LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Language is tied to everything. These two sisters are having a discussion. Part of what makes it a good discussion is they have a close emotional relationship. That's the way researchers talk. They really love each other. So, both of them are motivated to use language. Many researchers into disabilities such as autism believe a reason that children with such disabilities are so delayed in language is they don't have the typical desire to have a relationship with other people.* For most children, though, including most children with disabilities, the motivation is there. They do want to communicate with their parents and teachers.
Language starts before a child can talk. That seems like an odd statement. Before you can say something, you have to have an idea. For example, the two sisters above are having a conversation about Italian soda, which is the red stuff in the glass. The little sister wants to know what it is. She saw the person make it at the coffee shop by putting red syrup and something else together. Now, like most small children, she has a lot of questions, "What is that stuff called?" "How does it taste?" "Do you like it?" "How did you know it exists to ask for it?"Language comes from experiences and that is one reason it is so important that children experience different shapes, colors, activities, textures, ideas, smells, sounds and ideas. The more variety in a child's daily experiences, the more he or she has to talk about.
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* Note: We discuss children with autism, visual impairment, hearing impairment in our resources on specific disabilities in the Disability Access workshops.