Infant Communication Development: Prelinguistic Stage, Theories, and Interventions

What is the Prelinguistic Stage?

The stage of communication development from birth to about one year, focusing on input and output before spoken language.

What is the High-amplitude sucking paradigm (HASP)?

A method to assess infant learning by monitoring changes in sucking rate in response to different sounds.

What indicates an infant's interest in new stimuli in the HASP?

An increase in sucking rate when presented with novel sounds.

What is the Headturn-Preference Procedure (HPP)?

A method used to assess infants' preferences for sounds by measuring the duration of head turns towards and away from stimuli.

What does habituation in infants indicate?

A decrease in response to repeated stimuli, showing that the infant has become accustomed to it.

How do infants learn to distinguish speech sounds?

Infants can initially distinguish sounds from any language but begin to lose this ability by 8-10 months, focusing on sounds in their native language.

What is the significance of statistical learning in infants?

It helps infants identify sound patterns, syllables, and words through repeated exposure to their language.

What is Object Permanence?

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible, beginning around 8-12 months.

What is the Means-End understanding in infants?

The ability to solve problems mentally to achieve goals, typically developing between 12-18 months.

What is Communicative Intention?

The purposeful engagement in communicative acts, indicating intentionality rather than accidental behavior.

What are the criteria for intentional behavior in infants?

Deliberate eye contact, consistent gestural behavior, ritualized vocalizations, and pauses for response.

What is the relationship between sensorimotor constructions and language according to Piaget?

Language reflects mental constructions developed through interaction with the environment.

What is the focus of the Prelinguistic Stage in terms of input?

It emphasizes learning from auditory input and the ability to perceive patterns and differences in sounds.

What is the focus of the Prelinguistic Stage in terms of output?

It involves the infant's attempts at preverbal communication, including gestures and vocalizations.

What is the significance of the study by Mattock et al. (2008)?

It demonstrated that infants' ability to differentiate tones decreases as they focus on their native language.

What is the role of play in communication development?

Play facilitates cognitive and communicative skills, allowing infants to experiment with language and social interaction.

What is the age range for the Sensorimotor Stage in Piaget's model?

0-2 years.

What is the importance of segmenting the speech stream?

Infants must learn to identify and separate words from continuous speech to develop vocabulary.

What does the term 'protoword' refer to?

A ritualized vocalization used by infants to communicate a specific meaning or intention.

What does the term 'novelty' refer to in the context of infant learning?

The presentation of new stimuli that captures an infant's attention, indicated by increased sucking or head-turning.

What is the significance of environmental factors in communication development?

They facilitate the development of communication skills by providing varied and rich linguistic input.

What are the three stages of intentional behavior in children?

Perlocutionary Stage (0-8 months), Illocutionary Stage (8-12 months), Locutionary Stage (12+ months)

What characterizes the Perlocutionary Stage of intentional behavior?

Intention is inferred by adults; no direct communication from the child.

What happens during the Illocutionary Stage of intentional behavior?

Children show objects and display a range of gestures.

What is the focus of the Locutionary Stage?

Words begin to accompany and replace gestures.

What are some communicative functions of intentional behavior?

Rejection, requests (social, object, action), and comments.

What is an example of a rejection behavior in infants?

Turning their head away when they do not want to be fed.

What types of requests can children make through intentional behavior?

Requests for social interaction, objects, or actions from others.

What is the significance of the age range 4-8 months in intentional behavior?

Imitation of others begins, and children start to understand cause and effect.

What developmental milestone occurs between 8-12 months?

Object permanence begins, and children start to communicate intentionally through gestures.

What cognitive abilities develop between 12-18 months?

Further development of object permanence and experimentation with means-end activities.

What is the importance of play in child development?

Play demonstrates cognitive, emotional, and linguistic abilities, allowing practice and consolidation of skills.

What are the four stages of play development?

