baby growing up with English will not produce the type of /r/ sounds used in French or Spanish because the baby is not hearing those sounds in the language environment. Now the feedback from hearing speech plays more of a role in language develop- ment than it did earlier. Deaf babies will babble early on, but at the age when hearing babies increase the variety of their sounds, deaf babies do not because they are not receiving this lan- guage input from their environment (Menn & Stoel-Gammon, 2005). On the other hand, deaf babies who are learning sign language appear to go through the same stages of language learn- ing as hearing babies, in this case “babbling” with hand gestures instead of sounds.

How Adults Foster Language Development

Before we continue our description of the stages of language development, let’s take a focused look at the role that adults play in fostering young children’s language development. In many cultures, adults begin to shape infants’ developing language ability by talking to them, even when it is clear that the babies do not understand. Adults act as if they do understand and carry

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on conversations, taking turns with whatever the baby responds. Karmiloff and Karmiloff-Smith (2001) provide the following illustration:

Mother: Oh, so you’re HUNgry, are you? (Baby kicks.) Mother: YES, you ARE hungry. WELL, we’ll have to give you some MILK then, won’t we? (Baby coos.) Mother: Ah, so Mommy was RIGHT. It’s MILK you want. Shall we change your diaper first? (Baby kicks.) Mother: RIGHT! A clean diaper. THAT’s what you want. GOOD girl. (p. 48)

This type of exchange provides the baby with early experience with the back-and-forth of dialogue that will be important in later speech, but we must be careful about concluding that what adults do is the most important factor for children’s developing

Laying the foundation for speech. This mother is laying the foundation for her speech. Research with some cultures, such as the infant’s later speech. What is the infant learning about language from this Gusii people of Kenya, shows that parents in these interaction? cultures speak to their babies much less often than American parents, but their infants still develop lan- Child-directed guage. In fact, when LeVine and his colleagues (1994) instructed Gusii mothers to talk and speech Speech that play with their babies while they were videotaped, they complied but said “it was of course is tailored to fit the sensory and cognitive silly to talk to a baby” (p. 210). However, Gusii children become as proficient with their lan- capabilities of infants guage as American children are with English despite these different early experiences with and children so that it language. There are many roads to language competence, and we must be careful not to holds their attention; includes speaking in apply one standard to all people. a higher pitch with exaggerated intonation Child-Directed Speech and a singsong rhythm and using a simplified The special way that we talk to infants and young children was once referred to as motherese. vocabulary. However, since we have found that in most cultures, all adults, and children too, change the way they speak to infants and young children, this type of speech is now known as child- 3. It is perfectly fine to use baby talk with directed speech (Fernald & Morikawa, 1993). Think about how you talk to babies or how you infants. see others do so. You are unlikely to approach a baby and say in a low, monotone voice, “Hello, TRUE/FALSE True. The way that baby, how are you today? I hope you are having a fine day.” adults often talk We would be much more likely to say, “Hel-LO, BAAAA-BEEEE. How are YOU today?” to babies—in a Child- or infant-directed speech is quite different from the way we talk to our friends. Some high-pitched voice, with a great deal people believe that these changes are harmful to infants, teaching them the wrong way to of exaggeration, speak, but the evidence is that what we naturally do in this way actually fosters language devel- and in a singsong opment (Fernald & Morikawa, 1993; Rowe, 2008). rhythm—is actually well suited to the When we talk to babies we generally talk in a higher-pitched voice and exaggerate the hearing capabilities ups and downs of our pitch, like a roller coaster. In one study, if 4-month-old babies turned and preferences of their head in one direction they would hear regular adult speech. If they turned their head in a baby. Babies pay the other direction they would hear child-directed speech. Most infants turned more often in attention to us when we talk this way, the direction that started the child-directed speech (Fernald, 1985). This finding supports the and doing it will not idea that the reason that we speak in this silly way is because infants pay more attention to delay their language us when we do. Although adults in some cultures do not tend to talk to their babies, Fernald development. (1985) reports that this type of child-directed speech has been found in cultures in America,

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Europe, Africa, and Asia. Changing our speech in this way cre- ates a “good fit” with the sensory and cognitive capabilities of the infant and helps hold the infant’s attention when we are talking to him (Fernald & Morikawa, 1993). An interesting variation is found among the Kaluli of Papua New Guinea. Although the Kaluli tend not to talk to their babies in this way, they hold up the babies to face people and use a similar type of speech to speak for the baby (Feld & Shieffelin, 1998). Whether we are talking with our baby or talking for our baby, either approach shows the infant that speech is a type of interaction between people.

Shared Attention, Gestures, and Sign Language

In the first months after birth, infants are focused mostly on their own bodies and on interaction with the people in their world. At about 6 months they begin to develop more interest in the objects and events around them. At this point, caregivers begin to talk about what the infant sees as both infant and caregiver gaze at objects and events. When babies look or point at what they see, adults tend to label what it is for them (Goldfield & Snow, 2005). In fact, one researcher has referred to pointing as “the royal road,” if not the only road, to language development (Butterworth, 2003, p. 9). Pointing is just one of the gestures that children use to com- municate. Infants use many gestures before they can speak, and What is this toddler saying? Toddlers use pointing as a way of continue to use them along with speech (Volterra, Caselli, Capirci, communicating before they have words. We don’t know what & Pizzuto, 2005). In recent years, parents have begun to take this child is pointing at, but his mother is sure to tell him all about it. advantage of the fact that babies use gestures to communicate before they are capable of speaking by introducing forms of sign language. Nonverbal “signs” are representations that have meaning, just like words. Using 4. Teaching babies signs can reduce frustration for both parent and child when the child can sign what she wants to use sign language will delay instead of crying. One concern some people have is that babies will rely on these signs and this development of TRUE/FALSE will delay development of spoken language, but research has shown that this is not true. In spoken language. fact, babies taught to sign may have a slight advantage in their early spoken language learning False. In fact, there (Goodwyn, Acredolo, & Brown, 2004). is some evidence Although most parents gesture as they talk to their infants, the amount and type of ges- that learning to sign actually turing differs from parent to parent. Rowe and Goldin-Meadow (2009) found that parents in helps babies’ families of higher socioeconomic status (SES) use gestures with their infants to communicate spoken language a broader range of meaning than parents from families of lower SES. In turn, the children from development. the higher-SES families used more gestures to communicate meaning by 14 months of age, and this difference in gesturing at 14 months predicted differences in the size of the children’s vocabulary at 4½ years of age, when they were about to begin kindergarten. Gesturing may

enhance language learning in several ways. First, when a child points to an object and a parent Video Link 9.5 “translates” that gesture into a word by naming the object, that word enters the child’s vocabu- Sign language. lary sooner (Rowe & Goldin-Meadow, 2009). On the other hand, just using gestures without parental naming also enhances vocabulary development. Iverson and Goldin-Meadow (2005) found that when children use a gesture, such as flapping their hands to signify a bird, the actual word bird tends to show up about 3 months later. The representation of the idea through ges- turing may help the child learn the word meaning and eventually say and use the word. There also are cultural differences in the use of gesture. For example, Italians tend to use many more gestures than Americans (Iverson, Capirci, Volterra, & Goldin-Meadow, 2008). However, Iverson et al. (2008) found that gesturing seemed to serve the same purpose in both

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populations. For both Italians and Americans, the child’s use of gestures together with speech was predictive of the development of the next stage of language development: two-word utterances. The rate at which children develop language is related to the nature of their interaction with their parents. Children develop language more quickly if their parents talk to them, but more spe- cifically if their parents respond to their interests, for example by naming what they are actually looking at rather than something else. Parents and infants who develop the ability to engage each other in a dynamic way, following each other’s leads from one focus of attention to the next, seem to foster language develop- ment most effectively (Hoff & Naigles, 2002). Let us now return to our description of the stages of language development as we look at the acquisition of words and sentences.

Toddlers’ Development of Words and Sentences

Babbling sometimes leads directly to babies’ first words. The sounds they play with while babbling may be the sounds they use for the first words they say (Menn & Stoel-Gammon, 2005). Through their interactions with caregivers, infants begin to associ- ate words with familiar objects and people. When infants as young Baby signing “more.” Although babies’ ability to say words is limited, this photo shows that they can learn to communicate as 6 months were shown side-by-side videos of their mother and with signs borrowed from American Sign Language. their father but heard either the word mommy or the word daddy, they spent more time looking at the parent who was being named (Tincoff & Jusczyk, 1999). However, this behavior did not transfer to other men and women, so it appears that for the infant the word mommy refers to a specific woman, not all women. Remember that comprehension of language precedes the production of language. While infants begin to understand words at about 9 months, they do not begin to say words, on average, until about 13 months (Tamis-LeMonda et al., 2006). First words may be “made up” by the baby and may not correspond to an adult word. For example, one baby referred to any motorized vehicle as a gogo, and baba meant water. When the family took him through a car wash, he created a new word combination out of these two made-up words to describe his experience. He called it a baba-gogo!

Growth of Vocabulary

At 1 year, babies typically have only a few words, but by 2 years of age they generally have between 200 and 500 words (Fernald, Pinto, Swingley, Weinberg, & McRoberts, 2001). Although they initially learn new words slowly, over this second year of life they begin to learn them more quickly (Ganger & Brent, 2004). For some babies, the learning of new words Vocabulary burst explodes in what has been called a vocabulary burst, but for others the learning is more grad- The rapid growth of a ual. This is one of those aspects of development where there is quite a wide range that falls child’s vocabulary that often occurs in the within what would be considered normal. Later in this chapter, we will describe some patterns second year. of language development that fall outside of this normal range and can indicate serious prob- lems, but language delays are not uncommon or necessarily a sign of a disorder. How do toddlers manage to master their native language so quickly? First, it is during the second year that children begin to understand that words are symbols that stand for objects in the world (Woodward, Markman, & Fitzsimmons, 1994). This provides a strong incentive for children to acquire and use language. Second, researchers have described several assump- tions and principles that children use, which seem to facilitate this process. These assumptions

