Communication Development In Children Research Articles

Early years autism and bilingualism: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of parent perceptions during lockdown.

This study explores how bilingual parents of autistic children made language decisions for their families, how the event of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and subsequent lockdown impacted the communication environment of their households, and whether these experiences affected their language habits. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five bilingual parents of autistic children who lived through lockdown in France. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Demographic and background information was collected using an adapted version of the Questionnaire for Parents of Bilingual Children. Participants reported conflicting advice given by a range of practitioners. Parents expressed differing beliefs about the impact of language choices on their children. Parents described active engagement with their children's home-learning as generally positive. Parents identified an increase in children's exposure to their first language during the lockdown. Parents reported an increase in children's overall communication abilities. Parents believed that their children's positive communication development during lockdown was related to increased exposure to their first language(s), and direct involvement in their children's learning programs.

Opportunities to Enhance Children's Communication Development at School in Underserved Communities.

Alternative service delivery approaches are required to provide support for children with communication difficulties in underserved communities. Schools have a unique set of assets that can be utilized to provide this support. This study explored what the education sector and classrooms in the early years of schooling offer as support for children with communication difficulties in an underserved Majority World country, the Maldives. The objective was to identify opportunities to enhance support provided for these children. A qualitative multimethod approach was used involving (a) 520 min of classroom observational data from four remote schools, (b) interviews with four special education needs teachers, and (c) an interview with a Ministry of Education official. Classroom observational data were analyzed using the Communication Supporting Classroom Observation Tool. Deductive content analysis was used to analyze the interview data. The support system aimed to reflect the Inclusive Education Policy of the Maldives. The Ministry of Education official and teachers raised concerns regarding lack of allied health services such as speech-language therapy in schools. Teachers frequently used certain communication supporting interactions such as imitation in classrooms. Missed opportunities to enhance communication were observed, including limited use of some interaction features such as modeling language, limited planned opportunities for children to interact in class, and limited resources in the environment to develop communication in Grade 1 and 2 compared to preschool. Findings suggest building capacity among teachers and training teachers on identified classroom communication support areas to enhance support for children with communication difficulties. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.17003980.

MyPad as a reflection of multimodal action in elementary school children’s foreign language learning

A My pad as a teaching aid can be a bridge or a border in children's learning of expression and communication, depending on how and why it is used. Onto genetic and phylogenetic aspects are among the most important in a child's development, i. e. teaching children to talk. Multimodality refers to communication and integration using various channels. The term "multimodal" refers to expressing a reflective attitude using combinations of words and symbols, pictures, sounds, and all different aspects of a child's communication development. It is why this paper aims to examine how children use My Pads in special circumstances and tasks while concluding their use of linguistic forms and media competencies; the paper aims to answer whether the My Pad contributes to the development of linguistic and digital competencies in kids, as well as how such multimodal content is designed in the My Pad. The target group of respondents will be elementary school children 4 and 5 in the Municipality of Okrug Gornji Petar Berislavić, who will be allocated My Pads of elementary school children in learning a foreign language. The research the instrument will be a questionnaire, while the multimodal content will comprise four modio systems: pictures, sounds, video, and text. The planned activity survey is from 1 June to 15 June 2019. Expected results will aim to answer the stated questions and point towards the necessity of multimodality as an antipode of the development of linguistic and digital competencies in preschoolers.

The associations between autistic and communication traits in parents and developmental outcomes in children at familial risk of autism at 6 and 24 months of age

BackgroundSeveral studies have explored relationships between parent broader autism phenotype and offspring communication, and have reported that autistic-like traits in parents are related to offspring communication difficulties and autism severity. However, past research has focused on studying such associations in childhood and we know very little about them in infancy. With accumulating evidence that interventions administered during infancy may be most effective in reducing ASD symptoms, it is imperative to examine whether relationships between parent autistic-like traits and child communication appear even earlier during this critical period of life. MethodThis longitudinal study collected data from infant siblings of autistic children (N = 32) and infants with no family history of autism (N = 45) to explore how autistic-like traits in parents related to child developmental outcomes during infancy. ResultsParental communication difficulties and autistic-like traits were found to be associated with a range of child behaviours in the first two years of life, including social-emotional difficulties at 6 and 24 months, lower communication and emerging cognition at 24 months, and increased autistic behaviours at 24 months. ConclusionsBased on the results, it appears that some of the difficulties seen in parents are relayed to children genetically. These findings contribute to ASD research concerning early communication development in children and heritability of ASD traits and may have important implications in monitoring child development. Furthermore, since the current study found a significant association between autistic traits in parents and child social-emotional behaviour as early as 6 months of age, it provides evidence of the value of assessing interventions that target infancy.

