Language Development in Toddlers

Phonology: The study of sounds.
- Think phonics and phonemic awareness.
Syntax: The rules governing the order of words in speech; grammar.
Semantics: Word meanings and vocabulary.
Pragmatics: Social use of language; understanding when and where to use language appropriately.
- Important for children with autism or ADHD who may struggle with the social aspects of language use.

Phonology: Focuses on the sounds and flow of language.
- Toddlers experiment with this as they learn to speak.
Phonemes: The smallest unit of sound.
- Approximately 39 phonemes in the English language.
- Includes vowels, consonants, and blended sounds.
- Follows a developmental sequence.
- Example: "cat" has three phonemes; "chip" also has three phonemes despite having four letters.
Morphology: The study of words and their meanings.
- The smallest unit of meaning.
- Suffixes: -ing, -ed (past tense).
- Prefixes: Appear at the beginning of words.
- Between ages two and four, children develop various phonemes and morphemes.
- There's a typical sequence in which morphemes appear (e.g., "dada" often precedes "mama").

Emerges around 18-24 months.
Toddlers begin combining words, resulting in telegraphic speech (broken speech).
- Telegraphic Speech: Toddlers use descriptive words but omit articles and auxiliary verbs (e.g., "big car" instead of "That is a big car").
- Adults infer meaning from these short phrases.
Grammar involves organizing sounds to communicate meaning.
Overgeneralization/Overregulation: Occurs as children learn new rules and apply them incorrectly.
- Example: Applying the -ed rule to irregular verbs (e.g., saying "I goted a toy" instead of "I got a toy").
Intonation and inflection add clarity, especially when grammar is incorrect.
- The way they say something such as "go park?" can indicate whether they are asking a question

Studies of meanings and acquisition of vocabulary.
Children learn best through active, hands-on involvement.
Words should relate to their experiences.
Educators should emphasize and explain new words, connecting them to the child's life.

The study of how language is used within a specific context.
Challenging for children with special needs.
Involves understanding context, appropriate timing, and how to ask for needs.
Includes turn-taking in conversations and inferencing.
Requires being aware of others' perspectives.
Emphasizes maintaining appropriate eye contact, noticing non-verbal cues, and staying on topic.

First words typically appear between 10-22 months.
- Usually names of important people or objects encountered daily (e.g., "up," "out," "night-night," "bye-bye," "doggo").
Egocentric Speech: (According to Vygotsky).
- Words or phrases that accompany actions (e.g., a child saying "I go, I run.").
Inner Speech: Speech becomes internalized as part of the thought process; internal monologue, thinking essentially.
Symbolic Gesturing: Communication exists before first words using gestures, signs, and signals.
- Occurs alongside early vocalizations.
- Caregivers should interpret gestures and pair them with words.
  - Most centers encourage educators to pair words with hand signs.
First sentences emerge around 18 months, shifting to two-word phrases.
- Use of pivot words (e.g., "more," "in," "out," "want").
  - Examples: "More juice," "In car," "Doggy out," "Want cookie."
Invention of words by toddlers is common; toddlers experiment with language.

The cutest stage includes telegraphic speech, where children don't know how to say things properly.
Example: "Mary doll" instead of "This is my doll" or "Can I have my doll?".
- Adults must infer meaning from prosodic speech.
Children may modulate their voice or stress certain words to convey meaning.
Progression to two- to five-word sentences:
- Baby down, no like
- Use of verbs, prepositions, plurals, articles, conjunctions, and negatives.
- Asking questions, repeating words and phrases, singing songs, and telling simple stories.
- Mispronouncing words (e.g., "eye cream" for "ice cream," "chew" for "shoe").

Demonstrates developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) through observation and monitoring.
Toddler teachers should use rich language and introduce various words in different contexts.
Use descriptive language to describe what the toddler is doing.
Language development milestones vary; teachers should understand that there is a range of typical development times.
Important milestones:
- Articulating needs and wants.
- Pointing to objects labeled by others (recall technique).
- Learning social words (e.g., "mine," "please," "thank you," "all done").
- Following one-step directions.

Monitor and assess a child’s language to see how far along they are in their development.
Use questionnaires and developmental checklists to track progress.
- These tools involve parents, thus improving communication with them.
Address language delays with targeted activities and one-on-one time.
Recognize that every child is an individual and will reach milestones at different times.
When children substitute sounds, model the correct pronunciation without directly correcting them.

Write five- to eight-sentence descriptions of infant and toddler language characteristics.
Apply terms like non-word vocalization, joint attention, telegraphic speech, inflection, and syntax.