Solitary play (1 yr), Parallel play (1.5 yrs), Associative play (3 yrs), Cooperative play (5 yrs).

How does Vygotsky's theory differ from Piaget's regarding language development?

Vygotsky emphasizes social interaction and cultural influences, while Piaget focuses on individual cognitive development.

What is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) according to Vygotsky?

The difference between what an individual can do independently and what they can achieve with assistance.

What is the role of imitation in the development of intentional behavior?

Children imitate behaviors they observe, which aids in learning and communication.

What does the term 'intermental learning' refer to?

Learning that occurs through interactions between individuals, as emphasized by Vygotsky.

What is the significance of the age range 18-24 months in intentional behavior?

Object permanence and tool use are well established, and intentional behavior is fully developed.

What is the main takeaway regarding children with autism and intentional behavior?

Older children with autism produce more word types and higher mean length of utterances compared to younger typically developing children.

What is the difference between intermental and intramental learning?

Intermental learning occurs between people, while intramental learning occurs within the individual.

What does Piaget's theory emphasize about children's learning?

Children are active learners who construct knowledge through interaction with their environment.

What is the impact of play on cognitive development?

Play allows children to practice skills, develop mental representations, and enhance problem-solving abilities.

What is the difference between reality play and imaginary play?

Reality play occurs before age 5, while imaginary play occurs after age 5.

How does Piaget explain language impairments?

By identifying delayed stages of development within the child.

How does Vygotsky explain language impairments?

By suggesting that poor parenting may contribute to the impairment.

What does Piaget assess in children with language impairments?

He measures developmental stages and child behaviors.

What does Vygotsky assess in children with language impairments?

He measures caregiver-child interactions.

How does Piaget conduct therapy for language impairments?

By focusing on enhancing cognitive abilities.

How does Vygotsky conduct therapy for language impairments?

By working on interactions between caregiver/child, therapist/child, and peer-to-peer, emphasizing the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

What aspects of language development did Piaget and Vygotsky not focus on?

Vocabulary diversity and grammar.

What are the four types of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)?

1. Discrete trial training 2. Early intensive behavioral intervention 3. Pivotal response training 4. Positive behavior support.

What is discrete trial training in ABA?

A technique that uses a series of trials to encourage step-by-step learning, rewarding correct behaviors and ignoring mistakes.

What is early intensive behavioral intervention?

A one-on-one therapy for children under five to develop communication skills and reduce problematic behaviors.

What is pivotal response training?

A strategy used in everyday environments to teach pivotal skills like motivation to learn or initiate communication.

What is positive behavior support in ABA?

Making environmental changes to encourage good behavior.

What is the focus of the prelinguistic stage in language development?

Input and output related to language acquisition.

What is 'baby talk' or Infant Directed Speech (IDS)?

A way caregivers talk to infants, characterized by changes in pitch, loudness, speed, and stress/prosody.

What are the characteristics of Child Directed Speech (CDS)?

Short utterance length, simple syntax, small core vocabulary, topics about the here and now, increased facial expressions, frequent questions, and pauses for the baby's turn.

What are the three functions of Child Directed Speech (CDS)?

1. Secures emotional bonds 2. Highlights language chunks for learning 3. Develops turn-taking routines.

What is the role of caregivers in language development?

Caregivers do not cause language impairments; they can influence language development through interaction.

What is joint attention in language development?

A shared focus between a caregiver and child on an object or event, facilitating communication.

What are contingent comments in language development?

Responses that are relevant to the child's focus during joint attention.

What is the importance of interactive styles in caregiving?

They help transmit cultural ways of communicating and interacting.

What is the significance of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)?

It highlights the difference between what a child can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance.

How does caregiver behavior impact language development?

Changing caregiver behavior can be a therapeutic approach to support language development.

What are some cultural differences in Child Directed Speech (CDS)?

While CDS varies across cultures, all cultures have unique ways of talking to infants that differ from adult speech.