Communication Skills In Young Children Research Articles

Communication Takes Two

Communication Takes Two

The Effect of Embedded Instruction on the Communication Skills of Young Children with Developmental Delay in the Inclusive Classroom

The Effect of Embedded Instruction on the Communication Skills of Young Children with Developmental Delay in the Inclusive Classroom

Early Years 2011

In September, eye took its annual conference to the Park Crescent Conference Centre in central London. This year's event, in association with PracticalPre-School magazine and Practical Pre-School Books, focused on the importance of developing good communication skills in young children.

How children learn: Early Years Conference 2011

Organised by EYE magazine, this year's annual early years conference was held at the Park Crescent Conference Centre in central London in association with Practical Pre-School magazine and Practical Pre-School Books, and focused on the importance of developing good communication skills in young children.

Caregiver-Directed Approaches for Facilitating Social Communication Competencies in Children On and Off the Autism Spectrum

Caregiver-Directed Approaches for Facilitating Social Communication Competencies in Children On and Off the Autism Spectrum

The Effect of a Orff-Schulwerk Music Activity-Based Program on the Communication Skills of Young Children with Developmental Delays in the Inclusive Classroom

The Effect of a Orff-Schulwerk Music Activity-Based Program on the Communication Skills of Young Children with Developmental Delays in the Inclusive Classroom

C030 The early communication skills of young children with bilateral implants compared with those with unilateral implants

To estimate binaural asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss in own material of patients treated in Dept. of Phoniatrics and Audiology.The retrospective analysis was performed on the group of 1816 patients hospitalized in 2008 due to hearing disorders. Asymmetry of hearing loss was classified on Margolis and Saly criteria in PTA, and in ABR results in children.Binaural asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss was found in 70 patients (3.9%). In a group of 46 differences of inter-aural threshold level in PTA were estimated on 21 to 30 dB. After audiological examination 14% of this patients were qualified for MRI investigation, in 2 (3%) of them acoustic neurinoma was found. The hearing aids fitting were performed in 44% of a group of 70 patients.

Impact of Milieu Teaching on Communication Skills of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This 5-month study examined the impact of a behaviorally based naturalistic teaching strategy, milieu teaching, on the communication skills of preschool-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in an early childhood special education (ECSE) classroom. A multiple baseline across participants design was used. Communication targets were selected based on each child’s Individualized Education Plan. Milieu teaching strategies were implemented in two activities per day per target. Generalization and maintenance effects were also determined. Results indicated that milieu strategies are an effective means of providing communication skills instruction for young children with ASD in an ECSE classroom.

Behavioral and physiological responses to child-directed speech as predictors of communication outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorders.

To determine the extent to which behavioral and physiological responses during child-directed speech (CDS) correlate concurrently and predictively with communication skills in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Twenty-two boys with ASD (initial mean age: 35 months) participated in a longitudinal study. At entry, behavioral (i.e., percentage looking) and physiological (i.e., vagal activity) measures were collected during the presentation of CDS stimuli. A battery of standardized communication measures was administered at entry and readministered 12 months later. Percentage looking during CDS was strongly correlated with all entry and follow-up communication scores; vagal activity during CDS was moderately to strongly correlated with entry receptive language, follow-up expressive language, and social-communicative adaptive skills. After controlling for entry communication skills, vagal activity during CDS accounted for significant variance in follow-up communication skills, but percentage looking during CDS did not. Behavioral and physiological responses to CDS are significantly related to concurrent and later communication skills of children with ASD. Furthermore, higher vagal activity during CDS predicts better communication outcomes 12 months later, after initial communication skills are accounted for. Further research is needed to better understand the physiological mechanisms underlying variable responses to CDS among children with ASD.

Learning & Development: Language - Time to talk

Poor communication skills in young children are the subject of a new strategy for an education team working in partnership with a primary care trust, says Adele Hawkes.

A sign of the times: Developing language

Sign language for babies is becoming more and more popular. But is it a passing fad or here to stay as a method of improving the communication skills of young children? Mel Parks explores how childcarers can strengthen their bond with the babies they look after.

Nonverbal Communication Skills in Young Children with Autism

The study was to examine nonverbal communication in young children with autism. The participants were 23 young children with autism (mean CA = 32.79 months), 23 CA and MA-matched children with developmental delay and 22 18-20-month-old, and 22 13-15-month-old typically developing toddlers and infants. The abbreviated Early Social Communication Scales [Mundy et al. 1996, Early social communication scales (ESCS)] were used to test three types of nonverbal communicative skills, i.e., joint attention, requesting, and social interaction. Both frequency and proportion analyses were done in group comparisons. (1) Two- to three-year-old children with autism displayed deficits in joint attention ability, especially high-level skills. (2) The deficit in terms of frequency of communication was marked even compared with typically developing infants with younger mental age. (3) Young children with autism had different nonverbal communication profile compared with all three comparison groups. Early social-communicative difficulties in autism involve early triadic communications involving joint attention and possibly dyadic turn-taking skills, which has implications for both early screening and early intervention.

Reviews

Developing Pre-School Communication and Language is an excellent resource for all those working with young children. From 10 key strategies, 20 ‘Golden Questions’; what are appropriate expectations through to supporting bilingual learners, this book is packed with helpful advice and highly practical tips on supporting and developing crucial language and communication skills of young children.