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are called constraints because they limit or constrain the alternatives that the child consid- Constraints ers when learning a new word, and this makes the process of acquiring vocabulary easier Assumptions that language learners make (Woodward et al., 1994). One of these constraints is the whole object bias. When a child that limit the alternative sees a giraffe for the first time and someone points to the animal and says “giraffe,” the child meanings that they assumes the word describes the entire animal—not its strange, long neck; not its skinny legs; attribute to new words. and not its brown spots. Children make this assumption even when the new object obviously Whole object bias An assumption made by has two parts to it, and even if one of the parts is more prominent than the other (Hollich, language learners that a Golinkoff, & Hirsh-Pasek, 2007). Another constraint is the mutual exclusivity constraint. word describes an entire Children assume that there is one (and only one) name for an object. If they hear a novel word, object, rather than just some portion of it. they assume the new word describes an object that they do not already know the name for Mutual exclusivity because the object wouldn’t have two different names (Hansen & Markman, 2009). constraint An The taxonomic constraint leads children to assume that two objects that have features in assumption made by common can have a name in common, but that each object also can have its own individual language learners that name (Markman, 1990). For example, both dogs and cats have four legs and a tail and are cov- there is one (and only one) name for an object. ered with fur so they are both animals, but they each have some unique characteristics that dis- Taxonomic constraint tinguish between them so they also can have their own individual name. An assumption language As children apply these principles to their acquisition of new words, they can quickly learn learners make that new words, often based on a single exposure, in a process called fast mapping. The constraints two objects that have features in common allow the child to form an initial hypothesis, which can be tested in future situations that pro- can have a name in vide a basis for rapid acquisition of words (Pan, 2005). The first time a child sees a bus but says common, but that each “truck,” someone will probably point out how a bus and a truck are different. As the child con- object also can have its own individual name. tinues to see buses, the use of that particular word will be quickly refined. Fast mapping A process English-speaking children typically add nouns to their vocabulary before they add verbs. by which children apply Nouns are thought to be easier to learn because they refer to objects in the child’s world and constraints and their the child has realized that things should have names (Woodward et al., 1994). However, chil- knowledge of grammar dren learning other languages do not necessarily follow this pattern. In Asian languages such to learn new words very quickly, often after a as Korean, nouns can be omitted. In English, nouns often appear at the end of a sentence (for single exposure. example, “Get the book” or “Throw the ball”). In Korean and Japanese, verbs often appear at the end of sentences (Fernald & Morikawa, 1993). The end position in a sentence is consid- ered more prominent and therefore easier to learn. This is one explanation for why American infants have larger noun vocabularies than infants from Asian countries at a comparable age, and why Asian infants have larger verb vocabularies. However, grammatical differences between English and Japanese are not the only factor at work. Fernald and Morikawa (1993) observed several differences in mother-infant interactions that reflect cultural values. While American mothers tended to focus on teaching and naming objects in their speech with their infants, Japanese mothers were more interested in creating a sense of harmony in their interactions. They encouraged empathy by encouraging their infants to express positive feelings and mutual dependence by relying on baby talk more extensively and for longer duration than American mothers. Of course both groups of infants learn to use both nouns and verbs, but they learn them in a different way. Just as infants can use fast mapping to learn new words, they can use a specific type of fast mapping called syntactic bootstrapping to acquire the rules of grammar (Gleitman, 1990). Syntactic To pull yourself up by your bootstraps is an expression that means to solve a problem using your bootstrapping The use of knowledge about one own resources. In this case, the problem is to learn the syntax of one’s language. Children use aspect of language (for knowledge that they have in one domain of language to help them learn another domain example, semantics) (Karmiloff & Karmiloff-Smith, 2001). For example, children might figure out syntax through to learn about another domain of language (for an understanding of the meanings of words (semantics) or the sounds of phrases (phonology), example, syntax). or they might figure out word meanings through the placement of the words in a sentence (syntax). Children use their knowledge of the various aspects of their native language as clues (Johnson & de Villiers, 2009). For instance, there are differences in the forms that words take that help you determine whether a word is a noun or a verb. If you were introduced to two new words—klumfs and

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pribiked—which would you think was a noun and which a verb? You know that we add -s to nouns to form a plural, so that is a strong clue that klumfs is a noun. Likewise, a verb can have a past tense, so the -ed at the end of pribiked is a strong clue that this is a verb. Second, where a word appears in a sentence (its syntax) provides clues to word meaning. If someone told you that the “thrulm progisted the car,” in English the noun usually proceeds the verb, so you could assume that thrulm is a noun and progisted is a verb. If someone told you that “you have a very glickle smile,” you might guess that glickle is an adjective that modifies or describes your smile. To see for yourself how constraints can help guide a young child’s word learning, try Active Learning: Using Linguistic Constraints.

ACTIVE Using Linguistic Constraints LEARNING You can use this activity to learn some “novel” words to see how a young child might experience learning them. In each situation, decide what you would say and name the linguistic constraint that you used to guide your decision.

1. You know that a bat is a 4. This glumbug is long, thin object, and you dingling. know that a ball is small and round. If I ask you to hand me the glumph, which object do you pick up?

Which constraint did you use to make your decision? How do you know which of these new words is a noun and which is a verb?

2. The creature with 5. If I tell you this is a the pink hair is a boblabo, am I naming lorum. When you the creature’s beak, its have more than one wings, or something else? lorum, what do you call them?

How did you know what more than one lorum is called? What constraint allows you to determine what the word boblabo refers to? 3. These are both floogles, but the green one is a flinger and the purple one is a flagger.

What constraint helps you understand how these creatures are similar and how they are different?

Answers to Active Learning Questions: 1. You know what a bat is and what a ball is, so the mutual exclusivity constraint leads you to assume that the new name applies to the object you do not already have a word for. 2. You used your knowledge of the general grammatical rule that you add the letter s to nouns to form a plural. 3. The taxonomic constraint helps you understand that both creatures can belong to the category of floogles, but because they have unique features, they also can have different names. 4. Syntactical bootstrapping helps you identify the form of speech (noun versus verb) by the word’s placement in the sentence and the -ing at the end of the word that usually indicates an action verb. 5. The whole object bias makes it more likely that you assume that a new word applies to the entire object, not just to a portion of it, like a beak or a wing.

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Two-Word Phrases

After children have acquired a number of words in their vocabulary, they enter a stage of “rapid syntactic and semantic devel- opment” (Waxman & Kosowski, 1990, p. 1463). At around a year and a half, chil- dren begin to combine words in phrases such as Mommy up or All gone kitty. This is the beginning of their use of grammar, and it demonstrates that children create their own grammar, rather than simply making mistakes in using adult grammar (Karmiloff & Karmiloff-Smith, 2001). At this stage, all children around the world use language in the same way, by including only the most basic information in what they say. For Everyday conversation. What might this mother be saying? She might make a statement (“We have lots of blocks here”), ask a question (“Where is the red block?”), or make an example, they may say, “Eat apple,” but they evaluation (“Playing with blocks is fun”). cannot say, “I’m eating an apple” or “You ate the apple.” For some children, one word, such as allgone or more, becomes a “pivot” word to which other words are attached, as in allgone apple or allgone mommy. Telegraphic Speech

When children begin to put three or more words together, they use the simplest combina- tion of words that convey the meaning they intend. In the days long before instant messaging and texting, people used to send telegrams. When you sent a telegram, you would pay by the word. Therefore, you would not say, “I am going to arrive at 11:00 p.m. at the train station”; instead you might send the message “Arriving station 11 p.m.” You would leave out all the Telegraphic speech little, unnecessary words. When young children begin to put words together, they act as if they A stage in language have to pay for each word, and they only use the ones necessary to get their point across. This development in which has been referred to as telegraphic speech. children only use the words necessary to get Whereas two-word utterances are similar around the world, when children begin to combine their point across and three or more words the ordering of the words in these simple sentences reflects the language omit small words that they are hearing. For example, the order in sentences in English is very likely to be a subject, then are not necessary a verb, and then the object of the verb: The dog (subject) chased (verb) the cat (object). English- (for example, Go up). speaking children find it difficult to produce and understand passive sentences in which this order is changed: The cat was chased by the dog. However, children who speak Sesotho, a lan- guage found in southern Africa, hear passive sentences frequently and can produce these forms Video Link 9.6 as soon as they learn to speak (Demuth, 1990). You can try Active Learning: The Impact of Understanding passive Word Order to see whether a child you know understands passive sentences. sentences.

The Impact of Word Order ACTIVE LEARNING First you will need to take two pieces of paper and draw two pictures. On one piece of paper, draw a dog facing right and running. On the second piece of paper draw a cat facing right and running. Ask a child between 3 and 10 years of age to arrange the pictures to show The dog is chasing the cat. Then ask the child to arrange the picture to show The dog is chased by the cat. Does the child understand that in the second sentence, which is in the passive form, the cat is actually chasing the dog? If not, this shows that the child still understands lan- guage through the grammatical structure of subject-verb-object. Older children understand that this order can be changed. Compare your results with those of others in the class who tested children of different ages.

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5. If a young child says, One thing parents tend not to do with young children is to correct their grammar explicitly. “I goed outside,” The following story helps show what effect it might have if you were to spend much time cor- the child’s parent TRUE/FALSE will be most likely recting young children’s grammar: In the 1970s, before the age of the computer, when people to say, “No, you still wrote letters to each other, a young man carried on a correspondence with his girlfriend meant to say, ‘I went who was at a different college far away. Both of these young people were highly intellectual, outside.’” as you will see. Each wrote love letters to the other. The recipient would then correct the gram- False. When mar in the letter and send it back to the sender. You probably reacted quite negatively to this children are learning to talk, scenario, but why? Clearly, dealing with the grammar instead of the content of a love letter adults are more took all of the meaning—in this case, the romance—out of the exchange! In the same way, likely to respond when a child is trying to tell us something, we respond to the content, not the form of what he to the accuracy of what the child is saying. When the child says, “Me go store,” we answer, “Oh, are you going to the store?” says, rather than to We do not answer, “You should say, ‘I am going to the store.’” If we did, the child would be correct the child’s totally confused. Karmiloff and Karmiloff-Smith (2001) provide the following example of a grammar. In this mother trying to correct her child’s grammar: case, the adult would be more likely to say, “Yes, Child: Daddy goed to work. you did go outside.” Mother: Yes, that’s right. Daddy went to work. Child: Daddy goed to work in car. Mother: Yes, Daddy went in his car. Child: Daddy goed his car very fast. Mother: Ah ha, Daddy went to work in his car. Say went to work, not goed. Daddy went to work. Child: Daddy wented to work. (p. 102)

As this example shows, sometimes even when we directly try to correct grammar, it doesn’t work. Also, if you’ve ever had a parent correct your grammar while you were trying to tell him something important, you can understand a child’s frustration when a parent responds to the form of a sentence rather than to the meaning of what is said.

Language Development of Preschoolers

By age 3, most children are putting together multiword sentences. Also, whereas younger children use only the basic forms of words, such as I go store, preschoolers begin to add mor- phemes. At the beginning of the chapter, we defined a morpheme as the smallest unit that has meaning in a language. A morpheme may be a word like house, car, or alligator, or it may be any part of a word that has meaning, such as -ed, which indicates past tense, or -s, which indicates a plural. As the preschooler learns to use morphemes appropriately, she no longer says “I walk home” but rather “I walked home” when she means the past tense. As we men- tioned in the section on nativist theory above, when children learn to use these added mor- phemes, they often use them on words for which they don’t work. Interestingly, they may use both the correct and the incorrect version, even in the same sentence: I goed to the store and then went home. Steven Pinker (1999) has suggested that we have two different mechanisms, one mechanism for learning words that follow regular rules and a different mechanism for learning words that are irregular so that their form must just be memorized rather than fig- ured out. This position is very controversial, because other researchers maintain that only one mechanism is needed to do both tasks (McClelland & Patterson, 2003).

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Follow the directions in Active Learning: Collecting a Language Sample to look at the nature of a young child’s language development.

Collecting a Language Sample ACTIVE LEARNING Take a 10- to 15-minute language sample of a child between the ages of 18 months and 4 years by watch- ing the child while he or she is playing with another child or talking with an adult. Try to write down exactly what the child says. How many words does she put together: one, two, three, or more? Look at the stages of development we have described to see where this child fits in. If the child is using just single words, how does she make herself understood (for example, gestures)? If she does put words together, are they in the same order that we would find in adult grammar, or are there words that are left out (for example, I am going to the store becomes I go store)? Do the words the child uses have appropriate endings (for example, kicked, play- ing, desks)? Does the child overregularize and put these endings on irregularly formed words (for example, wented, sitted)? Compare your findings with those of others in your class who observed children older or younger than the child you observed.