Reproducibility and validity of the Functional Communication Classification System for young children with cerebral palsy.

To examine interrater agreement and validity of the Functional Communication Classification System (FCCS) for young children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 2 or 3 years. Speech-language pathologist (SLP) and parent FCCS ratings for 31 children with CP (aged 2y, n=16; aged 3y, n=15; 18 males, 13 females) were examined for interrater agreement using a weighted Cohen's kappa statistic. Relationships between FCCS (SLP) ratings and: (1) concurrent validity with the Language Use Inventory, a standardized pragmatic assessment for children aged 18 to 47 months, (2) gross motor and fine motor function, (3) associated impairments (visual and intellectual), and (4) primary expressive communication mode were examined using Spearman's correlation coefficients. Almost perfect interrater agreement between SLP and parent FCCS ratings were found (kw =0.94). Correlations with FCCS (SLP) were excellent for pragmatic function (rs =-0.83,p<0.001), intellectual function (rs =0.89, p<0.001), and primary expressive communication mode (rs =0.92,p<0.001). Correlations were good for gross motor function (rs =0.72,p<0.001) and visual impairment (rs =0.70,p<0.001) and fair for fine motor function (rs =0.53,p<0.002). Analysis was unwarranted for epilepsy (n=1 out of 31) and hearing-associated impairments (n=0 out of 31). The FCCS has excellent interrater agreement and validity for communication classification of children with CP aged 2 or 3 years and is highly suitable for surveillance and research purposes. What this paper adds The Functional Communication Classification System (FCCS) is a valid instrument for children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 2 or 3 years. Excellent agreement exists between speech-language pathologist and parent FCCS ratings. The FCCS has excellent correlation with intelligence, pragmatic function, and primary expressive mode. Stronger correlations with the Gross Motor Function Classification System and vision exist for children aged 2 or 3 years. Weaker correlations with manual ability exist when compared to older children with CP.

Speech technologies for the development of communication in children with a lack of speech

Speech technologies for the development of communication in children with a lack of speech

Communicative skills of children with autistic spectrum disorder: clinical and family perception

ABSTRACT Objective: to describe the communication skills of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), considering the clinical and family perspective. Methods: from the point of view of parents and therapists, the language of ten children with ASD was analyzed. All children underwent speech therapy at the outpatient clinic of a Speech Therapy School. Two protocols were used for data collection. Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), which was applied to the children's parents, and Protocol for Assessment of Pragmatic Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders - called Pragmatic Protocol (PP), which was answered by therapists. The data were examined through a descriptive statistical analysis, considering absolute and relative frequency, and inferential statistics, through the Chi-square test, with a 5% of significance for all analyses. Results: an expressive presence of communicative deficits, in the answers presented by the therapists, was seen. In the protocol answered by the parents, it was also possible to observe the same trend, since the children failed to score in several items of Subscale I. Conclusion: parents and therapists evidenced changes in the communicative skills of the children surveyed, and emphasized that therapists, who have technical linguistic knowledge, like parents, can also be good informants about their children's communicative development process.

Narrative and Other Pragmatic Language Abilities of Children With a History of Maltreatment

Introduction In any given year, about 3.5 million children in the United States are suspected of having experienced maltreatment resulting in complex trauma involving the exposure to traumatic events and the long-term effects of this exposure on the child's psychological, emotional, social, linguistic, and communicative development. Method In this study, we analyzed retrospective data on the pragmatic language and social communication skills exhibited by children between the ages of 5 and 15 years with a documented history of maltreatment. Researchers analyzed the children's performance on the Hyter Pragmatic Protocol–Revised and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Fifth Edition Screening Test to determine their syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic abilities. Analyses were also conducted to determine if children with different genders, ages, and numbers of exposures demonstrated differences in performance. Results Results showed that many children with trauma exposure demonstrated specific deficits in both narrative and expository language skills. High percentages of children exhibited difficulty using narrative cohesion, narrative coherence, expository content, expository structure, and expository coherence on the Hyter Pragmatic Protocol–Revised. The number of maltreatment exposures did not significantly impact performance on narrative measures. Female participants tended to perform better on pragmatic language tests. Younger children performed better than older children on narrative cohesion and produced a landscape of action in their narratives. Most children received passing scores on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Fifth Edition Screening Test, and there were no significant differences in pass rates among age, gender, and number of exposures. Conclusions Clinical implications for assessment are discussed. Implications include the need for clinicians to test pragmatic language, especially the narrative language of children exposed to complex trauma. Because older children with trauma exposure demonstrated lower scores on certain tests of narrative language, there is a need for periodic reassessment of these pragmatic skills as children age.

