Transcript Slide 1

Is there a “theory”
Has the “theory” been
proven
How do you use it to
improve practice?
Christine Yoshinaga-Itano
University of Colorado, Boulder
Is there a “theory”?
 There is a sensitive period for acquisition
of language and communication
 Earlier access to language and
communication
 Sensitive period means that the probability
of success decreases significantly after that
time, but it is not impossible
Sensitive Periods of Development
 Sensitive period means that the
acquisition of language is more natural,
more automatic, and requires less
structured intervention techniques
 Earlier access benefits language learning
through all modes of communication and
for all aspects of language: semantics,
syntax, pragmatics, phonology
“Earlier is better”
 For all modes of communication
 For all aspects of communication
 For all socio-economic levels
 For children with hearing loss only
 For children with multiple disabilities
Language/Communication
development should be
commensurate with cognitive
ability
 Deaf and hard-of-hearing children haave the
right and the potential to develop
communication skills at the level of their
intellectual potential measured most
commonly through non-verbal cognitive
development
 We should not be satisfied with “gaps” between
cognitive/intellectual potential and
communication development
Non-verbal symbolic play (birth
through about six) is highly related
to semantic language learning and
social-emotional development
 Especially for multiply disabled children,
enhancing symbolic play development has
complementary advantages in language
development
 For later-identified children
 For non-English speaking children
Auditory development, speech
development and language
development are highly related to
syntax development
 Auditory development should be a focus option for the first
six years of life
 Speech development is predominantly established in the
first five years of life and is highly related to degree of
hearing loss and amplification benefit
 Sensitive period for speech and auditory development
primarily within the first five years of life.
 Sensitive period for basic syntax skills are three to 7-8 years
Even when semantic language is
strong, students still struggle with
pragmatic language development
and higher level language skills
 There are no standardized tests that assess these
higher level language skills
Different strategies work for
different children
 Deaf/HH only, Multiply disabled, non-English
speaking, by age, by degree of hearing loss, by mode of
communication etc.
 Different strategies are appropriate for different ages
 Different strategies work for different outcomes:
vocabulary, syntax, speech, spoken language, literacy,
written language, social-emotional, etc.
Different goals are appropriate for
different ages
 Infancy: Parent-child interaction (bonding, social-
emotional, language interaction skills) (newborn)
 Access to normal language development (oral and/or
signed)
 End of first year – second year – Semantic foundation
 Middle second through 5-6 years –
Syntax/morphology, continued semantics
 3-6 – Simultaneous emphasis on pragmatics
 3-6 Refining phonology
School-age
 Age appropriate semantics – expansion of language
concepts – schema development – semantic
networking – organization of semantic memory
structures
 Conversational syntax established by 5 years of age
 Higher level embedding – syntax to 7-8 years
 Syntax development – in written language
 Pragmatics/Semantics/Cognitive development intertwined
Funded researchers are often not teachers, educators,
intervention providers who have worked in educational
settings with deaf or hard-of-hearing students –
psychologists, physicists, biologists, physicians, rarely
teachers
Funded research like random assignment to interventionSimple focused designs - ignore interactions across
domains - i.e. study audition without language, study
language without social-emotional or cognition…..
Most researchers are not knowledgeable with systems, are
not teachers, prefer to study children who are deaf or hardof-hearing without additional issues, such as multiple
disabilities, non-English speaking environments, socioeconomic issues
Contact Information
 Christine Yoshinaga-Itano, Ph.D.
 University of Colorado, Boulder
 Campus Box 409
 Boulder, Colorado 80309-0409
 Email: [email protected]
 Phone: 303 492-3050
 FAX: 303 492-3274