There are very large differences in the language environments in which children develop, and these differences have consequences for the children’s later development, including their readiness to enter school. In a classic study of children’s language environment, Betty Hart and Todd Risley (1995) followed 42 families over a 2½-year period, observing and recording their everyday conversation. Their sample consisted of families who were receiving welfare, working-class families, and families where the parent or parents held professional jobs. The difference in the amount of language that the children were exposed to was striking. On aver- age parents on welfare used 600 words an hour with their toddlers, working-class parents used 1,300 words, and parents with professional jobs used 2,100 words. Although professional parents did not initiate verbal interactions with their children any more frequently than other parents, they were more likely to respond to what their toddlers said. Parents who were profes- sionals also used more affirmative or encouraging statements and fewer prohibitions (Stop that or Don’t). By the time the children were 3 years old, children in professional families had been exposed to 8 million more words on average than children in welfare families. This cumulative effect is shown in Figure 9.2. Differences in language development by a family’s socioeconomic status continue as chil- dren get older. Vasilyeva, Waterfall, and Huttenlocher (2008) looked at the type of early sen- tences used by children whose parents had different levels of education. One group of parents had high school diplomas as their highest level of education, the second group of parents had college degrees, and the third group of parents had professional degrees (for example, a mas- ter’s degree, a doctorate, or a professional degree in medicine or law). They found no differ- ences in the children’s use of simple sentences across groups. The children did not differ in the age at which they started producing simple sentences or in the proportion of simple sentences that they used. However, differences later emerged in the acquisition and use of complex sen- tences. Children from more educated families began producing complex sentences earlier and used them more frequently. Figure 9.3 shows the different paths of development for these two types of sentences. The authors say that children from different educational backgrounds move further apart as they grow older, and other research has shown that the disparity continues beyond the preschool years.

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Figure 9.2

Differences in toddlers’ vocabulary. The more words toddlers hear in their everyday life, the more they produce when they learn to speak. Children in families in which the parents are professionals hear significantly more words than children in working-class families or families on welfare, and this is reflected in the size of their vocabularies.

1200

1000

800

600

400

200 Cumulatiwords e ocabulary

0 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 Age of child in months 13 higher-SES children professional 23 middle lower-SES children working class 6 welfare children

Egocentric Versus Private Speech

Although their use of language is rapidly increasing, preschoolers still have some limitations to their ability to communicate with others. Jean Piaget (1973) described the inability of young children to take the role of other people in their conversations as Egocentric speech egocentric speech. For example, a child may say something like “I went to that place and A limitation of saw someone going round and round.” She does not realize that you have no idea what young children’s communication due “that place” is or how someone can go “round and round” because she doesn’t under- to their inability to take stand that you don’t know everything that she knows. For Piaget, the explanation for the perspective of other egocentric speech is that children are not born social beings; they must learn to be social people into account. and to understand other people’s points of view. When they do, their language becomes socialized, and communication is much more effective. Schematically, Piaget described the development of speech as follows:

Presocial speech Egocentric speech Socialized speech

Lev Vygotsky (1962) had a very different idea about what egocentric speech was. For Vygotsky, children are born social beings, so their speech is never “presocial.” Instead, children always intend to communicate, but at some point their speech divides into two types: speech directed at other people and speech directed at oneself. In Chapter 7 we introduced the concept

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Figure 9.3

Differences in the complexity of toddlers’ sentences. There is little difference in the use of simple sentences among children from families with different levels of education (left). However, there are differences in the number of complex sentences produced by these children (right).

6

3 5 2.5 4 2 3 1.5 2 1

1 0.5

Number of types comple senrences 0 Number of simple sentence types 0 22 26 30 34 38 42 22 26 30 34 38 42 Child’s age (months) Child’s age (months) Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 1 Group 2 Group 3

Number of simple sentence types produced by each SES group. Number of complex sentence types produced by each SES group.

Educational levels of parents: Group 1 (high school graduates), Group 2 (college graduates), Group 3 (professional degrees).

of private speech, or talking to oneself. Speech directed at other people continues to be commu- nicative, but private speech becomes increasingly silent. Younger children talk to themselves out loud. Somewhat older children more often whisper or mutter to themselves. Some chil- dren may even move their mouths silently. Vygotsky said that this speech becomes internal- ized eventually as silent speech (“saying it in my head”) and then as thought. Schematically, Vygotsky described the development of speech as follows:

Social speech Communicative speech Egocentric or private speech Inner speech or thought

The research on these two points of view has tended to support Vygotsky’s point of view. Although children do, at times, engage in egocentric speech that does not take into account the needs of the listener, more often this speech is for the purpose of self-direction, as Vygotsky describes (Berk & Winsler, 1995). Private speech does not end in early childhood. When confronted with a difficult task, about a third of 17-year-olds were found to talk openly (10%) or covertly, such as mumbling or whispering (20%), to themselves (Winsler & Naglieri, 2003). Try Active Learning: Private Speech to see how even adults may still engage in pri- vate speech.

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ACTIVE Private Speech LEARNING We sometimes get a glimpse of the use of private speech as adults. If you ever find yourself talking out loud when you are alone, think about what you are most likely to say to yourself. The chances are that what you will say is about tasks that you need to do, like “Oh . . . the psych assignment!” or “Almost forgot that!” These generally have to do with self-direction or organization. As adults, we usually do not vocalize in this way to our- selves, but when we are alone or attempting to do something difficult, we may. Get a friend to help you with this activity and find a quiet place to do it. Your friend will need a desk or table to work on so he can write. Use a page from a book or a sheet of newspaper that he can write on. Tell him that you are looking at how accurately people can scan written material to find target letters. Tell him that he should “cross out the Ts, circle the Os, and square the Ls” (the latter means that he should draw a box around the letter L) on the page you give him. Repeat these instructions a couple of times to be sure he understands (you can say it like a little rhyme) and ask him to repeat it to you a time or two to further confirm his under- standing. Tell him that you will later count how many letters he was able to mark up correctly in 3 minutes. After you are sure your friend understands the instructions, tell him that you will sit out of the way so that you don’t distract him and you will tell him when to start and when to stop. After 2 minutes, give him a 1-minute warning (to create a little more pressure on him!). While he is working, listen carefully to hear whether he resorts to using private speech to help him perform the task. Kronk (1994) found that 37 out of 47 participants talked to themselves while working on a difficult cognitive task that she gave them, and that 46 out of 47 talked to themselves if there was someone else who was working on the same task and talking to him- or herself.

Written Language: Early Literacy

Until now, our discussion of language has focused on spoken language. In this section we introduce another very important aspect of language: the ability to understand and use written language. School is the context in which most children learn to read, write, and do arithmetic, but the groundwork for these skills is laid down throughout the preschool years. In recent years we have given increasing attention to emergent literacy, the set of skills that develop before children begin formal schooling and that provide the foundation for these academic skills. When a young child picks up a book, holds it right-side-up, and turns the pages, or when the child “reads” a story by looking at the pictures or picks up a pencil and scribbles on a paper, these are all emer- gent literacy skills. Research on reading typically has looked at how a child acquires specific skills such as phonetics or decoding letters within the school context, but emergent literacy is a broader concept. It looks at how children learn about reading, writing, and print material either through informal processes, such as parents reading to children before they start school, or through formal instruction they receive in school (Gunn, Simmons, & Kameenui, 1995). This approach looks at the active role the child plays in the process. It also assumes that different aspects of early literacy are developing at the same time and that these aspects are all interrelated. Dialogic reading. As this father reads to his daughter and The process starts in infancy when the child is first exposed to asks her questions about the story, he actively engages her in the process and lays the groundwork for emergent books and to reading. Similar to the way that spoken language literacy skills. develops, the heart of this process is the interaction that takes

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place between the parent and the child, in this case as the parent reads to a child or tells a story. Emergent literacy The From these shared experiences the child develops an awareness of print, learns to recognize set of skills that develop before children and name letters, and becomes aware of the sounds associated with different letters (Gunn begin formal reading et al., 1995). As parents tell stories, children also develop listening and comprehension skills, instruction, which build their vocabulary, and become more comfortable using language themselves (Gunn et al., provide the foundation for later academic skills. 1995). However, for this process to work at its best, the child can’t just be a passive listener— Dialogic reading the child needs to be an active participant in the process (Johnson & Sulzby, 1999). A technique used to There is a specific technique that is particularly effective in developing early literacy skills, facilitate early literacy, which is known as dialogic reading. As the adult and child look at a picture book together, which involves an adult and a child looking at a they actively talk about it. The adult engages the child in the process by asking questions and book together while the encouraging a dialogue about what is going on in the story. What is essential to this process, adult asks questions and however, is that the partners then switch roles and the child becomes the storyteller and the encourages a dialogue, adult becomes the active listener and questioner (Ghoting & Martin-Díaz, 2006; Institute of followed by switching roles so the child asks Education Sciences, 2007). questions of the adult. In Chapter 7 you learned about Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. This concept helps explain why dialogic reading is such an effective technique. As you know, Vygotsky 6. Using flash cards, believed that children learn best when adults (or more skilled peers) expose them to ideas that repetition, and word are just a bit beyond where they are in their own development. Anything too far beyond that drills is a good way is just going to go over the child’s head because it is much too advanced, and anything that is to ensure that a TRUE/FALSE below the child’s own level of performance won’t contribute to his learning because it is what child develops early literacy skills. the child already knows. When an adult is successful at keeping the dialogue and question- ing during dialogic reading within the child’s zone of proximal development, the interactions False. Techniques such as these make build upon the child’s existing skills and move the child to the next level of understanding. the child passive. This also helps explain why research has generally found that techniques such as flash cards, Children learn workbooks, and repetitive drills do not have a beneficial effect on the development of early literacy skills much more effectively literacy skills for children with average abilities (Gerard, 2004; Stipek, Milburn, Clements, & when you use Daniels, 1992). Such approaches separate acquiring specific literacy skills from the rich con- techniques that are text of reading and do not provide the same sort of sensitive feedback and interaction that interactive and that actively involve the dialogic reading can provide. child in the process. The basic technique in dialogic reading is the PEER sequence. During the interaction with the child, “the adult Prompts the child to say something about the book, Evaluates the child’s response, Expands upon the child’s response by rephrasing and adding information to it, and Repeats the prompt to make sure the child has learned from the expansion” (Whitehurst, 1992, para. 10). If you are looking at a book with a picture of several animals, you might prompt the child to respond by saying, “Do you see a kitty here?” If the child says, “Here’s a kitty,” you can say, “Yes [the evaluation], and she is sitting next to a doggie [the expansion].” And to complete the sequence, repeat, “The doggie is sitting next to the kitty.” The goal is to ask questions that encourage the child to think about what she is seeing and to build her language skills in answer to your questions. Being able to come up with prompts that keep the dialogue going is at the heart of this pro- cess. Whitehurst (1992) provides examples of five types of prompts that can be used:

u Completion prompts involve leaving a blank at the end of a sentence that the child can fill in. When a child correctly completes the sentence, it helps her understand the structure of lan- guage, which will later help her learn to read. If you say, “I think I’ll go to the store and buy a ______,” you need a noun to correctly complete the sentence, but if you say, “When I ride my bicycle, I go very ______,” you need an adverb to correctly complete this one. u Recall prompts ask the child for information about what has already been read. “Where did the little girl want to go?” or “Why was Emma feeling sad?” helps the child pay attention to the plot of the story and how it unfolds. This type of prompt also aids in memory development. u Open-ended prompts ask the child to describe what is happening in a picture. They are differ- ent from completion prompts because the child isn’t responding to a specific question that

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you have posed. The child can describe anything she sees and finds interesting. This gives the child the opportunity to use her expressive language and to pay attention to detail. u W- prompts are the w questions that reporters use when gathering information for a story—what, where, when, why, and how (not a w word, but still important for gathering information). If you ask the child what the character in the story is going to do next, why the character is excited, or where the she thinks the character will go next, you are helping develop her thought processes while building vocabulary. u Distancing prompts take the child out of the storybook to make her think about the real world. If you are reading a story about a dog, you might stop to ask the child about an experience she has recently had with a dog. You might say something like “This dog looks a lot like the dog that we saw at Aunt Cindy’s house last week. Do you remember that dog? What did you like about him?”

