A review of research on early receptive language development of normal and language-handicapped children uses a functional-analysis perspective to emphasize how developmental changes are effected through the interactions of children with their environments. Lexical acquisition and early morphological/syntactic acquisition are addressed. (Author/CL)

This review of research examines investigations that have focused on the effect of reinforcer specificity on the acquisition of both language comprehension and production skills by learners with severe handicaps. Issues regarding the use of intervention strategies that employ reinforcer specificity are discussed. (Author/JW)

Discusses the assessment of children's early language comprehension by the use of (1) parent reports; (2) preferential-looking models; and (3) event-related brain potentials. Examines recent findings on dissociations between language comprehension and production in normal, late-talking, and brain-injured children and considers the implications of…

This review focuses on methods used to identify language impairment in 72 published research studies from 1983-88. Test data were most frequently used, and expressive and receptive language were routinely assessed. Research problems included the lack of clarity regarding the specific number and identity of tests used and use of incomplete tests.…

A review of the research on learning-disabled students suggests that these students often exhibit language deficits that are not readily obvious. These language deficits create problems in understanding social interactions and written and oral directions as well as problems in expressing ideas both orally and in written form. The term language…