language development

Credits to Teo Hsiao Hui, T3

Funny Language Development

In conjunction with the lecture we had today, let me share with u guys this video clip.



By Ho Khee Hoong

Our generation is better language wise?

This statement that Mr. Tan made during class that our generation has better language than the generations before made me think, is that really true?

Somehow when I compare my language with my aunts and my dad, I have better English compared to my aunt and uncles that were Chinese educated (Phor Tay and Chung Ling) but compared to my aunts that were went to school in those with British education systems last time (St. Georges Girls School in Penang), I don't think mine is better. Even if I compare my mandarin with the previous generation, it is still worse.

The way I see it, a number of factors influenced our use of language. One of it is because our generation uses smses and Internet messaging, which causes our language to deteriorate as we cut the words into short forms (you to u, together to 2gether, etc) and use simple words. When we get used to doing so, we also tend to do it while doing tests, and maybe in our assignments, where we might absentmindedly write u instead of you.

Another factor is because our generation spend much less time actually reading books, be it textbooks, story books or even the newspaper. It's sad really, nobody reads books much now, they all want to watch the movie instead or watch drama shows on the TV, or stay glued to the computer. I believe that children should be encouraged to read from an early age, or even before they can read themselves the parents should read them stories, which will get them interested in books. Then the pathways between the neurons at the left hemisphere that has to do with language will be more developed.

Another contributing factor is in my opinion, the environment, or more specifically the type of language that the people around you, such as your family, peers etc, speak. When your family speaks mandarin always to you, obviously your mandarin will be better. Personally I speak English and Hokkien at home since young, which is why I am pretty fluent in both. Mandarin on the other hand, I avoid like the plague, but using it is sometimes unavoidable, especially in UTAR. Also, there's also Manglish that we Malaysians use so much.

Practice makes perfect, or in the words of Mr. Tan, "Use it or lose it." Language can always be improved by constant use and reading. It may be slow, but for sure it will improve bit by bit.

So I shall end this with a question directed to all those reading : Do you agree that your language is better than the older generation? Just compare yourself to the people in your family and so on. Maybe you can explain your perspective on this. So that we can make this blog more lively :D

Mother's Sensitivity May Help Language Growth in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

ScienceDaily (Feb. 25, 2010) — A new study by researchers from the University of Miami shows that maternal sensitivity may influence language development among children who go on to develop autism. Although parenting styles are not considered as a cause for autism, this report examines how early parenting can promote resiliency in this population.

The study is published online this month and will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

"Language problems are among the most important areas to address for children with autism, because they represent a significant impairment in daily living and communication," says Daniel Messinger, associate professor in the department of psychology at the University of Miami (UM) College of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of a larger study of infants at-risk for autism, which includes this study.

Maternal sensitivity is defined in the study as a combination of warmth, responsiveness to the child's needs, respect for his or her emerging independence, positive regard for the child, and maternal structuring, which refers to the way in which a mother engages and teaches her child in a sensitive manner. For example, if a child is playing with colored rings, the mother might say, "This is the green ring," thus teaching the child about his environment, says Messinger.

In this study, maternal sensitivity (and primarily, sensitive structuring) was more predictive of language growth among toddlers developing autism than among children who did not go on to an autism diagnosis. One possible explanation is that children with autism may be more dependent on their environment to learn certain skills that seem to come more naturally to other children.

"Parenting may matter even more for children with developmental problems such as autism because certain things that tend to develop easily in children with typical neurological development, like social communication, don't come as naturally for kids with autism, so these skills need to be taught," says Jason K. Baker, a postdoctoral fellow at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, who conducted the study with Messinger while at UM.

For the study, 33 children were assessed in the lab at 18, 24, 30 and 36 months of age. Some of the children had an older sibling diagnosed with autism and were considered high risk for autism.

At the 18-month assessment, the researchers videotaped a five minute period of mother and child free play in which the mothers were asked to play as they would at home. Aspects of maternal sensitivity were scored on seven-point scales ranging from absence of sensitive behavior to extremely sensitive behavior. Children's language was assessed at 2 and 3 years. At the 3 year visit, when the children were old enough to be evaluated, 12 of children from the high risk group received an autism-spectrum diagnosis.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Its findings parallel previous treatment research indicating that when children with autism increase their connection to the environment they do much better, Baker says. Understanding the benefits of sensitive structuring in the development of language among young children with emergent autism provides scientific support for early intervention programs that focus on parent-child interactions. "We know that parenting doesn't cause autism. The message here is that parents can make a difference in helping their children fight against autism," Baker says.

Reference:

University of Miami (2010, February 25). Mother's sensitivity may help language growth in children with autism spectrum disorder.ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100225101224.htm

Credits to Gan Shy Cheat (T1)

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