The right advice at the right time: The role of health visiting teams in children's communication

This article will reflect on the importance of health visiting teams for supporting the speech, language and communication development of all children, including those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCNs). It will outline the national focus on early identification and intervention for children with SLCNs, and some ways in which health visiting and speech and language therapy teams can work together to boost children's communication. It will go on to highlight evidence-based messages about learning two languages and new online resources health visiting teams can share with parents and carers to support children's early speech, language and communication development.

The Sensitivity and Specificity of Parental Report of Concern for Identifying Language Disorder in Children With Craniosynostosis.

Many factors that may co-occur with craniosynostosis, such as oral structural anomalies, hearing impairment, visual impairment, cognitive difficulties and psychosocial factors, may predispose this population to communication difficulties. At the Oxford Craniofacial Unit, children's speech, language and communication are regularly monitored in accordance with a systematic developmental screening protocol developed by the Speech and Language Therapists in the 4 United Kingdom (UK) Highly Specialized Craniofacial Centers. In addition to routine assessments, when parents attend routine multidisciplinary clinic appointments, they are asked about their child's communication development, and whether they have any concerns.A retrospective review was undertaken of parental concerns about hearing, speech development, behavior, physical development, concentration, school and friendships as indicated by parents on the Oxford Craniofacial Unit Pre-Clinic Questionnaire. The areas of concern were then correlated with the results of a standardized, guided parent questionnaire about children's language development, (Children's Communication Checklist - 2 (CCC-2)), to determine whether parental concern alone is a reliable way of identifying whether patients require further assessment for Language Disorder associated with Craniosynostosis.Participants were parents of 89 monolingual English-speaking children with craniosynostosis (62 male; 27 female), age range four to 13 years (mean age = 8 years 7 months), receiving active care at the Oxford Craniofacial Unit (June 2017-July 2018). Results of the pre-clinic questionnaire indicated that 6% of parents had concerns about their child's communication development. Results of the CCC-2 indicated that 29/89 (32.6%) of children required further assessment for Language Disorder associated with Craniosynostosis. When language difficulties were identified on the CCC-2, only 14% (n = 4/29) parents indicated concern on the pre clinic questionnaire. Results indicated that parental concern about behavior was the most important factor in identifying language disorder (P = 0.023).Results reinforce that the pre-clinic questionnaire is useful for identifying areas of parental concern. Results also indicate that parental concern alone is not sufficient to identify language disorder, and that further, detailed assessment is warranted. The results are consistent with previously reported links between behavior and language in the general population.

A Case for Early Screening: Prenatal Alcohol Risk Exposure Predicts Risk for Early Childhood Communication Delays.

Studies have confirmed the detrimental effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on language development in children. Little is known about the ability of prenatal alcohol risk (PAR) screening measures to predict language or other neurodevelopmental delays in young children, however. The intent of this study is to identify whether PAR predicts communication development in children at 12, 24, and 36 months of age. Data from 772 women and their children who participated in the All Our Families pregnancy cohort were analyzed. Respondents completed the T-ACE, a validated screening tool for detecting PAR. Communication development in children was measured through the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition. Logistic regression was used to generate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. A positive screen for PAR places a child at risk for communication delay (≤1 SD below mean) by approximately 1.5-fold at 12, 24, and 36 months of age, even after adjustment for demographic variables. Follow-up analysis revealed a significant difference in the prevalence of risk for communication delays between 12 and 24 months and between 24 and 36 months in both low- and high-risk drinking groups, with 24-month-old children showing the greatest risk for delay. The results of this study suggest that screening for PAR in expectant mothers may identify a group of young children at increased risk for communication delays. This research carries clinical implications and provides support for PAR screening in informing early childhood developmental screening efforts.

Children show selectively increased language imitation after experiencing ostracism.