From this description, you can see how reading becomes an active rather than a passive Video Link 9.7 process for the child when you use these techniques. Many adults love to read to children to Dialogic reading. expose them to books and new ideas that come from them, but Whitehurst (1992) has pointed out that no one has ever learned to play the piano by simply listening to someone else play. Dialogic reading provides the essential dimension of active involvement and practice, prac- tice, practice that is required in order to develop a complex skill like reading. Follow the direc- tions in Active Learning: Dialogic Reading to see how you can use this approach when reading with a child.

ACTIVE Using Dialogic Reading LEARNING Using the techniques of dialogic reading is a skill and requires practice. Use this as an opportunity to read to a young child (preferably a child who is 3 or 4 years old). If you choose a book you are familiar with (perhaps a favorite book from your own childhood), you will know the story well enough that you can focus your attention on providing prompts for the child. You might want to create a little “cheat sheet” for yourself before you begin because when you are first using dialogic reading, you will probably find yourself stumped from time to time about what kind of prompt to use next. If you practice this technique, however, creating these opportunities for learning will become quite natural to you. Finding that zone of proximal development and pitching your comments and questions to a child at just the right level to advance the child’s understanding is what many parents, and all good teachers, do all the time.

By the age of 3 or 4, children usually can “read” familiar books by retelling stories using the pictures as cues (Johnson & Sulzby, 1999). At around this same age, they begin to experi- ment with writing in scribbles. As children gain experience with books, they begin to under- stand the relationship between the words on the page and the content of the story. They learn that it is the words, not the pictures, that tell the story in a book, and they learn the conventions of written language (for example, in English the text is read from the top of the page to the bottom and from left to right) (Gunn et al., 1995). Young children also learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet and the sounds associated with them (which is called Phonological phonological awareness) (Gunn et al., 1995). Children can pick up this information awareness Learning either through formal instructions or incidentally from being exposed to print information. to recognize the letters After children have learned to write the letters of the alphabet and have made connections of the alphabet and the sounds associated between letters and their sounds, they often begin to invent their own spelling of words with them. (Johnson & Sulzby, 1999). The results may initially be incomprehensible—for example, a child might write train as chran—but this first writing is the basis for further learning about spelling and writing, as we will discover in the next section.

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Language Development in School-Age Children

Children gradually come to understand that words are not the same as what they stand for. This understanding is the basis for metalinguistic abilities, in which children begin to think Metalinguistic about language and how to use it (Pan, 2005). In the following example, 4-year-old Alexander abilities The ability to think about and talk had a specific idea about how words are formed and what they mean: about language. Alexander: I’m not the cook, I’m the cooker, Mummy. I’m the cooker today. Mother explained that the stove was the cooker. Alexander (furious): No, no, no, that’s the cook, it’s me the cooker. (Karmiloff & Karmiloff- Smith, 2001, p. 80) Alexander was sure that -er added to a word indicates that it refers to a living thing, not an object. He was focused on how the words are formed to express the ideas correctly. Try Active Learning: Metalinguistic Awareness to see how older children start to appre- ciate words as words (for example, “I like the sound of the word brussels sprouts, even though I don’t like to eat them!”).

Metalinguistic Awareness ACTIVE LEARNING To see whether children at various ages understand that a word is not the same as what it refers to, try the fol- lowing activity. Ask the child, “What are your favorite things?” and then ask, “What are your favorite words?” For each response to each question, ask why it is her favorite. Compare your child’s responses with those of classmates who interviewed children at different ages. Preschoolers are not likely to differentiate words from the things they refer to. They are likely to say their favorite word is lollipop because such candies are delicious. Older children are more likely to know the word is not the same as the thing. They may say they like the same word, lollipop, but their reason will be because they like the sounds it makes (Pan, 2005).

These new metalinguistic abilities allow children to use language in new ways. For example, humor takes on a new dimension, as in this example: KNOCK KNOCK Who’s there? Lettuce. Lettuce who? Lettuce in, we’re hungry!

As we can see from this example, many jokes require a fairly sophisticated understanding of language. You won’t think the joke is funny unless you understand you have been tricked because the sounds for lettuce and let us are the same but the meanings are very different. This implies an understanding about words themselves, in this case that words we say can sound alike but indicate very different things. Table 9.1 describes and illustrates some of the changes in what children find funny as they get older. As you look at these stages, think about what cognitive advances are necessary for a child to move from one stage of humor to another. School-age children develop the ability to use words to mean something beyond their literal meaning. For example, they can use a metaphor such as School is a ball! or Love is war. They also begin to use irony or sarcasm, in which the speaker means the opposite of what he is really saying: Oh my, how beautiful that outfit is, with the big tomato stain on the front. A younger child might believe that you seriously like the design she’s made with the tomato sauce.

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Table 9.1

Children’s humor. What children find funny largely depends on their stage of cognitive development, but the sense that something is inappropriate or incongruous underlies most of what we find funny. Paul McGhee (1979) describes the development of children’s humor in these stages.

Stage* Description Example 1 (beginning of year 2) Incongruous juxtaposition of Holding a stuffed animal to your ear and talking into it as though it were a objects, image, or action telephone 2 (end of year 2 Incongruous labeling of Intentionally naming objects incorrectly (for example, pointing to your nose when through late preschool objects and events (physical someone asks where your ear is) years) activity is not required) 3 (age 3) Conceptual incongruity A violation of the concept of an object (for example, saying that a cat says “moo,” calling a boy by a girl’s name, or drawing a bicycle with square wheels) 4 (age 7) Multiple meanings Using words that have double meanings (for example, “Order in the court!” “I’d like a ham on rye”; “Take a bath.” “OK, where should I take it?”) Adolescence and Preference for spontaneous wit and amusing anecdotes over memorized jokes adulthood and riddles

*Note that the appearance of a new type of humor does not displace the earlier types. For example, although adolescents prefer spontaneous wit to memorized jokes, both adolescents and adults can be amused by a clever pun or play on words. If you found yourself giggling at any of these examples, you realized that even childish humor can still be amusing.

Reading in School-Age Children

With regard to written language, children begin to acquire the skills of conventional literacy as they move from kindergarten to first grade. Journey of Research: What’s the Best Way to Learn to Read? describes the approaches and debates that have surrounded this question over the years.

What’s the Best Way to Learn to Read?

here has been quite a debate over the years first-grade reader used only 300 words) and a great about which approach is the best one to use deal of repetition (Moran, 2000) so that students could T to teach children how to read. The two broad easily learn to recognize all of the words. New words JOURNEY of approaches that have been widely used are the pho- were added slowly and repeated frequently after they nics (or basic skills) approach, which focuses on letter- were introduced. RESEARCH sound relationships, and whole language instruction, Perhaps you are familiar with another children’s which focuses on using reading materials that are inher- book that uses this same look-say approach. Theodor ently interesting to the child (Education Week, 2004). Seuss Geisel (better known to us as Dr. Seuss) was Phonics (or basic skills) approach An approach Children had traditionally learned to read using asked by his publisher to create a children’s primer that to teaching reading what today is called authentic literature, such as the used only 225 “new reader” vocabulary words. The that starts with basic Bible or literary classics. They had an inherent inter- result was the publication in 1957 of one of the most elements like letters and phonemes and teaches est in being able to read these books. However, in the popular children’s books, The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss children that phonemes 1930s, American schools began using basal readers Enterprises, 2002–2004). can be combined into to teach reading. Basal readers relied on nonphonic However, basal readers fell out of favor in the 1970s words before moving on to reading as a whole. sight-reading. They contained a limited vocabulary (a as phonics became the dominant approach to teaching

NOT FORFORDR DISTRIBUTION.DISTRIBUTIONON. CCoCopyrightpyrihight©t © 20112011 byb SAGESAGEPE Publications,Publbliicatitions, Inc.IInc. ThisThis samplesamplle materialmatteriiall isi nott yetyetft finalfiinal andandd may changechhange beforebefof re ppubublication.blilicatition. Chapter 9. Language Development 23

reading (Carbo, 1996). The phonics approach is a bot- language approach was being questioned, as much Whole language tom-up approach because it starts with basic elements by politicians who were emphasizing accountability in instruction A way to teach reading like letters and phonemes and moves up to words schools as by educators who were critical of the nega- that emphasizes before moving on to reading as a whole (Armbruster, tive effect this approach had on students’ performance understanding the Lehr, & Osborn, 2001). With this approach, children in subjects other than reading. meaning of words from the context in learn that words are composed of separate sounds or In 2001, the National Institute of Child Health which they appear. phonemes and that phonemes can be combined into and Human Development, together with the U.S. Balanced reading words (for example, you would learn the sounds asso- Department of Education, convened a panel of read- approach An approach ciated with the letters c and a and t before you would ing experts who were charged to survey the scientific to teaching reading that combines combine those sounds into the word cat). Children literature on reading. The panel conducted a meta- elements of the whole also learn that the process can be reversed and words analysis (see Chapter 3 to review how this research language approach can be sounded out by breaking them down into their methodology is used) on 38 studies and reached (which emphasizes phonemes (Texas Education Agency, 2004). Phonics the conclusion that there was “solid support for comprehension and meaning) with elements places the emphasis on building these skills through the conclusion that systematic phonics instruction of the phonics approach exercises and practice. The phonics approach has makes a more significant contribution to children’s (which emphasizes been shown to be effective with at-risk students when growth in reading than do alternative programs pro- decoding of words). they are first learning to read (Moustafa, 2001), and viding unsystematic or no phonics instruction” phonological skills are considered by some to be the (National Reading Panel, 2000, Section 2, p. 45). best predictor of children’s success in learning to read The report almost immediately came under criticism (Bingham & Pennington, 2007). You can try some exer- (see Camilli, Vargas, & Yurecko, 2003; Garan, 2001; cises using this approach in Active Learning: Phonics Shanahan, 2004; Yatvin, 2002). Can Be Fun. Where do we stand today? Although there still is In the 1990s, however, the whole language controversy about which approach is “best,” there is approach gained favor over phonics in the educational increasing support for a balanced reading approach community (Pearson, 2004). The whole language that combines elements of both the whole language approach is a top-down approach that emphasizes and the phonics approach (Education Week, 2004; understanding the meaning of words from the con- Pearson, 2004; Stoicheva, 1999). Children need to be text in which they appear (Armbruster et al., 2001). able to decode words, but they also need to compre- Advocates for a whole language approach draw a hend the meaning of what they read. However, the bal- parallel between this way of learning to read and the ance between these two skills might change from one way that children naturally learn spoken language situation to another. For instance, the emphasis might (Armbruster et al., 2001). In a language-rich environ- be greater on phonics early in the process of learning ment, children first learn individual words to represent to read and might shift gradually to more of a whole objects, actions, or desires and then learn to put the language approach as there is a greater need to read individual words together into meaningful sentences. for comprehension. In this view, the purpose of reading is to extract Marie Carbo (1996) has suggested that after meaning from the text rather than to decode indi- 70 years of research we should recognize that no single vidual letters, phonemes, and syllables (Gove, 1983; approach to learning how to read is likely to be most McCormick, 1988). effective for every child. Which approach works best The whole language approach returned to an can largely depend on the learning style of the child emphasis on authentic literature that had an inherent who is learning to read. She points out that children interest for children, rather than on books built around who have a visual, tactile, and global reading style will teaching a set of reading skills. However, this change enjoy the whole language approach and will be able to did not always sit well with teachers who knew that stu- learn from it. On the other hand, these children may dents benefitted from instruction and who recognized find phonics both boring and confusing. However, chil- that it was not enough to immerse students in literature dren who are analytic learners and have strong audi- and expect them to figure out the principles of reading tory styles can do very well in a phonics program. For on their own. Not only did reading suffer, but so did the these students, a whole language approach may feel students’ mastery of subject content because many too disorganized and haphazard. As with many things had difficulty reading textbooks (Pearson, 2004). By in the field of development, finding the right fit is often the end of the 1990s, the effectiveness of the whole what works the best for children.

