To determine whether deficits warranting intervention are present in the later functioning of high-risk infants, 22 premature infants who experienced asphyxia or chronic lung disease (CLD) but who had no gross developmental abnormalities were evaluated. Assessments of auditory perception and receptive language ability were made during later…

The first of three booklets in a series designed to help parents of handicapped children birth to 5 years old focuses on the communication process. A chart lists developmental milestones for both expressive and receptive language. Learning processes for communication (such as imitation, sensory knowledge, and memory) are reviewed. The bulk of the…

The fact that the autistic children were so impaired in language even with fairly good sensorimotor skills suggests that these skills, particularly object permanence, play a minor role in their language acquisition. (Author)

This study evaluated the relationship between the play behaviors of 18 deaf blind children (aged 3-12) and their communication skills using the Play Assessment Scale and several multidomain developmental checklists. Results revealed that behaviors observed during play assessment were highly related to ratings of receptive, expressive, and…

This paper reviews the literature on grammatical knowledge in language comprehension in the preschool years from the perspective of sensitivity to structural contrasts. Studies of both direct and indirect evidence of sensitivity to structural contrasts were evaluated and showed that there may be a developmental sequence of increasing sensitivity…

Grammatical development was examined for 10 children (ages 19 to 31 months) with expressive language impairments only and 10 children with both receptive- and expressive-language impairments. Group analyses did not reveal any differences between the subtypes on the Index of Productive Syntax. However, specific weakness in verb-phrase elaboration…

This article reviews the efficacy of cochlear implantation in children with prelingual deafness. A brief introduction to cochlear implants is provided, followed by a review of research regarding the positive effects of cochlear implantation on speech perception, speech production, and language development. Implications for early childhood…

A study examined developmental changes in talker recognition skills by assessing 72 children's (ages 3-5) recognition of 20 cartoon characters' voices. Four- and 5-year-old children recognized more of the voices than did 3-year-olds. All children were more accurate at recognizing more familiar characters than less familiar characters. (Contains…

The paper describes assessment techniques, the process of aid selection, and therapy procedures with young nonverbal handicapped children. Assessment of such children requires an evaluation of the child's present means of communication, hearing, vision, receptive skills, and ability to use language (verbal, gestural, or graphic). Among factors to…

Evaluated was the comprehension of maternal and experimentally posed Wh questions (such as what, why and who) by two 5-year-old Down's Syndrome children. Weekly taperecordings of mother-child play situations and videotapes of individual sessions with the experimenter were analyzed in terms of form, content, and appropriateness of Ss' response.…

The study investigated the relationship between scores made by 20 kindergarten children on a test of reading readiness skills and tests of auditory reception of language, and between their scores on a test of academic achievement and tests of auditory reception of language. (Author)