When threatened with ostracism, children attempt to strengthen social relationships by engaging in affiliative behaviors such as imitation. We investigated whether an experience of ostracism influenced the extent to which children imitated a partner's language use. In two experiments, 7- to 12-year-old children either experienced ostracism or did not experience ostracism in a virtual ball-throwing game before playing a picture-matching game with a partner. We measured children's tendency to imitate, or align with, their partner's language choices during the picture-matching game. Children showed a strong tendency to spontaneously align with their partner's lexical and grammatical choices. Crucially, their likelihood of lexical alignment was modulated by whether they had experienced ostracism. We found no effect of ostracism on syntactic alignment. These findings offer the first demonstration that ostracism selectively influences children's language use. They highlight the role of social-affective factors in children's communicative development, and show that the link between ostracism and imitation is broadly based, and extends beyond motor behaviors to the domain of language. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN OLDER PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

This article is devoted to the theoretical aspects of the development of communication skills of preschool children. In modern conditions of updating the content of education, the problem of developing communication skills reaches the level of an actual socio-pedagogical problem, since its solution largely depends on the success of children's learning; the effectiveness of interpersonal interaction with teachers and peers, and in General - the social adaptation of children. The article discusses the main concepts related to children's communicative development, components of communication skills, and a retrospective analysis of the formation and development of the concept of "communication", "communication", and "communication skills"

The best possible start: A qualitative study on the experiences of parents of young children with or at risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

BackgroundThe developmental outcomes and life course trajectories of young children with or at-risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) can be optimized when individual and family needs are identified early and met with family-centered early intervention (EI) services. However, little is known about access to and quality of EI services with this high-needs population. MethodTwenty-five biological or adoptive parents of children with or at high risk for FASD, living in the greater area of Seattle, Washington participated in this qualitative study. Three focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Participants described their experience with EI, as well as other supports and challenges faced in their child's first three years of life. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded using phenomenological methods. Themes that were consistent across participant groups emerged from the data, as well as themes that showed differences among participant experiences. ResultsCommon EI supports and needs between biological and adoptive parent groups were identified. In addition, perspectives and needs unique to each parent group were revealed. Themes were identified and organized into three categories: (1) child needs; (2) parent needs and priorities; and (3) EI capacity. When parents talked about their child's cognitive, physical, communication or adaptive development, they all discussed how EI was meeting those needs. In contrast, when parents expressed concern for their child's social-emotional development, a description of how EI was supporting these needs was missing from the conversation. Parents appreciated when EI providers were truthful, provided anticipatory guidance, and connected them with supports for their own social-emotional well-being. Yet there were unmet needs for respite care, and parents expressed that support for basic needs related to child or family survival was not consistently recognized as a top priority for families. This high-risk group of young children and their parents also encountered a multitude of transitions in their child's early years and later. Parents wanted more support navigating these transitions as they entered or moved through different systems of care. ConclusionsParents appreciated and endorsed the importance of EI with its provision of individualized, family-centered supports and resources. Examination of the gaps and unmet needs that are common and distinct underscore the importance of an FASD-informed approach to EI. Study findings provide insight into areas for which EI enhancements could be developed in order to tailor supports for the complex needs of this diverse population of children and parents.

Mothers' emotional experiences related to their child's diagnosis of deafness and cochlear implant surgery: Parenting stress and child's language development

ObjectivesThe present study aims to assess the emotional experiences, specifically parenting stress, of mothers of children with cochlear implants (CIs), and their children's language development before surgery and at three and six months after CI activation. MethodsTwenty mothers of children with CIs were interviewed before their children's surgery about their experiences in connection with the diagnosis of deafness, the surgery and the activation of the CI. The Parenting Stress Index questionnaire and the MacArthur-Bates-Communication Development Inventory were administered before the surgery and at 3 and 6 months after the CI activation. ResultsAnalysis of the qualitative data resulting from the interviews showed that the mothers’ emotional experiences before the CI surgery were complex. Mothers reported both positive and negative emotions related to deafness, diagnosis and surgery, benefits of the CI, coping strategies and future expectations.The mothers of children with more advanced lexical production six months after CI activation displayed a high frequency of themes related to positive emotions, thoughts and coping strategies before the surgery. Distress on the part of the mothers, perceptions of difficulties in their child and instances of parent-child dysfunctional interaction were negatively and significantly related to the child's language and communication development. ConclusionsThe findings support the importance of assessing the mother's emotional experience in relation to diagnosis and CI activation before the surgery. Implications for clinical practice are discussedspecifically, the importance of the support offered to the parents, aimed at enhancing both their awareness of their expectations about their child's rehabilitation process and their self-efficacy in supporting the child's adaptation to the use of the CI.

