Normal Language Development

The simple reflexes substage concords to the first month after an infant is born (Santrock, 2011). Sensorimotor actions during simple reflexes are mainly characterized by reflexive behaviors such as rooting and sucking (Santrock, 2011). In addition, another sensorimotor stage is known as secondary circular reactions and is acquired between the ages of four to eight months (Santrock, 2011). Out of fascination, the infant begins to repeat actions and imitates certain actions such as baby talk (Santrock, 2011). The fifth sensorimotor stage which develops in infants of 12 to 18 months is known as tertiary circular reactions, novelty and curiosity (Santrock, 2011).

Language development is a critical part of a child’s overall development. Language encourages and supports a child’s ability to communicate. Through language, a child is able to understand and define his or her’s feelings and emotions. It also introduces the steps to thinking critically as well as problem-solving, building and maintaining relationships. Learning a language from a social perspective is important because it gives the child the opportunity to interact with others and the environment.

A major debate in the field of child cognitive development is whether certain aspects of development are learned or innate. It is a continuation of the classic dispute between the nature vs nurture elements of development. The chapter and articles delve into this debate with visual and auditory perception in children and provides empirical evidence towards whether or not infants are born with the ability to detect and distinguish these perceptions. There is a large consensus that perceptual functioning in children reaches adult like levels fairly quickly during the first year of development Siegler (2005).

Language acquisition starts at birth. The child is exposed to a spoken language and the Phonological system starts working. This system is responsible of recognizing the sound of a language. This spoken language entails phonemes, phonotactics, stress pattern and intonation system all of them included in the same received sound. Therefore, children have to differentiate all these elements every time they are exposed to the speech of those close to them and somehow children do that and they are not only able to differentiate the elements found in their native languages but also switch languages with this language’s characteristics if they are exposed to another language

As I discussed above, Piaget believed that all children sought out information and they would naturally develop these abilities but Vygotsky presents a more logical theory. As children, our interaction with our surroundings and the people around us shapes how we develop. “According to Vygotsky, language is the basis for cognitive development, including the ability to remember, solve problems, make decisions and formulate plans” (Martin et al., 2010). When young children below the age of seven would say words to themselves, Piaget saw this as an egocentric and non-social act whereas Vygotsky saw this is an early learning and memorisation process. Once the child reached a certain age (middle childhood), they would stop talking to themselves thus developing what he called an “inner speech”.

Furthermore, patterns of utterances were observed in each group. Researchers determined that shared reading with 9-month-old infants was characterized by more elaborations, whereas 17-month-old infants were asked more questions. Verbal reciprocal interactions were the highest with the 27-month-olds, when conversations would emerge over the story content (Sénéchal et al., 1995). These results are indicative of adjusting communication styles based on literacy and language skills, which help the infant maintain interest in the activity. Furthermore, infants who were engaged more, exposed to more labelling and questioning and given feedback tended to be more vocal and actively participate in their learning (Sénéchal et al.,

Furthermore, feeding cues are picked up which allows for better interaction between the mother

Speech skills are referred to as receptive language skills and include making sounds to form words or the act of talking. Language skills are referred to as expressive language skills and entail using words to communicate what we feel or mean, and also being able to understand what others say. Children begin absorbing and learning their language and speech abilities right from the time they are in the womb. However, most of the developments take place between the ages of 2 and 5 years.

Aistear also states that children’s language can be more than words; they can express themselves through body movements by dancing, objects, facial features and gestures through drama and in some cases children may use sign language or braille as their form of language (NCCA 2009a, p.34). Numeracy is defined in the Oxford Dictionary (2017b) as having the ability to work with numbers and to be able to understand them. They learn about early number concepts for example a toddler experiences ‘more’ by putting more than one object into a box and they also begin to learn about time, for babies time is ‘now’ whereas toddlers begin to anticipate ‘putting on their coats means going for a walk’ (French 2012b, p.131).

He explains how babies are born into learning and “as babies notice similarities between their own actions and those of others while experiencing other people and learning about themselves” (Berk, 2014). By showing gestures and interest, babies can learn more in the first five years such as recognizing sounds and different languages which help with vocabulary growth (2014). According to research, “bilingualism has positive consequences for development. Children who are fluent in two languages outperform others on tests” (Berk, 2014).

What purpose do reflexes have in newborns? Reflexes are genetically carried mechanisms that allow the infants to respond to their environment before they have the opportunity to learn. 3. Rooting Reflex:

Children’s language develops through a series of identifiable stages. Communication begins even before a baby is born,at the time of conception. this is evidenced by babies in the womb communicating in the form of a kick or a nudge in response to a familiar voice or piece of music. The first stage of development in the process of children learning to use language is the pre-linguistic stage. Babies use this stage to learn how to communicate with others through eye contact, smiles, touches and cries, this is referred to as non-verbal communication.

: Question 1 Answer: Physical development Babies tend to develop at a fast rate and are born with natural reflexes which are required for them to survive. For example a baby will be able to suck and grab in order to receive food. At 1 year the child will be reasonably mobile and will be crawling, rolling and sitting up mostly unaided. They may also experience physical changes such as getting their first tooth.

During the cognitive development of a preschooler they learn preoperational thought, symbolic function, language acquisition, centration, conservation, intuitive thought, autobiographical memory, culture, language development, etc. In my own childhood there are many things I can include for my own physical and cognitive development during my preschool years.

In Infant and Toddler Practicum, I am observing at the Hannibal Children’s Center in Hannibal, Mo. At the Hannibal Children’s Center I am currently in the Journey A room, which is a toddler room. In this room, the toddlers ages range from one to two. The teacher in the toddler room while I am there is Dana. In the Journey room, there is always two teachers in the room, unless there are four children. There is at least one teacher that is the head teacher in the room when there are two teachers in there.