Blog #4 - Language Acquisition
Spend 10-15 minutes this week talking with a child under the age of 5. Share with the class their age, the stage of language development you believe they are in, and why you think that. Also share highlights from taking your language sample- what did you learn?
This week I spoke to one of the pre-school students at our school. This little boy is three years old, and has some language struggles. I believe this child is at Stage III of Brown's stages of development. He speaks in fairly short utterances. He asks simple questions such as "Where going?", and makes simple statements like "her sits". Other times he will add adjectives and use progressive forms of verbs, which is why I believe he is Stage III. I enjoyed taking the language sample from one of my students for the MLU assignment. She provided a strong language sample that showed more of an issue with speech than language. She has trouble with her "th" sounds and instead pronounces them as if they were an "f". It was interesting to go through the terms like syntax, and semantics, and to then try to see how this child's language had developed.
ReplyDeleteExcellent. Having a few skills under our belt really helps us make language and speech determinations for our students.
ReplyDeleteThis week I spoke to a student who is in our multi-needs classroom. This child is 8 years old but cognitively functioning at a Kindergartner level. He has an interesting background which I enjoyed learning about. He was home schooled, his mother passed away (dad put him in public school), and he has DiGeorge Syndrome. After taking my sample I believe he is in Stage V. He is able to form sentences and hold a conversation, however it may not always be on topic. He also has a tendency to omit words or add incorrect suffixes. It was interesting to see what we learn in class and put it into a real life situation.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found this mini-assignment interesting.
DeleteThis week I had the opportunity to speak with a student in our Pre-K program. I did not give any specifics to the teacher as to whom I wanted to talk with so the student was selected at random. This little girl is 3 years old, friendly and enjoyed talking. I believe she is in Stage IV of Brown's development because she could join two clauses together using the word "and". She spoke of her friends in the class with detail and was easily understood.
ReplyDeleteThe language sample assignment was interesting and made me think of how children develop language. The girl I talked with was interesting and quite happy to be helping me out with my "homework". I think she had just as many questions for me as I had for her. I do think, though, the further along a child is in their language development, the differences or changes are very subtle and harder to pinpoint.
You make an excellent point about changes being more subtle as the child develops
DeleteI spoke and observed my friend's daughter who is 2.5. I believe she is is at stage 2 of Brown's Development. She is able to express what she wants such as "I want juice" or "I want more." She can put 2-3 words together to form a sentence such as "birdies win" "tina go bye-bye" and "you sit." She is using the earliest stage of pronouns and beginning to use pronouns seen in stage 3.
ReplyDeleteThe language sample was a great example for me because it showed me that my student needs more work on blends and digraphs in her speech. She was unable to produce blends and digraphs. She often omitted one of the sounds. I hear her speak everyday and noticed she sometimes omits it but this happens frequently according to my sample. It's important to catch these errors now and model saying the words so she can hear and say it correctly.
I am so glad that this information rose to the surface in your language sample.
DeleteI spent some time with my friend’s 2 ½ year old this past Friday. I was really impressed with his speech and language abilities for his age. Henrick is able to hold conversations, and speak with great detail without prompting. His articulation is clear, and his use of vocabulary seems higher than an average 2 ½ year old. He does not have the “baby talk” one usually associates with younger children. Due to this, based off of Brown’s stages, I believe he is at or above target for his age. Most of the time, he speaks in complete sentences, and is able to convey his thoughts appropriately.
ReplyDeleteAs for my MLU sample, I really enjoyed completing it. One thing I found interesting was the students ability to use appropriate tenses, plural endings, and contractions. However, he did struggle to use appropriate syntax. His thoughts were often mused together, incomplete, or stated through a run-on sentence. Although he is at the appropriate stage for his age, he still has a lot to work on when it comes to language. Furthermore, his speech lacks expression. Throughout the sample the student spoke in a monotone voice even though we were discussing a topic he really enjoys, art.
What stage according to Brown do you think your friend's 2 1/2 year is at?
DeleteI babysat my 3 year old neice last week. As I listened to her language, I realized that she is really beginning to form more complex sentences when speaking. According to Brown's stages of development, I believe my neice would be right at age level at stage IV. She is able to formulate a sentence that has both a subject and a predicate in it.
ReplyDeleteFor my MLU, it was a lot more challenging than I anticipated to get 25 utterances from my students, but I knew they could do it with appropriate supports. My student's MLU score was a year younger than his actual age, which is not bad in my opinion considering he has a communication deficit! He did well when he drew a picture. I then used guided questioning to guide his response. By doing this language sample, I learned how much more capable this student can be to use expressive language when he is given the support he needs.
Good idea to use guided questioning.
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