Research into child language development is being conducted more extensively, by more people, and in more countries throughout the world than at any point in the past. We now know more than we ever did before about the linguistic, cognitive, neurobio logical, and social capacities that children bring to their language learning task, as well as the ways in which these capacities interact with a whole range of factors present in the child's environment throughout the learning process, not least the particular character istics of the language or languages to which the child is exposed. Far from inducing a sense of complacency, this new knowledge seems instead to create an even stronger impetus to know more. This is partly because of the new and unforeseen questions it raises and partly because of competition between different theories to provide the best explanation of the phenomenon, and which in turn engender different methods of enquiry. This volume addresses many of the key issues which are currently exercising the minds of child language researchers, and which are likely to motivate research for some years to come. The chapters included here-all previously unpublished-present a great deal of new data and address a range of theoretical issues from a variety of perspectives.

Health Sciences & Professions

School success in the 21st century requires proficiency with expository discourse -- the use and understanding of informative language in spoken and written modalities. This occurs, for example, when high school students read their textbooks and listen to their teachers' lectures, and later are asked to demonstrate their knowledge of this complex topic through oral reports and essay examinations. Although many students are proficient with the expository genre, others struggle to meet these expectations. This book is designed to provide information on the use and understanding of expository discourse in school-age children, adolescents, and young adults. Recently, researchers from around the world have been investigating the development of this genre in typical students and in those with language disorders. Although many books have addressed the development of conversational and narrative discourse, by comparison, books devoted to the topic of expository discourse are sparse. This crossdisciplinary volume fills that gap in the literature and makes a unique contribution to the study of language development and disorders. It will be of interest to a range of professionals, including speech-language pathologists, teachers, linguists, and psychologists who are concerned with language development and disorders.

As more and more dual language learners enter the school system, now's the ideal time for this second edition of the bestselling textbook, essential for preparing SLPs and educators to work with young children who are bilingual or learning a second language. This comprehensive, student-friendly text takes the popular first edition to the next level, enriching it with 6 years of new research and the latest guidance on best practices. Dispelling the many myths about dual language development, the expert authors arm future professionals with the information they need to support young bilingual children and their families, all while meeting Head Start's guidelines on cultural and linguistic responsiveness. Preservice professionals will get a solid foundation of knowledge to help them: address reading impairments in dual language learners; minimize barriers to language development in internationally adopted children; give children continuous, consistent, and rich exposure to both languages; recognize the typical stages of second language learning; determine when a language delay is the result of an actual disorder; prevent attrition of the child's first language; apply effective assessment strategies to accurately diagnose language impairments; and address parents' concerns and help them support their child's development in both languages. Undergraduate and graduate students will also benefit from detailed profiles of dual language learners, definitions of key terms, and summary sections that juxtapose key points with their implications for effective practice. With clear information in this state-of-the-art textbook, professionals will be ready to make informed decisions that help young dual language learners thrive, both at home and in the classroom.

The last 25 years have witnessed an explosion of research at the intersection of typical language development and child language disorders. A pioneer in bringing these fields of study together is Robin S. Chapman, Emerita, University of Wisconsin. This contributed volume honors her with chapters written by former students and colleagues, who track in their own research the theme of psycholinguistic contributions to our understanding of the nature and remediation of child language disorders. In this volume, such renowned researchers in child language development as Dorothy Bishop, Judith Johnston, and Ray Kent, among others, discuss their research in certain populations in the context of the significance of, limits of, and alternatives to Robin Chapman’s developmental interactionist perspective. Studies of disordered language in Down’s Syndrome and Specific Language Impairment, in particular, attribute much progress in our understanding of the pragmatic and comprehension skills in these populations to the developmental perspective. Language Disorders From a Developmental Perspective opens with a reprint of Robin Chapman’s seminal 2001 article from The Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology. It concludes with a new chapter from Dr. Chapman summarizing what we know and what we don’t know about language disorders within the developmental framework, and pointing to future areas of research and intervention. Clinicians as well as scholars will benefit from this book, as will students in programs of developmental psycholinguistics, child language disorders, and learning disabilities.

"This book contains research into the cognitive phenomenon of 'joint attention'. Philosophical and psychological perspectives on the nature and significance of this phenomenon are examined"--Provided by publisher.

This innovative textbook offers comprehensive perspectives on speech sound development and disorders provided by leading experts in the field. It is primarily intended for individuals in training for a career in clinical linguistics, an audience comprised of undergraduate and graduate students who are preparing to become speech-language pathologists. We also hope that this text will serve practising speech-language pathologists as a useful tool to bring their practice up to date with regards to the cutting-edge advances in the management of speech sound disorders. Researchers interested in various aspects of speech production will find this book a valuable resource as well. The assumed level of expertise includes basic familiarity with phonetics, phonology, and introductory linguistics. The authors take their readers on a journey from the first studies of child speech development using paper and pencil, to contemporary clinical and research methodology such as acoustic analyses and videofluoroscopy, to an outlook on the future with promises of creating a catalogue of genetic disorder aetiologies.They describe speech sound acquisition from typically developing children in English and other languages to the perplexing variety of disordered speech and its impact on a childs life. They provide the theoretical and hands-on foundations for the clinical management of children with speech sound disorders. Several special features make this book unique. First, it covers a wide range of clinical topics such as idiopathic articulation and phonological disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, dysarthria, cleft palate, hearing impairment, developmental disorders, and links between speech sound disorders and dyslexia. Second, it comes with a rich set of sound files and video files illustrating a wide range of populations and aspects of clinical practice with examples of various types of typical and disordered speech, speech assessments, and treatment activities.Third, it provides a number of pedagogical tools including review questions at the end of each chapter to help readers self-assess their understanding, activities to enhance the mastery of the materials and guide readers to interact with more complex or advanced facets of the chapters topic, and a full suite of adaptable lecture slides. Supplemental information on clinical applications of the International Phonetic Alphabet, phonological processes, and statistical properties of standardised tests is contained in the three appendices. With its comprehensive perspectives on child speech development and disorders, the pathways between linguistic theory and clinical practice, and the pedagogical focus, this textbook is a unique contribution to the tools available for training future speech-language pathologists and for independent learning among practising clinicians and researchers. Together, these features equip readers with a thorough understanding of typical and disordered speech development and with clinical tools to diagnose and treat disordered speech effectively.