Identifying children's attitudes towards languages: construction and validation of the LANGattMini Scale

ABSTRACT Language attitudes play a vital role in the way individuals and societies perceive, use and learn languages, and communicate with other cultures. They are formed in a specific political, ideological, and cultural context and change over time, which is why researchers focus on studying language attitudes of different age groups and also different cultures. The main aim of this paper was to design and validate an instrument (LANGattMini Scale) for identifying children's attitudes towards different languages and language diversity. In constructing the LANGattMini Scale, special attention was paid to methodological issues related to children's cognitive, communicative and social development, especially the form and length of the questionnaire, the writing process and the respondents’ language level, memory capacity, and the wording of the questions. The LANGattMini Scale was pre-tested and its final version used in an online survey of 69 third grade pupils (aged 8/9) from three primary schools in Slovenia. The analysis of the validity and reliability results indicate that LANGattMini Scale is a useful and appropriate reference tool for further research on children’s attitudes towards different languages and language diversity, in particular, foreign language learning motivation, foreign language attitudes and the role of significant others.

장애아동의 의사소통 발달을 위한 환경중심 언어중재의 단일대상연구 메타분석: 한국과 미국을 중심으로

장애아동의 의사소통 발달을 위한 환경중심 언어중재의 단일대상연구 메타분석: 한국과 미국을 중심으로

장애아동의 의사소통 발달을 위한 환경중심 언어중재의 단일대상연구 메타분석: 한국과 미국을 중심으로

장애아동의 의사소통 발달을 위한 환경중심 언어중재의 단일대상연구 메타분석: 한국과 미국을 중심으로

The effectiveness of a specifically-designed language intervention protocol on the cochlear implanted children's communication development

ObjectiveAlthough various studies have depicted the importance of language intervention programs in facilitating language acquisition in cochlear implanted children, to this date rarely has a specific language intervention approach been recommended as better than the other and no best practice has been introduced in terms of language acquisition outcomes. Thus, the therapists remain uncertain as to which approach to follow and how to apply evidence to practice.Hence, the main goal of this study was to take a step in this regard by comparing the communication development of pediatric cochlear implant users who enrolled in two different language intervention approaches: the routine auditory-verbal approach, and the routine auditory-verbal approach plus a new intervention protocol specifically designed to enhance receptive vocabulary development in cochlear implanted children. Method and materialsThis prospective experimental study compared the receptive and expressive communication developmental scores of 26 cochlear implanted 20–24 months old children who received both a routine auditory-verbal intervention and a new cognitive based intervention protocol specifically designed to enhance receptive vocabulary development, with that of a group of 25 participants whose intervention program was only auditory-verbal. The children were recruited from Fars cochlear implant center situated in the city of Shiraz in Iran, and were assigned randomly to the two groups. The communication development of both groups was evaluated by the Bayley scales of Infant and Toddler Development- Third Edition, and statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences-version 21(SPSS-21). ResultsThe two groups were not significantly different in terms of age, sex and parents’ educational level. Both the receptive and expressive communication outcomes of the children who received auditory-verbal as well as the new specifically-designed cognitive-based intervention protocol focusing on receptive vocabulary enhancement, were significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.001). ConclusionThe new specifically-designed cognitive-based language intervention protocol focusing on receptive vocabulary enhancement was significantly more effective in promoting and enhancing the communication development of cochlear implanted children than the routine auditory-verbal intervention.

The study design of ComAlong Toddler: a randomised controlled trial of an early communication intervention.

Aims: This study design article aims to describe a research study focused on evaluating the use of the Infant-Toddler Checklist to identify children at 18 months with early communication difficulties, and to study the ComAlong Toddler intervention for parents to support their child's communication development. Background: Communication disorders are a common public health problem affecting up to 20% of children. Evidence points to the importance of early detection and intervention to improve young children's communicative abilities and decrease developmental delay. Early identification of communication difficulties is possible with instruments such as Infant-Toddler Checklist. The ComAlong Toddler intervention is tailored to the needs of parents of young children with communication delay before definitive diagnosis. The parents are provided with guidance in communication enhancing strategies during home visit and five group sessions. Methods: The study uses a prospective cohort design. Children were consecutively recruited during 2015-2017, and data will be collected 2015-2023. The screening was performed at the child health centre through use of the Infant-Toddler Checklist. An assessment and first consultation were then performed by a speech and language therapist for children with suspected communication delay according to the screen as well as for children referred for other reasons before the age of 2.5 years. Children with confirmed communication delay were randomised between two interventions: the ComAlong Toddler parental course or a telephone follow-up. Outcome measures include child communication and language skills and use of augmentative and alternative communication. To gain insight into the participants' perspectives, surveys have been collected from parents. Conclusion: The study will provide information regarding identification and intervention for 18-month old children with communication delay. Trial registration: ISRCTN13330627.