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ACTIVE Phonics Can Be Fun LEARNING Descriptions of phonics-based reading programs sometimes sound like they are all practice and drill, but activities related to phonics can be fun, as well as educational, for children. The game of “Let’s Pretend” helps children focus on the sound of words. You can play this game with an elementary school-age child or group of children. First ask the children to decide on a place where they want to go. Then have them try to name objects that they would take with them that start with the same letter as the place they are going (Texas Education Agency, 2004). For instance, if they want to go to the beach, they could say they want to take a ball, a blanket, and a bottle of water. Another word game adapts the nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty” and lets the children fill in words that rhyme at the end of each sentence. This is an example taken from the Texas Education Agency (2004, handout #2): Teacher: Let’s make up our own “Humpty Dumpty.” (The teacher then provides the first line of the rhyme.)

Humpty Dumpty sat on a pear.

Humpty Dumpty had ______(a child might say curly hair).

Humpty Dumpty rode a ______(bear).

Humpty Dumpty went to ______(the fair).

The children fill in the blanks with any word that rhymes and makes sense in the sentence. This game could be adapted to use with groups. The first group to come up with an appropriate word scores a point.

7. By the time they Whichever approach—or combination of approaches—schools adopt to teach read- reach eighth grade, fewer than one third ing, there is reason for optimism that reading ability is getting better, but there still is a great TRUE/FALSE of students in the deal of room for improvement. The most recent report on the results from the National United States are Assessment of Educational Progress showed some modest gains from earlier assessments reading at or above for both fourth-grade students and eighth-grade students (Lee, Grigg, & Donahue, 2007). their grade level. In this sample of 350,000 students, 34% of fourth-grade public school students were read- True. In fact, a ing below what is considered a basic level (partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills), recent national assessment of another 34% were reading at the basic level, 24% were reading at a level considered proficient reading proficiency (solid academic performance), and 7% were at an advanced level (superior performance) (Lee in over 350,000 et al., 2007, p. 16). Among the eighth graders tested, 27% were below the basic level of skills, students found that 29% of eighth- 43% were at the basic level, 27% were scored as proficient, and only 2% were considered grade students were advanced (p. 34). That means that across the two grade levels, about two thirds of the sample reading at a level was reading at or below the basic level. Although a number of groups showed some gains, considered to be proficient or above. there remained a gap between genders (with girls outperforming boys) and between ethnic and racial groups. State-by-state changes from 2005 to 2007 are shown in Figure 9.4.

Writing Skills

Even very young children love to take a crayon or marker and “write” a letter or story. The earliest writing skills (similar to what we saw for the development of reading skills) are basic: Children understand that writing moves from left to right (in English-speaking coun- tries), from the top of the page down, and that it is meant to convey information. As their fine motor skills improve they can now begin to write recognizable letters. Figure 9.5 is an

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Figure 9.4

Changes in reading comprehension scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. This map shows a state-by-state comparison of changes in the scores of 350,000 fourth- and eighth-grade students who were assessed in 2005 and 2007. Although there was some improvement, 30 states did not show a change in scores for students in either grade. Compared with 2005,

u 4 states and jurisdictions (District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, and Maryland) improved at both grades (shown in teal); u 13 states (Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming) and Department of Defense schools improved at Grade 4 only (shown in red); u 2 states (Texas and Vermont) improved at Grade 8 only (shown in orange); u 2 states (North Dakota and Rhode Island) declined at Grade 8 (shown in white); and u 30 states showed no significant change at either grade (shown in gray).

T D

MA W RI

IA PA I J

S MD DC

M MS DoDEA AL GA

T

A FL

HI

example of how writing skills develop in young children. Remember from Chapter 6 that children develop their fine motor skills as they develop motor control that moves down their arms to their fingers. 8. When young children Children love being able to write their own names and often master this skill even before use spelling that they have “invented” (rather they enter school. Early writing is another skill in which phonological awareness plays an than conventional TRUE/FALSE important role. Children will sound out familiar words and “spell” them phonetically. spelling), it slows down Contrary to what some adults think, using invented spelling does not slow down or pre- their ability to learn how to spell correctly. vent a young child from learning conventional spelling. In fact, it can even help them with the task of learning to read (Ouellette & Senschal, 2008). When kindergarten children False. Phonetic (or invented) spelling does were trained “to increase the sophistication of their naturally occurring invented spellings” not slow down or harm (p. 904), a process that ordinarily occurs as children move toward learning conventional a child’s ability to learn spelling, this group showed more advanced invented spellings and reading of words than to spell correctly. children without this training.

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Figure 9.5

Early writing. This writing sample from a prekindergarten child shows how much progress is made in just a few short months. Children take great pride in learning how to write their names.

This is how I write my name: This is how I write my name: This is how I write my name:

September 2007 December 2007 February 2008

In the early elementary grades, children begin to learn and apply conventional spelling rules (such as adding the suffix -ed to a word to form the past tense) and to learn more about the typical patterns of occurrence of certain letters in their written language (Kemp & Bryant, 2003). The eventual goal is for the process of spelling to become automatic (Rittle-Johnson & Siegler, 1999) so that the retrieval of information on how to spell a word is very quick and very accurate. However, “writing” is more than correctly shaping letters on a piece of paper or string- ing words together. We use writing to communicate our ideas, so writing also must include composition skills. Children in the early elementary grades may write about a topic by simply tying together a series of statements that describe the facts (McLane & McNamee, 1990), Knowledge telling but there is an important difference between knowledge telling (what younger children A style of writing (typical of younger children) do) and knowledge transforming (what adolescents and adults do). When you rely on in which the writer knowledge telling, you proceed with little or no evidence of planning or organization of ideas proceeds with little or no (Bryson & Scardamalia, 1991) with the goal of telling as much as you know about the topic evidence of planning or organization of ideas, you are writing on. In knowledge transforming, however, the goal becomes to take infor- with the goal of telling as mation and transform it into ideas that you can share with your reader so that the reader much as he knows about understands and learns from them. It attempts to convey a deep understanding of the sub- a topic. ject. However, the fact that teenagers are capable of doing this does not mean that they nec- Knowledge essarily do it. transforming A style of writing (typical of older children and adolescents) in which the goal is to convey a The Language of Teenagers deeper understanding of a subject by taking The language of teenagers can sound quite a bit different from that of many adults. In one information and transforming it into ideas sense adolescent speech becomes more adult-like in that it becomes increasingly complex. that can be shared with a Sentences are longer, and the grammar is more complex. However, adolescents are also reader so that the reader more likely to use slang or made-up words, especially with each other. They may do this for understands and learns fun or to bond with a particular group, or simply to identify with being an adolescent. Teens from those ideas. often change the meaning of a word to its opposite: That’s sick comes to mean “it’s really good” (Karmiloff & Karmiloff-Smith, 2001). Shortcuts may be developed. The very polite Hello, how do you do? becomes ’sup? Adolescent slang sometimes catches on with the wider

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society and becomes part of how every- one talks (Ely, 2005). We were going to include a list of teen slang words here but realized that they would likely be outdated by the time this book came out. Instead, if you are not far beyond adolescence yourself, think about which words you use with your friends but not with older people, like your parents. Do you have any idea about the origin of those words? Were you using differ- ent words when you were in high school or middle school? Is the slang you use particular to the area of the country in which you live or to a particular group to which you belong? Different regions of the country and different subgroups Teen communication. Many adolescents use their cell phones to text their friends. Although within the country develop their own texting uses a lot of abbreviations and special terminology, it fortunately doesn’t seem to particular slang. (Teens from Nebraska interfere with adolescents’ ability to use standard English. are less likely than teens from California to use slang pertaining to surfing.) In recent years, teen language has also been influenced by electronic communication, such as instant messaging and text messaging. As communicators try to make interactions as efficient as possible, they have developed shorthand methods, such as substituting the well- known LOL for laugh out loud or using u instead of you. For example, a conversation might proceed as follows:*

SUP (what’s up?) NMU (not much, what about you?) AAS (alive and smiling) P911 (parents coming into room alert) G2G (gotta go)

Recent research has found that adolescents are more likely than either older or younger individuals to use text messaging (Drouin & Davis, 2009). Although there has been some con- cern expressed about whether the continual use of the abbreviations that are typical of text messages would negatively affect a young person’s ability to spell or write standard English, this does not appear to be the case. When a group of college students who were regular users of “text speak” were compared to other college students who were not, there was no signifi- cant difference between the groups on tests of their literacy level or ability to correctly spell common text speak words (Drouin & Davis, 2009). What is interesting, however, is that both frequent users and those who did not frequently text thought that texting would hurt their ability to use standard English. These shortcuts do occasionally sneak into students’ written school papers, so it is important for students to learn when it is appropriate to use them and when it is not. University and business leaders alike are concerned about the number of high school graduates who do not have good writing skills. A survey conducted in 2004 by the

*SOURCE: Webopedia.com.

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National Commission on Writing gathered information from the human resource directors of 120 major American companies. Among the findings that emerged from the survey was the fact that one half of the respondents said that they take writing into consideration when hiring an employee (especially for salaried employees) and that a poorly written application might not be considered for any position. They also reported that two thirds of salaried employees have some responsibility for writing as part of their job and that communicating clearly plays a role in promotion and retention. One respondent to the survey succinctly said, “You can’t move up without writing skills” (p. 3). The National Commission on Writing concluded that employees’ writing deficiencies cost American businesses as much as $3.3 billion a year. Although teens may have their own ways of talking and writing, when they enter the business world, they need to have a good set of language and writing skills if they expect to be successful.

