Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP), in Hawaii, and Rough Rock (which serves Navajo students in Arizona) are dedicated to strengthening the school success of students who have not thrived in traditional mainstream school settings. Both programs have rooted change efforts in the belief that students would experience improved school…

This report summarizes two studies which documented the development of prelingually deaf children (N=4, N=40) in Sweden exposed to sign communication during preschool years. The first study involved analysis of video recordings, forming a qualitative description of social strategies used by four children with different social positions in the peer…

This case study of a 3-year-old child with a language disorder describes the content, implementation, and use of a therapy approach integrating the acquisition of language and social-interactive skills. The intervention setting was a preschool for children with severe language impairments located on a university campus, where children and their…

The phenomenon known in cognitive psychology as U-shaped behavioral growth is discussed in relation to second language learning. The U-shaped growth concept focuses on the fact that some behaviors appear, disappear, and then apparently reappear over time. It has been documented in children's learning of physical concepts, musical concepts,…

Experiences of a San Francisco, California, kindergarten teacher whose students include 15 limited English speaking children are recounted, and observations on English Language Development (ELD) teaching strategies are offered. It is noted that the kindergarten program and classroom setting are both conducive to and appropriate for second language…

In a case study, a child's acquisition and maintenance of Chinese (as a first language) and English (as a second language) were documented. The child brought to the United States at age 3.5, acquired English in 2 years and was encouraged to maintain his Chinese skills through a family-based education program. For 6 months the boy was given Chinese…

This study explored the extent and nature of the literacy artifacts, references, and events in the homes of three preschool children with Down Syndrome. Analyses were based on observations and tape recordings taken during home visits. Major conclusions included: (1) the homes of the preschoolers were print rich, and literacy references and events…

A case study analyzed the babbling and speech production of an infant, aged 20 to 24 months, whose family members spoke Portuguese, English, and French interchangeably. Focus was on vowel production, choice of lexicon, and the relationship between babbling and speech in the interaction of his languages. The child's utterances were recorded in…

This study investigated the development of oral metalinguistic abilities in 140 children (ages 5-12) with oral language or reading impairments. The study focused on determining the difficulties that children with these different types of problems have at different ages in the elementary school years and determining how metalinguistic abilities…

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that children's use of Japanese case particles obeys the grammatical principles introduced at the earlier stage of language development. In previous studies concerning the acquisition of Japanese case examined through the experimental method, it has been suggested that children acquire the functional use…

Focusing on the development of systematic observation procedures, this document provides guidance in choosing methods to assess the development of children within an early childhood program. The document discusses how to use observation data to guide decisions about curriculum and teaching, provide feedback on educational and developmental…

Defining literacy development as a continuous process that has its roots in the home, this training guide is intended to enhance the skills of Head Start staff in collaborating with families to support the development of children's language skills. The guide also describes the emerging literacy for children from birth through the preschool years.…

A review of research demonstrates that both oral and written language continue to develop through adulthood. Studies show that such skills as the abilities to interpret metacognitive verbs, to make word associations, and to understand syntax improve with age. Adolescents and adults use language that solidifies them with their peer group.…

A recent survey of nearly 10,000 elementary and middle-school principals confirmed that home activities can have a dramatic impact on how well children do in school. This booklet describes ways for parents to apply the survey findings in the home. The booklet offers tips for supporting children's learning and development and for undertaking family…

Toddlers with slow expressive language development were compared on three global measures of phonological behavior to age-mates with normal speech development. The measures were the average level of complexity of syllable structures, the number of different consonant phonemes produced, and the percentage of consonants correctly produced in…