Home and English language learning is essential for young DLLs with disabilities. Early educators as well as parents and other caregivers can implement promising strategies to support home and second language development for young children who are DLLs. This article reviews the importance of adult (e.g., teacher, parent) feedback and language…

When toddlers hear a novel word, they quickly and independently link it with a novel object rather than known-name objects. However, they are less proficient in retaining multiple novel words. Sleep and even short naps can enhance declarative memory in adults and children and this study investigates the effect of napping on children's memory for…

This study examined associations between caregiver talk and language skills in full term (FT) and preterm (PT) children (n = 97). All-day recordings of caregiver-child interactions revealed striking similarities in amount of caregiver talk heard by FT and PT children. Children who heard more caregiver talk at 16 months demonstrated better…

Early auditory/language experience plays an important role in language development. In this study, we examined the effects of severe-to-profound hearing loss and subsequent cochlear implantation on the development of attention to speech in children with cochlear implants (CIs). In addition, we investigated the extent to which attention to speech…

As humans, we all experience the fundamental need to belong. Often, this sense of belonging is inherited and nurtured by our families and their histories, the languages we speak and the cultures we adhere to; and it is in our experiences and engagement with these aspects of ourselves that our identities are formed, contested, negotiated and…

Purpose: Deaf children are frequently reported to be at risk for difficulties in executive function (EF); however, the literature is divided over whether these difficulties are the result of deafness itself or of delays/deficits in language that often co-occur with deafness. The purpose of this study is to discriminate these hypotheses by…

The 6 Principles are universal guidelines drawn from decades of research in language pedagogy and language acquisition theory that should undergird any program of English language instruction. These foundational principles are for all educators in any classroom where students are learning English as a new language or learning content through that…

Among the many models of school reform that have emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, one has endured for more than 50 years: the School Development Program (SDP). Established in 1968 by renowned child psychiatrist James P. Comer and the Yale Child Study Center, the SDP is grounded in the belief that successful…

Teaching is a complex practice that is typically evaluated in terms of quantity or quality of learning opportunities. Particular attention is often given to children's language and literacy learning opportunities as these are known to be the foundation for children's later reading success. However, prior research has largely overlooked the…

Younger and older preschool-age children are commonly placed together in mixed age classrooms. However, both theory and empirical evidence conflict over whether mixed age classrooms are the best environment for developing children. A factor that may play a role in the is peer skill as children may benefit from being around more skilled peers. The…

The purpose of this article was to review and examine the empirical literature on parent implemented naturalistic language interventions aimed at supporting language development of young children with disabilities. A scoping review of 21 parent-implemented naturalistic language intervention studies published between 2000 and 2016 was conducted to…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the practical use of video cameras during a study with young children. Design/methodology/approach: This paper investigates the use of video cameras in a research study of young children's utilisation of semiotic tools to communicate during play interactions in a Francophone preschool classroom in…

Mothers' provision of utterances with internal state words has been shown to influence infants' acquisition of internal state vocabulary and has been proposed to foster preschoolers' theory of mind development. In this article the authors examine maternal internal state speech during free play with infants at 13, 17, and 21 months. The study…

Based on a theoretical model of instructional quality this study investigates the influence of different dimensions of instructional quality in the school entrance phase on students' language development taking into account child and family background factors as well as structural characteristics of the classroom and teacher's educational beliefs.…

Research Findings: This study examines the frequency of reasoning talk used by 56 educators during their naturally occurring play interactions with infants in their early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers. Using Hasan's semantic framework, reasons were coded as social (based on social rules) or logical (based on rules of nature). The…