Relations between maternal mental state language and joint attention of typically-developing infants and infants with down syndrome

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Legerstee ◽  
G. Markova ◽  
B. Small
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Joint Attention ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
State Language

Mental State Language Use in Children with Down Syndrome and the Role of Caregivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (04) ◽  
pp. 318-329
Author(s):  
Marie Moore Channell ◽  
Rebekah Bosley
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
State Language

AbstractChildren with Down syndrome (DS) have both strengths and difficulties in speech, language, and social communication. Mental state language—the ability to discuss others' perspectives such as their thoughts, feelings, and intentions—represents a foundational social communicative skill that is delayed in many children with DS, even into the school-age years. The purpose of this article is to review the evidence base on mental state language development in school-age children with DS, focusing in particular on assessment and intervention. We discuss assessment procedures that are both age appropriate and developmentally appropriate for this population. We also present preliminary data highlighting the role of caregivers in supporting mental state language development in school-age children with DS through shared storytelling. We propose that interventions aimed at supporting mental state language development in DS should include a focus on caregiver–child shared storybook reading, even in the school-age years. Therefore, we discuss key considerations for clinicians when teaching caregivers strategies for supporting mental state language and social communication in children with DS.

scholarly journals Crosslinguistic Developmental Consistency in the Composition of Toddlers’ Internal State Vocabulary: Evidence from Four Languages

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Kristen ◽  
Sabrina Chiarella ◽  
Beate Sodian ◽  
Tiziana Aureli ◽  
Maria Genco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental State ◽  
Internal State ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Questionnaire Data ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Psychological Understanding ◽  
Parental Questionnaire ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
State Language

Mental state language, emerging in the second and third years of life in typically developing children, is one of the first signs of an explicit psychological understanding. While mental state vocabulary may serve a variety of conversational functions in discourse and thus might not always indicate psychological comprehension, there is evidence for genuine references to mental states (desires, knowledge, beliefs, and emotions) early in development across languages. This present study presents parental questionnaire data on the composition of 297 toddler-aged (30-to 32-month-olds) children’s internal state vocabulary in four languages: Italian, German, English, and French. The results demonstrated that across languages expressions for physiological states (e.g., hungry and tired) were among the most varied, while children’s vocabulary for cognitive entities (e.g., know and think) proved to be least varied. Further, consistent with studies on children’s comprehension of these concepts, across languages children’s mastery of volition terms (e.g., like to do and want) preceded their mastery of cognition terms. These findings confirm the cross-linguistic consistency of children’s emerging expression of abstract psychological concepts.

Infants' joint attention skills predict toddlers' emerging mental state language.

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 1207-1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Kristen ◽  
Beate Sodian ◽  
Claudia Thoermer ◽  
Hannah Perst
Keyword(s):  
Joint Attention ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Attention Skills ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
State Language

scholarly journals Cross-Sectional Trajectories of Mental State Language Development in Children With Down Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 760-775
Author(s):  
Marie Moore Channell
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
Mental State Terms ◽  
State Language

Purpose This article (a) examined the cross-sectional trajectories of mental state language use in children with Down syndrome (DS) and (b) identified developmental factors associated with its use. Method Forty children with DS aged 6–11 years generated stories from a wordless picture book and completed an assessment battery of other linguistic, cognitive, and social–emotional skills. Their narratives were coded for mental state language density (the proportion of utterances containing mental state references) and diversity (the number of different mental state terms used). Results The emergence of mental state language use during narrative storytelling was observed across the sample; 0%–24% of children's utterances included references to mental states, and a variety of mental state terms were produced. Cross-sectional developmental trajectory analysis revealed that expressive vocabulary and morphosyntax were significantly related to increased mental state language density and diversity. Nonverbal emotion knowledge was significantly related to greater diversity of mental state terms used. Age and nonverbal cognition were not significant factors. Conclusions This first in-depth, within-syndrome characterization of mental state language use by school-age children with DS provides an important next step for understanding mental state and narrative development in this population. By identifying skills associated with the development of mental state language, this study provides an avenue for future longitudinal research to determine causal relationships, ultimately informing intervention efforts.

scholarly journals Mental state language and quality of conversational experience in deaf and hearing children

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 41-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Morgan ◽  
Marek Meristo ◽  
Wolfgang Mann ◽  
Erland Hjelmquist ◽  
Luca Surian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental State ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
Hearing Children ◽  
State Language

Maternal mental state language is associated with trajectories of Chinese immigrant children’s emotion situation knowledge

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey N. Doan ◽  
Helen Y. Lee ◽  
Qi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Mental State ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Mental States ◽  
European American ◽  
Chinese Immigrant ◽  
Children's Emotion ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Over Time ◽  
State Language

We investigated the role of mothers’ references to mental states and behaviors and children’s emotion situation knowledge (ESK) in a prospective, cross-cultural context. European American mothers ( n = 71) and Chinese immigrant mothers ( n = 60) and their children participated in the study. Maternal references to mental states and behaviors were assessed at Time 1 when children were three years of age. ESK was assessed when children were 3, 3.5, and 4.5 years of age. Multi-group latent growth curve analyses were used to model children’s growth in ESK over time, as well as relations between mental state language and references to behaviors on children’s trajectories. Results indicated that maternal references to mental states were associated with concurrent levels of ESK for European American children, and change over time for the Chinese immigrant children. Maternal references to behaviors were negatively associated with concurrent ESK for both groups.

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