Evaluation of the ability of 77 students who are moderately to profoundly deaf to solve arithmetic word problems found that students who are deaf experienced delays in successful work problem performance. Results support the idea that the delayed language acquisition of this population affects their capacity to solve arithmetic word problems.…

This article introduces the concept of a multi-component working memory. Emphasis is placed on the phonological loop component, its fractionation into a storage and processing component, and implications for native and second language learning. An overview of the visual spatial sketchpad and its possible role in language is provided. (Contains…

This study examined the prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) in 14 children (ages 8-66 months) with developmental disabilities attending center-based childcare. Although younger children had more OME than older children, children with Down syndrome had the highest incidence of OME regardless of age. Implications of OME for fluctuating…

Explored relation between infants' early spontaneous imitation of novel and familiar words and subsequent lexicons in longitudinal sample between 13 and 21 months. Found marked contrasts in quantity and proportions of nouns between reported and observed lexicons. When earlier vocabulary levels were controlled, infants' early replication of novel…

A study considered the validity of portions of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (MCDI) for 50 pediatric cochlear implant users (ages 1-6) who exceeded the age ranges for which these inventories were normed. Results indicate MCDI scores plus age could be used to obtain Reynell Developmental Language Scales scores. (Contains…

Describes the transition from single to multiple word utterances in one child. The development illustrates the initial dissociation and later coordination of the temporal chaining of elements and meaning relatedness between elements and also the importance of repetition for the change from single-word utterances to meaning-related, multiword…

Input language addressed to language-learning children was analyzed to assess the quality of the semantic-syntactic correspondence posited by the semantic bootstrapping hypothesis. This correspondence was strong--objects were labeled with nouns, actions with verbs, attributes with adjectives--and may serve to make children's construction of…

Describes how poetry can be used with the different types of creative drama, including finger plays, pantomime and movement, Readers Theater, sensory awareness, storytelling, choral reading, action poems, role playing, and characterization. (MG)

This article presents a curriculum for speech-language-communication skills which combines the Present Education Level and Individualized Education Program formats for deaf and hearing-impaired students. Information on carryover procedures, parent/teacher contact, and report card format is presented. The curriculum was designed for preschool…

Twenty-four 12- to 19-month-old children were studied to examine the cognitive basis for the emergence of verbs. Substantial increases in verb comprehension across contexts, abstract cognition, and the ability to engage in symbolic action were observed, suggesting a relationship between underlying cognitive development and increased verb…

Investigates whether transfer of reading and listening comprehension skills occurs in bilingual programs. Finds that reading and listening skills in the native language do transfer to reading in the second language but that general language ability is not significantly involved in the transfer of reading skills to a second language. (RS)

Explains the differences between constituency and dependency theories for structural linguistics. Reasons are provided for why the former has been indirectly responsible for the neglect of lexical acquisition in language acquisition research and for proposing a notation based on dependency theory for describing learners' segmentation of initially…

Fourteen specifically language-impaired children, age four to seven, pointed to pictures in, and acted out, semantically reversible sentences that varied in thematic content and in the order of thematic roles. Compared to children matched on language age and chronological age, subjects' comprehension was significantly lower. (Author/JDD)

Ideas which apply language concepts to the study of algebra are presented. Discussed are algebraic notation, vocabulary, vocalization, and written assignments. The careful use of algebraic language in mathematics classes is emphasized. (CW)

Two experiments investigated the effects of peer modeling on the acquisition of receptive and expressive language responses. Experiment 1 studied lexical learning among five children who were mildly/moderately developmentally disabled. Experiment 2 investigated the observational learning of receptive and expressive language responses by two…