Bilingualism and Bilingual Education

9. When a young Learning to speak a language is a complex cognitive task, so learning to speak two differ- child learns two ent languages is even more cognitively complex. For this reason, parents sometimes wonder languages at the TRUE/FALSE same time, the whether being bilingual is so demanding that it will hurt a child’s overall cognitive develop- extra effort it takes ment. Fortunately this does not appear to be the case. Many people around the world speak to learn the second more than one language, and a growing body of research on bilingualism indicates that par- language slows down the child’s ents do not need to worry about having their children learn two languages at the same time at general cognitive an early age (Bialystok & Viswanathan, 2009; Hakuta & Garcia, 1989; Kovács & Mehler, 2009; development. Sorace, 2006). Children who simultaneously learn two languages reach language milestones at False. Young approximately the same age as children who are monolingual (Petitto et al., 2001). However, children actually there is not strong research support for the idea that bilingualism gives children an across-the- can learn two board advantage in cognitive performance. Ellen Bialystok (2001), an expert in bilingualism languages simultaneously and second-language acquisition, has said that “broadly based statements about intellectual without great superiority are probably excessive and unsupportable” (p. 188), although there is evidence to difficulty. Contrary to support the idea that bilingual children have some advantages over monolingual children in the belief that doing this might hurt the some specific cognitive processes. child’s cognitive Learning a second language at a young age makes it more likely that the child will speak it development, there without a detectable accent (Asher & Garcia, 1969) and will be proficient at using the language is some evidence that in some ways (Johnson & Newport, 1989). Although not all research indicates that there is an early and criti- it actually cal period for acquiring a second language (Birdsong & Molis, 2001), research on brain function enhances it. has shown that children who learn two languages from a very young age use the same parts of the brain to process both languages, while children who learn a second language in ado- lescence use a different part of the brain for that second language (Blakeslee, 1997). There also is growing evidence of enhanced executive control in bilingual children. You will remember from Chapter 7 that executive control functions include an ability to inhibit a response when necessary and the ability to be cognitively flexible and to shift focus from one task to another (Diamond, 2006). Bialystok and Viswanathan (2009) recently reported that bilingual 8-year- old children demonstrated more skill than monolingual children on tasks that required inhibi- tory control and cognitive flexibility. Interestingly, the bilingual children in this study were children in Canada and India who all spoke English but who spoke a variety of second lan- guages, including Cantonese, French, Hebrew, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Telugu. Differences in executive function even appear in preverbal infants who are from bilingual homes. After infants from monolingual and bilingual homes had learned to anticipate an event based on a verbal clue, when the clue changed the infants from bilingual homes were able to more easily shift to a new response (Kovács & Mehler, 2009).

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Research also has found that bilingual children have an advantage in solving problems that require the child to ignore irrelevant or misleading infor- mation to solve the problem correctly, have greater mental flexibility and greater creativity, are better at scientific problem solving, and have better concept formation (Andreou & Karapetsas, 2004; Bialystok, 2001; Hakuta, 1987; Hakuta & Garcia, 1989). In other words, they have metalinguistic skills that allow them to understand and think about language in a more advanced way, including having an understand- ing of the relative nature of language (that is, that the same object can be called by any of several different names—an object called table in English can also be called mesa in Spanish). However, on other measures Bilingual classrooms. Many children in U.S. classrooms speak more than there are no differences between monolingual chil- one language. The American educational system has adapted to this diversity through a variety of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) programs. dren and bilingual children, and in some cases mono- lingual children have the advantage (Bialystok, 2007).

Bilingual Education—Sink or Swim?

esearch on bilingual education is embed- 2001). This trend was amplified when entry into ded in political, philosophical, and social World War I raised concerns in the United States R contexts. At times our educational system about the loyalty of non-English speakers and pro- has accommodated bilingualism, at times there voked hostility against people who spoke German has been opposition to it, and at still other times it (PBS, 2001). Eventually this hostility became hos- JOURNEY of has been largely ignored (Crawford, 1995). This tility against the use of any minority language in laissez-faire attitude resulted at least in part from the schools. By the mid-1920s, virtually all bilingual RESEARCH assumption that non-English speakers would want education in public schools had been eliminated to be assimilated into the great American “melting (PBS, 2001). pot” and would strive on their own to quickly learn The tide changed again in the 1960s against English so that the educational system wouldn’t a backdrop of desegregation in public schools need to do anything special to facilitate this. and the civil rights movement (Crawford, 1995). In the 18th and 19th centuries, immigrants Another important factor in this shift in attitude often lived in their own communities and ran their toward bilingualism was the sharp increase in the own schools in which instruction was given in their number of immigrants arriving in the country. native language (Public Broadcasting Service By the mid-1960s, immigrant populations com- [PBS], 2001). At this time, several states had laws prised a substantial part of the school-age popula- that allowed children to be taught in schools in the tion in some parts of the country. These immigrant language of their parents at the parents’ request. populations—Chinese families in San Francisco, However, by the end of the 1800s, the tide had Cuban families in Miami, and Chicano families started to change. For instance, Native Americans in Texas—increasingly demanded instruction in were forbidden to be taught in their native lan- their native language and the incorporation of their guage, and laws were passed that required that culture into the curriculum. In response, the fed- classes be taught in English (Crawford, 1995; PBS, eral government passed the Bilingual Education

(Continued)

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(Continued)

Act of 1968, which provided supplemental fund- spoke a language other than English in the child’s ing for instruction in native languages (PBS, 2001). home (National Clearinghouse for English Language Under this legislation, children with limited English Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational proficiency were seen as a special needs popula- Programs [NCELALIEP], 2006). Today children tion that required additional services. The legislation with limited English proficiency are the fastest- argued that children were being deprived of an edu- growing segment of the U.S. school-age population cation if they were taught in a language they did not (NCELALIEP, 2006). understand (Cromwell, 1998a). A second goal of this This increase in the number of non-native speak- legislation was to recognize and respect non-native ers, together with a growing dissatisfaction about students’ cultures and to recognize the cultural plural- the progress that the students were making in learn- ism in our society (Cromwell, 1998a). ing English in bilingual classes, provoked a backlash In the years that followed, the need for language that resulted in several pieces of state legislation in services for children who were not native English the 1980s and 1990s that again eliminated bilingual speakers continued to grow. By the 1980s, 40% of education or prohibited expenditures for classes in any the U.S. population consisted of minority-language language other than English (PBS, 2001). It is against speakers (PBS, 2001), and the 2000 U.S. Census this shifting backdrop of social change that research found that one out of every six school-age children on bilingual education has been conducted.

In the United States there are many children for whom English is not their first language, and it is not the language spoken in their home or neighborhood. However, when they get Video Link 9.8 to school, they are generally expected to understand and speak English. There has been Immersion program. much controversy about what is the best way to handle this situation and help ensure that these bilingual learners will be successful in school. See Journey of Research: Bilingual Immersion programs Programs for English Education—Sink or Swim? for a closer look at how our approach to teaching children who language learners in are learning English has developed over time. which the students are Programs designed to teach English to children who are not native speakers have taken a taught academic subjects in English, with teachers variety of forms in the United States. Some of the most common types of programs (Cromwell, tailoring the language they 1998a) include the following: use to the current language

level of their students. u Immersion programs in which the students are taught academic subjects in English, with teach- Transitional ers tailoring the language they use to the current language level of their students. bilingual education u Transitional bilingual education programs in which the students receive some instruction in programs Programs for their native language while they also receive concentrated instruction in learning English. The English language learners goal of transitional programs is to prepare the students to transition to regular classes in English as in which students receive soon as possible so they do not fall behind their peers in content areas such as math, science, and some instruction in their native language while they social studies (Ovando & McLaren, 2000). also receive concentrated u Developmental bilingual programs that build on students’ skills in their native language while instruction in learning they learn English as a second language. Students initially receive instructions in the core subjects English. in their native language but receive instruction in art, physical education, and music in English. As Developmental soon as they have sufficient skills in English, English is then used for instruction in the core subjects bilingual programs as well (Genesee & Cloud, 1998). Students typically remain in these programs longer than in tradi- Programs for English language learners in which tional transition programs, but they continue learning English throughout their time in the program.

students initially receive u Another program model that is used less frequently than other alternatives is a dual language instruction in core subjects program in which children who are native speakers of English and children who are non- in their native language native speakers work together in a classroom where both majority and minority language is used and receive instruction in (Lindholm-Leary, 2000). This type of program requires highly trained and skilled teachers who art, physical education, and music in English until can support the development of both languages in their students in a single language-integrated they have the language classroom. Proponents of this approach emphasize how it promotes bilingualism and academic skills to be instructed in the excellence for both groups of language learners and prepares the students for life in a multicultural core subjects in English. world (Lindholm-Leary, 2000).

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There has been a great deal of controversy about these various approaches to help- Dual language ing English language learners or children with limited English language proficiency learn programs Programs for English language English. Consequently it is difficult to determine which approach might be considered best or learners in which most effective. Many programs are not pure forms of the approaches we have just described, children who are native so it becomes difficult to compare and evaluate programs that are actually hybrids of several speakers of English and children who are approaches (Cromwell, 1998b; Guglielmi, 2008). As noted above in the Journey of Research, not work together in the intended goals of the programs have shifted from time to time to reflect changes in the a classroom where social and political context. For instance, if the goal is to assimilate recent immigrants into the both English and the children’s other native American language and culture, an immersion approach fits well with that goal. On the other languages are used. hand, if the goal is to promote multiculturalism, a dual language approach fits well with that goal (Ginn, 2008). A committee of the National Research Council (1997) has recommended that rather than trying to find a one-size-fits-all solution, research needs to identify a range of educational approaches that can be tailored to the characteristics of the children in a specific community, while taking into account local needs and the resources available to support the language program. The debate about how to best educate children who are not native speakers of English will continue within our schools because these children will continue to be a sizeable part of our school-age population. This means that there will be arguments for and against all of the approaches currently used, but Hakuta and Garcia (1989) summed up this debate by saying, “There is hardly any dispute over the ultimate goal of the programs—to ‘mainstream’ students in monolingual English classrooms with maximal efficiency. The tension has centered on the specific instructional role of the native language: How long, how much, and how intensely should it be used?” (p. 376).

Language Disorders

Communication Disorders

We have described the normal or typical pattern of language development in children, but it is also important to remember that there is a good deal of variability in the age at which children reach the various milestones that fall within the normal range. Some chil- dren surprise us by racing through the milestones sooner than we might expect (usually to parents’ great delight), but others lag behind (no doubt causing their parents some con- cern). One of the most important things that parents can do is to pay attention to how their child is progressing. If they have questions or concerns, they should talk to their pediatri- cian and perhaps have the child evaluated by a speech and language specialist. In most Expressive language disorder A disorder cases they will likely get reassurance that their child’s language development is in that in which a child has a normal range, but if a problem is identified, early intervention efforts are important and limited vocabulary and can be very effective. difficulty using tense correctly, recalling The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric words, or producing Association, 2000) identifies several communication disorders that affect children’s ability to sentences of the length listen, speak, and use language in their social communications and in school: and complexity that would be expected of a child of that age. u A child with expressive language disorder has a more limited vocabulary and has difficulty Phonological disorder using tense correctly, recalling words, or producing sentences of the length and complexity that A language disorder in which the child has would be expected of a child of that age. difficulty with producing u A child with phonological disorder has difficulty producing sounds or using sounds correctly for sounds or using sounds his age (for example, he substitutes one sound for another). correctly.

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Receptive-expressive u Receptive-expressive language disorder causes both the child’s receptive and the child’s language disorder expressive language development to be substantially below his performance on a standardized A disorder in which measure of nonverbal intelligence. In addition to the problems described above for an expressive a child has difficulty with both expressive language disorder, a child with receptive-expressive language disorder has difficulty with recep- language (using words tive language (that is, with understanding words or sentences). and language) and u Stuttering is a disorder in which the child has difficulty with fluency and time patterning of speech receptive language (this includes repeating sounds or syllables, pausing within a word, pausing in speech, or repeat- (understanding words ing whole words). and sentences). Again, any child (or adult, for that matter) might show any of these language prob- lems from time to time, but we wouldn’t consider this a disorder unless the problems are persistent, the child’s language is substantially below what would be expected for a child of the same age, and the problem interferes with other aspects of the child’s life, such as her ability to communicate in social interactions with others or her performance in school. Because some studies have found that language disorders are associated with difficulties in parent-child interaction and in social-emotional development, it is important that we iden- tify and treat them as early as possible so that we don’t let a whole set of secondary prob- lems develop in addition to the language difficulties (Desmarais, Sylvestre, Meyer, Bairati, & Rouleau, 2008). Video Link 9.9 Autism.