A sign of the times: Developing language

Sign language for babies is becoming more and more popular. But is it a passing fad or here to stay as a method of improving the communication skills of young children? Mel Parks explores how childcarers can strengthen their bond with the babies they look after.

First steps toward developing tools for language assessment in multilingual urban pre-schoolers

The development of language and communication skills in young children is directly related to future academic success. Young children who are at risk for language impairment should, therefore, be identified as early as possible. Multilingualism, which has become a universal phenomenon, may mask the presence of language impairment. In South African urban multilingual pre-school contexts, the teacher or speech-language therapist is not always proficient in the young multilingual learner's primary language. Assessment of learners' language behaviour is usually conducted in English, which is generally the language of mutual understanding. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of constructing a profile of typical English language behaviours for pre-school (English Additional Language) EAL learners in a circumscribed urban area. The profile is intended to provide speech-language therapists and pre-school teachers in collaborative practice with a dual-purpose tool: (i) an instrument for identifying those learners who are at risk for language impairment/language learning disabilities, and (ii) a means of obtaining guidelines for the development of an appropriate programme for facilitating language development. The results show that it was possible to construct a profile of typical English language behaviours for nine aspects of language form, one aspect of language content, and six aspects of language use.

Autisme et retard mental : étude de la communication sociale précoce

Objective To determine developmental communication profiles in young autistic children with mental retardation. Methods A group of 19 autistic children (mean age = 43 months) were matched with a group of 11 mentally retarded children (mean age = 39 months) on mental age (17,6 months). All of these children were without speech (less than 5 words of vocabulary). Communication skills were assessed with the Guidetti-Tourrette scales (ECSP), French adaptation of the Seibert-Hogan scales. Results Autistic children displayed a much lower score than mentally retarded children in the 3 functions of early social communication (behavior regulation, social interaction and joint attention). The developmental communication profiles was the same in the 2 groups. Discussion The results showed evidence of distortion in autistic children development: they displayed important deficits in communication skills, in comparison with cognitive skills. Autistic children mainly displayed requesting gestures: they used adults to help them to reach a goal, instead of regarding them as social partners. However, young children who have mental age less than 18 months mainly use the same functions of communication, with or without autistic trouble. Conclusions There is a same developmental sequence in communication skills in young children, with or without autistic trouble.

Peer-mediated social skills training program for young children with high-functioning autism

One of the most prevailing characteristics of children with autism is their deficit in social communication skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a peer-mediated social skills training (SST) program combined with video feedback, positive reinforcement and token system in increasing social communication skills in young children with high-functioning autism. Four boys with high-functioning autism, ages 6–7 years, participated in the study. The social skills training, lasting 12 weeks, targeted six communication skills, selected after parent interviews and behavioral observation during a pre-training assessment period. One SST session was conducted each week, each session lasted 90 min and had six structured activities. The training effectiveness was evaluated through direct observation of a structured interaction period, using an observational coding system. Improvement was observed in three out of four children, although individual differences among children were seen for changes in two global scales as well as subscales. These results suggest that the social skills training was effective in improving social communication skills for some children with high-functioning autism. Clinical and research implications and future directions for social skills training as well as this study's limitations are discussed.

Early Predictors of Communication Development in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Joint Attention, Imitation, and Toy Play

This study investigated the unique contributions of joint attention, imitation, and toy play to language ability and rate of development of communication skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sixty preschool-aged children with ASD were assessed using measures of joint attention, imitation, toy play, language, and communication ability. Two skills, initiating protodeclarative joint attention and immediate imitation, were most strongly associated with language ability at age 3-4 years, whereas toy play and deferred imitation were the best predictors of rate of communication development from age 4 to 6.5 years. The implications of these results for understanding the nature and course of language development in autism and for the development of targeted early interventions are discussed.

Comparison of standardized assessments for cognitive and receptive communication skills in young children with complex communication needs

This study compared estimates of receptive language development for children with complex communication needs to estimates of related skill domains. Subscores of the Battelle Developmental Inventory were compared with each other and the MacArthur Communication Developmental Inventory for 41 children with severe expressive impairments over a period of 18 months, beginning at ages 12 – 24 months. Across all ages studied, children with severe expressive impairments had better receptive language scores than expected for either their cognitive or overall developmental age equivalence scores. While receptive language measures were correlated with each other and age, scores for receptive language skills on the MacArthur were consistently more stringent than for the Battelle for this population. Implications for clinical application of these measures for children with expressive impairments are discussed.

Naltrexone and Communication Skills in Young Children With Autism

To evaluate the effect of naltrexone on communication skills of young children with autism. Twenty-four children with autism, 3.0 to 8.3 years old (mean 5.1) who were living at home and attending appropriate school programs, participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Naltrexone, 1.0 mg/kg, or placebo was administered daily for 2 weeks. Communication was evaluated from videotaped samples of seminaturalistic parent-child interaction. Child and parent language were assessed using similar measures. In this heterogeneous sample, the median number of words the child produced on placebo was 9.5 (range 0-124). The median proportion of utterances with echolalia was 0.16. No differences were found between the naltrexone and placebo conditions in any of the measures of children or parents' communication. Significant correlations were found between the child's number of words and developmental quotient (Spearman rho = 0.58, p = .003) and between the child's and parent's number of words (rho = 0.55, p = .005). Previous studies showed that naltrexone was associated with modest reduction in hyperactivity and restlessness in this group of children with autism. In this short-term study, the medication did not lead to improvement in communication, a core deficit of autism.