This final report summarizes the activities and findings of a research project which developed a model program for preschoolers "at risk in language." A total of 22 children, including 17 children "at risk" and 5 peers, participated in the program; the children served by the project showed increased facility with language in…

Communication is essential in each and every sphere of life, and is considered the fundamental social process because human beings interact with each other through communication in social settings. Classrooms have their own social settings in which teachers and students interact. During interaction, the main purpose of the teacher is to…

The two part presentation presents information on specific conditions of developmental delay and suggests intervention approaches. Three causes of mental retardation (Down's syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and cerebral palsy) are identified and described in terms of definition, incidence, characteristics, and educational implications. Part II is…

Most second language acquisition research has been concerned with grammar or phonology and has failed to discuss lexical acquisition. The main reason for this neglect has been the lack of vocabulary study by linguists. However, recent concern with semantic theory has brought new impetus to work on lexical acquisition. Useful research on lexical…

Presented is the fourth year report of a 4-year longitudinal study comparing effectiveness of seven preschool programs for deaf children. Schools are seen to emphasize either an oral-aural, Rochester (Oral-aural plus finger spelling), or total communication method of instruction. Included in the report are a brief review of literature on…

This book explores the workings of language, explains the operation of language as a coherent system, and examines instances of effective as well as ineffective communication. Chapters deal with (1) a "meaning" approach to language and the relation of semantics to the communicator, (2) how language works and what makes it work, (3) how language…

This book is concerned with language as it is used by the teacher, as it affects the learner, and as it can function to integrate the curriculum. Douglas Barnes, in "Language in the Secondary Classroom," discusses the student-teacher language interaction in 12 sample lessons, and analyzes the importance upon student learning of the languages used…

A technique for evaluating children's auditory-language processing abilities was developed. Teachers were trained in inservice workshops to identify auditory-language processing problems, using the Observational Profile of Classroom Communication. They subsequently referred 46 nonhandicapped first-, second-, and third-graders for evaluation, which…

Spanish-speaking families (N=58) of deaf children participated in a two-year televised trilingual (Spanish, English, and Sign Language) class through the project "A Mass Media Approach to Sign Language Instruction for Spanish-Speaking Parents of Deaf Children." Evaluation revealed that over 85 percent demonstrated positive change in…

This booklet contains 28 fact sheets on communication written primarily for parents and families with a child who is deaf-blind. They attempt to address fundamental but complex issues related to the communication needs of children with vision and hearing impairments. Each fact sheet targets a specific area, including: (1) communication; (2)…

This paper reviews the effectiveness of music therapy in treating children with psychiatric and developmental problems. The clinical utility of music therapy is first evaluated by examining the foundational effects of music on affect and behavior. Next, the two broad approaches to music therapy, active and passive music therapy, are discussed.…

Examined how preschoolers' experiences with mixed-age peers in family child care homes affect development. Found that interaction with younger and same-age peers was associated with less complex social and cognitive play and lower receptive language scores. Interaction with older peers was related to more complex cognitive play. The setting…

This article outlines key components of a medical evaluation of a child who is not talking. Factors to consider during diagnosis and screening are discussed, including the presence of mental retardation, hearing impairments, autism, cerebral palsy, and other disorders. The physiology of speech/language disorders in children is also examined.…

These two single-subject, alternating treatment design experiments with a total of seven young children (Navajo speaking and Spanish speaking) found that receptive learning of novel words in a second language reaches a preestablished criterion in fewer trials under a bilingual compared with a monolingual condition. (Author/DB)

Thirty-eight bilingual (Spanish-English) first graders with language delays were compared on rate of receptive acquisition of English prepositions and pronouns. Subjects who received instruction in Spanish prior to instruction in English acquired the English prepositions and pronouns twice as rapidly as subjects who received instruction in English…