Asperger’s disorder Autism Spectrum Disorders A pervasive developmental disorder Autism was described in Chapter 6 as a pervasive development disorder that is character- at the mild end of the ized by difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal commu- autism spectrum, marked by a relatively nication, and repetitive behaviors with a strong need for sameness in the environment. high level of functioning Language development plays a central role in diagnosing this disorder, so we return to talk- but repetitive routines, ing about autism in this chapter, with a specific focus on the communication aspects of the inappropriate social and emotional behavior, and disorder. uncoordinated motor Remember that autism includes a range of conditions that runs from autism disorder at the movements. severe end to pervasive development disorder (not otherwise specified) and includes a much milder condition called Asperger’s dis- order (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Autism is not usually diagnosed before age 3, but one of the earliest indi- cations that something may be wrong is that the child does not reach regular milestones in language development, such as using single words by 16 months or combining two words by 2 years of age (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2009). The National Institute of Mental Health (2009) describes a num- ber of ways in which language develop- ment or the use of language is different for children along the autism spectrum (see also the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 2008). As we look at these, you are likely to develop a better under-

Building language skills. This special education teacher is coaching this autistic boy to use standing of the complexity of this devel- sign language to compensate for the problems he has with spoken language. opmental disorder.

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Some autistic children may not babble or make meaningful gestures, such as point- Echolalia A condition often seen in autistic children in ing to things that they want, or they may not respond to their name, but other children which they repeat what has with autism spectrum disorder coo and babble normally although their language doesn’t been said to them instead of develop from that point forward. Some autistic children remain mute responding appropriately. throughout their lives, but others develop some language although they may do it at an unusually late age (between 5 and 9 years) (NIMH, 2009). The child may know a number of words (in some cases even having an unusually large vocabulary) but may use single words over and over again or be unable to combine the words he does have into meaningful sentences. Some autistic children have echolalia, a condition in which they repeat what they hear (like an echo). For example, a parent asks a child, “What do you want, Johnny?” and the child responds, “What do you want, Johnny?” rather than answering the parent’s question. Children may do this when they are first learning a language, but the echolalia persists for children on the autism spectrum. Autistic children also may reply to questions in a way that is not responsive. For instance, if you ask a child if he would like something to drink, he might count from one to five for you. Children on the autism spectrum may respond in social situations with “scripts” for what they should say or do. For example, the autistic child may introduce herself by saying, “Hello, my name is Josephine,” even though you have met this child many times before and know that her name is Josephine. Autistic children also have difficulty with many of the skills that are part of what goes on in our typical day-to-day conversations with other people. Try Active Learning: Observing Conversation Skills to Nonverbal communication. Communication involves sharpen your understanding of the skills necessary to carry on an effective much more than what we say. Our expression, body language, and gestures also convey meaning. What do conversation. you understand about these girls’ conversation just from seeing them, without hearing what they are saying?

Observing Conversation Skills ACTIVE LEARNING You may not have thought about how many social skills we use when we engage in a conversation. All of these skills work together to give meaning to what we are saying and to ensure that we are actually communicating by exchanging information when we talk to each other. Find some place where you can watch people who know each other engage in conversation. A cafeteria on your campus or a student study lounge would be a good place to do this. If you do this activity in class, you can have some students be partners for this exercise by engaging in a conversation while other students con- duct the observations. To reduce some of the awkwardness, give the students a topic for their conversation. It can be something as simple as discussing the weather last week, something that has happened on your campus recently, or their opinion about whether or not we should ask for paper or plastic when we shop for our groceries (the topic really doesn’t matter very much, as long as it is not too controversial because we want to observe a conversation, not an argument). As they talk, for 3 to 5 minutes try to carefully observe all the things that they do to sustain that conversa- tion and to communicate effectively. When you have a list, compare it to the description of conversational clues in the text. How many of them did you notice and include in your notes?

In the United States, conversation is often marked by eye contact between the individ- uals who are talking. They may smile and nod when they agree with each other or frown if they do not agree. What we say is usually tied to our facial expression and our body language

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because we are integrated human beings, and all those pieces go together in a way that makes sense. Most of the time, one person waits for the other person to finish talking before adding something to the conversation. They take turns speaking and usually don’t interrupt or speak over the other person. They also try to keep the conversation going by adding new informa- tion to what has already been said or by asking questions about what the previous speaker has said. They keep an appropriate distance between each other (and “appropriate” depends on the culture you are in and the intimacy of the relationship). Friends often sit closer together than strangers or classmates who are talking to each other. Facial expressions, gestures, and body language fit the topic of the conversation. If the speakers are joking, their faces reflect their amusement, and they may throw their heads back and laugh out loud. If they are discuss- ing something distressing or serious, they may hunch over, bite their nails, or play with their fingers. If someone is sharing a concern or talking about a disappointment, the other person may reach out to touch his arm or back in consolation. If the topic changes from one thing to another, one of the speakers probably indicates that a new topic is being introduced into the conversation by saying something like “By the way . . .” or “I’ve been meaning to tell you . . .” or “What do you think about . . . ?” We also usually clearly indicate to the person we are speaking to when the conversation is over. We say something like “Well, it was interesting talking to you today” or “I’ve got to get to class now” or “I’ll see you later” to show that the conversation has reached a conclusion. As you read through the previous paragraph, the content probably seemed very common- sense and familiar. It may have been so familiar that you didn’t even make note of some of these things if you carried out the observation in the Active Learning feature. Now think for a moment how difficult it would be to have a conversation if the person you were speaking to didn’t look you in the eye when you spoke, didn’t respond to what you said or responded in a way that didn’t relate to what you had just said, didn’t show any facial expressions or use any gestures, or used expressions and gestures that were inappropriate for what he was say- ing (NIMH, 2009). These are all difficulties with the pragmatics of language that are frequently seen in autistic children. When autistic children fail to develop language or gestures (such as sign language) to express what they want or need, they may resort to simply grabbing what they want or scream- ing (NIMH, 2009). As they grow up and increasingly realize they have difficulty understanding others and making themselves understood, they may become depressed or anxious (NIMH, 2009). Anger, depression, and anxiety are not symptoms of autism itself. They are secondary consequences of living with this disorder and the challenges it brings with it. Diagnosing a child as autistic is a conclusion that has great consequences for the child and the family, so we want to make this decision with great caution. Although we typi- cally don’t label a child as autistic until he is 3 years or older, there is a growing body of evi- dence that symptoms of autism are apparent from much younger ages (Kalb, 2005; NIMH, 2009). While we don’t want to rush to judgment in making a diagnosis, there is good reason to identify this condition as soon as we can because the optimal intervention involves at least 2 years of intensive early intervention during the preschool years (Filipek et al., 1999; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [NINDS], 2008). Making a diagno-

Autism spectrum sis involves using neurologic assessments as well as cognitive and language testing (NIMH, disorders A group of 2009). These assessments are typically done by a team of specialists, which can include a conditions ranging psychologist or psychiatrist, a neurologist, a speech therapist, and/or other professionals from severe (autistic who work with children with autism spectrum disorders (NIMH, 2009). Based on their disorder) to mild (Asperger’s disorder) evaluation, the child’s strengths and weaknesses can be identified, and this information can and characterized by be used to develop a treatment plan that is tailored to the needs of the individual child. An pervasive impairment effective treatment plan will be designed to target the array of symptoms that are associated in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability with autism, including the impaired social interactions, language difficulties, and behavioral to relate to others. problems.

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Although there is no cure, early and appropriate intervention can bring about substantial improvement in these areas (NINDS, 2008). For instance, highly structured programs that include intensive skill-oriented training can help a child develop social and language skills that she lacks (NINDS, 2008). Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) services are provided to families with children under the age of 3 who have special needs. Dyslexia A learning disability in which Although each state decides for itself which agency will be responsible for providing these ser- individuals have difficulty vices, all states use specialists who are trained specifically to work with young children (NIMH, distinguishing or 2009). Together with the family, they develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) that separating the sounds in spoken words, creating describes the services that will be provided (including services to the family, not just the child), problems when they and this plan is reviewed at least once every 6 months. learn to spell and read written words. Dysgraphia A learning disability characterized Learning Disabilities by difficulties with writing, including As you learned in Chapter 8, learning disabilities is a broad term that encompasses a number trouble with spelling, of different types of learning problems. Here we will focus on learning disabilities that include handwriting, or expressing thoughts on the ability to understand or use spoken or written language (NINDS, 2007). These problems paper. often co-occur, so it is not unusual, for instance, for a child with delayed speech development to have more difficulty than other children learning how to read. These disabilities may be very frustrating for children. Think for a moment about that uncomfortable feeling that goes along with having a word you are searching for on the tip of your tongue, and you will be able to relate to the frustration that a child with a language disorder can experience on a regular basis (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 1997–2009). Reading and writing involve complex sets of skills that need to work together perfectly. When you read, you need to simul- taneously “focus attention on the printed marks and control eye movements across the page, recognize the sounds associated with letters, understand words and grammar, build ideas and images, compare new ideas to what you already know, [and] store ideas in memory” (NIMH, 1993, p. 4). This process requires the interaction and coordination of the visual, language, and memory portions of the brain. Children with dyslexia have particular difficulty distin- guishing or separating the sounds in spoken words, which creates problems when they are learning to spell and read written words (Council for Exceptional Children, 2009; NIMH, 1993). As children move through the grades, the reading that they are expected to do shifts from recognition of letters and words to much more complex tasks that involve concept formation and reading com- prehension. Some children with dyslexia may not be identi- fied until the reading demands reach this level. The writing disorder dysgraphia includes trouble with spelling, handwriting, or expressing thoughts on paper. Writing also is a complex skill because it involves the complex coordination of vocabulary, gram- mar, hand movements, and memory (NIMH, 1993). Learning disabilities are most often considered to be a result of damage to the brain, which can occur prenatally when the struc- ture of the brain is being laid down, through a lack of oxygen to the brain during the birth process itself, or after birth due to environ- Reading can be a struggle. Many children take great mental events such as exposure to toxins, severe malnutrition, or pleasure in being able to read, but for a child with a learning disability, reading can be a day-to-day struggle. Children even an injury to the head (NIMH, 1993). However, the specific with identified learning disabilities can receive special reason for a child’s learning disability is often not known. Research services in their schools.

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on the possible causes of learning disabilities continues because a better understanding of causes will help us do a better job of preventing learning disabilities in the future or develop more effective interventions. 10. Most children Although learning disabilities have their roots in early development, they usually are not who are learning identified until children reach school age and need to begin developing their reading and writ- disabled have TRUE/FALSE average or ing skills. Children develop these abilities at different rates, so we should never jump to the above-average conclusion that a child has a learning disability if she is slower to read and write than other intelligence. children. The child may need better instructions or more practice and time to develop these True. Learning skills (National Center for Learning Disabilities [NCLD], 2010). However, if the child’s difficul- disabilities are not ties persist, then it is time to ask the school for an evaluation and assessment. Other causes for the same thing as retardation. They the child’s difficulty must be ruled out before we make the diagnosis of a learning disability. We involve an inability have to eliminate sensory impairment (for example, vision loss or hearing impairment), serious of the brain to emotional disturbance, cultural differences, or insufficient or inappropriate instructions as pos- process certain specific types of sible causes of the child’s difficulty (NCLD, 2010). We also need to rule out mental impairment. information, but Children who are learning disabled are not mentally retarded, and most children who have overall intelligence a learning disability have average to above-average general intelligence (ASHA, 1997–2009; is not the issue. NCLD, 2010). The National Center for Learning Disabilities (2010) estimates that 2.8 million children in the United States have a specific learning disability, and the Council for Exceptional Children (2009) reports that more than 50% of the students in special education have a learning disabil- ity. Once a child has been diagnosed with a learning disability, the federal IDEA requires that appropriate services be provided. Collaboration among classroom teachers, support specialists, and parents is essential for an optimal outcome for the child. Children with learning disabilities face more than academic challenges in the classroom, so parents and teachers need to be sensitive to these other sources of stress in the child’s life. Because day-to-day expectations in the classroom are difficult for this child, it can have a nega- tive effect on the child’s self-esteem (Alexander-Passe, 2006; NCLD, 2010). Children with learning disabilities also may lack interpersonal and social skills that make it difficult for them to make and keep friends, leading to feelings of loneliness (NCLD, 2010). Because children who are different from other children can become a target for bullies, teachers and other school personnel need to be particularly vigilant to protect these children from harm to their physical well-being, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Children on their own try to find ways to cope with their challenges. Some underreact by withdrawing from the situation (for example, avoiding school, trying to avoid being called on in class) or by becoming extremely anxious (Thomson, 1996). Others overreact by acting out (for example, becoming the class clown, being aggressive toward other children, engaging in deviant or delinquent behavior) (Alexander-Passe, 2006; Thomson, 1996). Although these are coping mechanisms (and we all use them), they are not productive ones. Withdrawing from a stressful situation may temporarily ease your anxiety, but it doesn’t solve your problem. Acting up gets you attention, but it doesn’t help you meet your challenges. Problems that arise in the elementary school years can persist and become worse as chil- dren with learning disabilities move into adolescence (Gerber et al., 1990). Recent research that looked at how adolescents with dyslexia coped found some important and interesting gender differences (Alexander-Passe, 2006). This research found that girls were more likely to try to find ways to make themselves feel better about the situation. For instance, they were more likely than boys to try to avoid the tasks at hand or to distract themselves from their problems by socializing with friends rather than studying. In contrast, boys were more likely than girls to attack the situation directly in an attempt to deal with it. They showed persistence and hard work and tried to analyze their past attempts to figure out what went wrong and could be cor- rected in the future. Similar patterns of gender differences in coping have been found in other research (Greenglass, 2002; Nolen-Hoeksema, 1987; Ptacek, Smith, & Dodge, 1994). In this

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study, being dyslexic had a greater effect on the academic and general self-esteem of girls than it had on the self-esteem of boys, and girls reported higher levels of depression. One recommendation, based on these results, is that in addition to the educational needs of students with dyslexia, these students also need special attention to help improve their self- esteem and deal with the emotional fallout from the challenges they face. With appropriate help, many students who have learning disabilities are able to enroll in college and are success- ful in getting their degree. Many colleges offer support services, such as untimed tests or note- taking services, for students with identified disabilities. You may want to explore the services available on your campus for such students. A particularly encouraging note comes from another recent study (Seo, Abbott, & Hawkins, 2008) that followed a group of students with learning disabilities from age 10 into young adulthood. Across a number of outcomes, including postsecondary school attainment, rates of employment, amount of earned income, and receiving public assistance, there were no significant differences between students with learning disabilities and their peers except that the former were more likely to be receiving public aid at age 21 (but not at age 24). While not all research on students with learning disabilities has found such positive adult outcomes (for example, Zadok-Levitan & Bronz, 2004), when young people are proactive in dealing with their disability, set goals for themselves, are self-aware and emotionally stable, and have good social support, they can be highly successful (Goldberg, Higgins, Raskind, & Herman, 2003; Raskind, Gerber, Goldberg, Higgins, & Herman, 1998; Seo et al., 2008).

Conclusion

Language is essential to the human experience. We communicate our ideas, feelings, and needs with language, and we use language to understand the world. Infants and toddlers around the world seem to go through the same stages in learning language, and by age 3 or 4, most are able to speak fairly clearly to those around them. Language development does not end in preschool. All four aspects of language (phonology, syntax, semantics, and prag- matics) continue to develop and become more complex and sophisticated through adoles- cence. Children must also learn to decipher written language if they live in a literate society. When children have difficulty with language development, as in the case of autism or learning disabilities, it is imperative that parents, teachers, and other professionals take all necessary steps to ensure that children achieve the highest level they can attain. As we saw from the description of communication disorders, there are a number of ways in which the language development of an individual child can differ from the typical path that most children follow. However, we also saw that there are approaches that can be used to support the child’s lan- guage development or communication skills. Language is just one aspect of a child’s cognitive development, but it is a central one in most societies around the world.

CHAPTER SUMMARY

1. What are the four different aspects of language that 2. What are the basic theories about how children develop researchers study? language? Language includes phonology (the sounds that make Behaviorism (B. F. Skinner) emphasizes the role of rein- up the language), syntax (the grammar of the language), forcement in the environment as a way to motivate and semantics (the meanings of words), and pragmatics (how shape children’s language development, but social cog- we use language in social situations to communicate). nitive theory (Albert Bandura) emphasizes the role of

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imitation of the language that children hear. 5. What are egocentric speech and private Nativism (Noam Chomsky) emphasizes speech? How are they similar, and how do the role of biology by explaining language they differ? development as a result of our brain’s inborn Young children’s language often is not truly capacity to learn language. Interactionism communicative. Piaget describes this as ego- brings these ideas together by stating that centric speech, which reflects an inability children’s biological readiness to learn lan- of young children to take the role of the per- guage must work together with their experi- son listening to them. Eventually all speech ences with language in their environment becomes social as the child learns to take to bring about language development. into account the listener’s point of view. Cognitive processing theory is a new According to Vygotsky, private speech (like approach that emphasizes the “data crunch- egocentric speech) is spoken out loud, but it ing” capacity of the human mind, suggesting is not used for social communication. Instead, that infants statistically analyze the speech private speech is used to direct one’s own they hear in order to figure out language. actions, and it eventually is internalized and becomes silent thought. 3. What parts of the brain are specialized for language? 6. What is metalinguistic ability, and how is it Two areas of the brain are particularly impor- demonstrated in middle childhood? tant for language development and use: Metalinguistic ability develops as children Broca’s area is important for the production begin to think about language in and of itself. Wernicke’s area of speech, and is impor- With this ability, they can understand that tant for understanding and making sense out a word is different from what it represents. of speech. One outcome is that they are able to under- stand jokes that are based on changing word 4. What are the stages of language development meanings. from prenatal through preschool? Children move through stages of language 7. How is teen language different from development, but there is a good deal of vari- language in children and adults? ability from child to child in when each stage Adolescents’ speech is more complex in appears. Even in newborns, we see a prefer- grammar and in subject matter than chil- ence for the language heard prenatally. Before dren’s speech, and it differs from adult speech they can use words, infants communicate in the use of slang. Teen language is being by crying, cooing, babbling, and gestur- affected by the kind of communication used ing. Infants and toddlers begin verbalizing in new technology such as text messaging. by using one word at a time (usually nouns in English-speaking cultures) and then begin to create primitive sentences when they put two 8. How do children learn to read and write? words together. When children make sen- Development of reading: Emergent literacy tences that contain only the essential words refers to the set of skills (such as holding a (for example, Mommy ride car), this is called book right-side-up and turning the pages, or telegraphic speech. “reading” a story by looking at the pictures) Fast mapping allows children to add that young children develop before formal words rapidly to their vocabulary (often instruction in reading. Adults can use dialogic after a single exposure), and syntactic reading to talk with young children about bootstrapping helps this process by using the books they are reading together to build a rules of grammar to figure out word mean- variety of language skills. Once children enter ing. Preschoolers make multiword sen- school, they may be taught to read using one tences using grammar that is very close to of the following approaches: (a) phonics, that of adults, but they continue to make which starts with basic elements like letters mistakes because they tend to apply rules and phonemes and teaches children to com- in cases where they won’t work (called bine elements into words before moving on overregularization). to reading as a whole; (b) whole language

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instruction, which emphasizes understand- core subjects in the students’ native language ing the meaning of words from the context and other instruction in English, and then in which they appear; and (c) balanced switch to all English as the students’ skills reading, which combines features of the develop; and (d) dual language programs, whole language approach with elements in which children who are native speakers of the phonics approach. of English and children who are non-native Development of writing: Young children speakers work together in a classroom where move from scribbling to forming letters and both languages are used. then words. In school they may move from invented spelling to learning the rules of con- 10. What are the types of language disorders ventional spelling, until writing becomes an that children may have? automatic process they don’t have to think Disorders specific to language comprehen- about. When writing, young children string sion and production: Types of language ideas together with little organization, called disorders include expressive language knowledge telling, but adolescents become disorder in which the production of lan- capable of writing to convey ideas and deeper guage is significantly delayed; phonologi- understanding of a subject, called knowl- cal disorder, which involves difficulty with edge transforming. producing sounds correctly for the child’s age; and receptive-expressive language 9. What are some effects of being bilingual as disorder, which involves both difficulty with a child? What are the four types of education understanding words or sentences and prob- programs for children who do not speak lems with producing and using language. English? Stuttering is difficulty with fluency and time Bilingual children do not generally have any patterning of speech. difficulties associated with their use of two Disorders on the autism spectrum: languages, and there is some evidence that Children with autism often have serious dif- they may actually have some advantages ficulties with speech that can range from a over monolingual children, such as showing lack of any language to echolalia (in which more advanced executive functioning and children repeat what is said to them instead of self-control. responding). The four types of bilingual education pro- Learning disabilities related to language: grams are (a) immersion programs, which Learning disabilities that specifically involve teach students only in English; (b) transi- language include dyslexia (difficulty with tional bilingual education programs, distinguishing or separating the sounds which teach students in their native language in spoken words, creating problems when while they also receive concentrated instruc- learning to spell and read written words) and tion in learning English; (c) developmental dysgraphia (difficulty with spelling, hand- bilingual programs, which initially teach writing, or expressing thoughts on paper).

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Figures and Tables

Figure 9.1, page 9. © Visuals Unlimited/Corbis.

Figure 9.2, page 20. Copyright © 1995 by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

Figure 9.3, page 21. Vasilyeva, Waterfall, & Huttenlocher (2008, pp. 90–91).

Table 9.1, page 26. McGhee (1979).

Figure 9.4, page 27. Lee, Grigg, & Donahue (2007). The Nation’s Report Card: Reading 2007 (NCES 2007-496).

Figure 9.5, page 30. Copyright © 1999–2010 Karen Cox, www.prekinders.com. Reprinted with permission.

Photos

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Photo, page 14. © Larry Gatz/Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images.

Photos, page 17 (top to bottom). © Polka Dot/Polka Dot Images/Thinkstock; © Istockphoto.com/ddraw; © Istockphoto.com/yayayoyo; © Istockphoto.com/DimaChe; © Istockphoto.com/totallyjamie.

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