scholarly journals JOINT ATTENTION AND THE MENTAL MODEL OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WITH ATYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

2020 ◽  
pp. 96-123
Author(s):  
Yana K. Smirnova
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Joint Attention ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Speech Impairment ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Primary Defect ◽  
Atypical Development

Relevance. The article discusses the relationship between the development of joint (shared) attention of a child with an adult, and the social and cognitive development of the child. Based on previous studies of typically developing children that demonstrate their participation and responsiveness to fundamental social characteristics, it is significant to identify manifestations of atypical joint attention when a child does not register which object (event) or which aspects of this object (event) are the focus of an interlocutor’s attention. The question of which aspects of joint attention are related to the normative development of the child makes this relevant for comparing groups with different forms of atypical development. For the study, the main indicator of understanding the intentions of the other in the direction of view was used, as one of the aspects of joint attention. Objective. To compare the development of social cognition and joint attention among typically developing children and children with various forms of atypical development in order to identify the correlation between the theory of mind and cognitive lesion. Methods. In a sample of preschool children with typical development and of those with mental retardation, hearing impairment, speech impairment, or visual impairment (N = 90), the following methods were used to evaluate the children’s understanding of the intentions, desires, and interests of others by their behavioral manifestations: “Test for Erroneous Opinion”, “Sally-Ann”; the “What does Charlie want?” task, and others. The task was also used to assess the child’s ability to use the direction of a character’s gaze in a picture to determine the person’s intentions. Results. We identified the “primary psychological” characteristics of the atypical development of the child, which prioritize violations of social communication. Several variations of the violation of joint attention were singled out by determining a person’s intentions by the direction of their gaze. It was shown that determining intentions by the direction of gaze is associated with the normative age formation of the child. Symptoms of deficiency in this skill vary depending on the specifics of the child’s atypical development. Conclusions. Secondary deviations in the development of social cognition are specific to a particular primary defect. The limited inflow of information in the event of a violation of the analyzer creates unusual conditions in the children’s accumulation of the experience of social interaction that is necessary to form a mental model.

Verbal Regulation of Grip Force in Preschoolers

2009 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 540-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Haishi ◽  
Ayumi Komatsu ◽  
Hideyuki Okuzumi ◽  
Mitsuru Kokubun ◽  
Yoshio Kitajima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Grip Force ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Preschool Period ◽  
Semantic Aspect

The purpose of this study was to clarify the developmental processes in verbal regulation by preschool children. Participants were 152 typically developing children (74 boys, 78 girls) between 4 and 6 years of age ( M = 5.3, SD =.8), and 30 healthy adults (15 men, 15 women) between 19 and 26 years of age ( M = 20.8, SD = 1.4). In Exp. 1, the task was to regulate grip force based on quantitative instruction which implies using a scale for regulation. Participants were required to produce a half-grip force of the maximum (Task 1). In Exp. 2, the task was grip-force regulation based on nonquantitative instruction. The participants were asked to respond with a slightly weaker grip force than the maximum (Task 2) and then a further weaker grip force (Task 3) than that used on Task 2. The regulation rates produced the extent of regulation and suggest regulation by quantitative instruction may develop earlier than by nonquantitative instruction. Also, precise grip-force regulation based on the semantic aspect of instruction may be difficult for young children. The developmental changes in the rate of performance especially observed in children of 4 to 6 years indicate that the tendency to use too much grip force disappears during this preschool period. In addition, too little grip force in regulation may reflect the developmental process toward fine grasping movements.

Fast mapping by bilingual preschool children

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
PUI FONG KAN ◽  
KATHRYN KOHNERT
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Fast Mapping ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
L1 And L2

ABSTRACTPrevious studies show that young monolingual children's ability to ‘fast map’ new word forms is closely associated with both their age and existing vocabulary knowledge. In this study we investigate potential relationships between age, fast mapping skills and existing vocabulary knowledge in both languages of developing bilingual preschool children. Participants were twenty-six typically developing children, ages 3 ; 0 to 5 ; 3. All children learned Hmong as their primary home language (L1) and English as a second language (L2). Fast mapping and vocabulary knowledge tasks were administered in L1 and L2. For vocabulary knowledge, scores were comparable in L1 and L2; for fast mapping, scores were somewhat greater in L1 than L2. In contrast to previous findings with monolingual children, fast mapping performance was not related to age or existing vocabulary knowledge in either Hmong or English. There were, however, significant positive and negative cross-language correlations between L1 fast mapping and L2 vocabulary.

Is chronic otitis media associated with differences in parental input at 12 months of age? An analysis of joint attention and directives

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
KRISTINE M. YONT and ◽  
CATHERINE E. SNOW ◽  
LYNNE VERNON–FEAGANS
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Otitis Media ◽  
Joint Attention ◽  
Chronic Otitis Media ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Optimal Conditions ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Communication Development ◽  
Parental Input

A rather robust literature exists that views children's language development in the context of interactions with adults. This literature generally focuses on typically developing children and suggests that joint attention facilitates communication development whereas directives do not. In order to understand the crucial features of input supporting language acquisition, research must examine children in less than optimal conditions, including children with chronic otitis media (OM). Controversy exists regarding the outcomes of children with OM, and we argue that parental input is an important factor often neglected in research that may mediate language outcomes. The current study investigates whether parents interact differently with their 12-month-old children based upon children's OM status. The results indicate that parents of chronically affected children direct attention more often and engage in fewer joint attentional episodes than parents of nonchronically affected children. Findings suggest that chronic OM has a localized affect on attentional interactions, the forms of input consistently implicated in language acquisition. Thus, children with OM may receive less than optimal input than peers.

scholarly journals You may point, but do not touch: Impact of gesture-types and cognition on language in typical and atypical development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mila Vulchanova ◽  
Joana Acha ◽  
Sara Ramos-Cabo ◽  
Valentin Vulchanov
Keyword(s):  
Index Finger ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Expressive Language ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Atypical Development ◽  
One Year

We investigated whether two types of pointing hand features (index finger and open palm pointing) and three types of relation with the referent (manipulation, contact, no contact) similarly predict language in children with and without autism, and whether cognition mediates the longitudinal relationship between pointing and language development. Sixteen children with autism, thirteen children at high risk for autism, and eighteen typically developing children participated in an interactive gesture-elicitation task and were tested on standardized cognitive and expressive language batteries in a longitudinal design. Cognition was a significant and direct predictor of language skills in all groups. However, index finger pointing was a direct predictor of language in the autism group above and beyond cognition. In addition, index finger pointing total score and percentage of no contact pointing bids were key predictors of expressive language measured one year apart, once the effect of group, expressive language and cognition at Time 1 were controlled. Findings highlight the role of cognition in communicative development, but suggest a key role of index finder use in the longitudinal relationship between deictic gestures and language atypical development above and beyond cognition.

scholarly journals Speech Impairment in Boys With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 1405-1425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayo Terband ◽  
Manon Spruit ◽  
Ben Maassen
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Congenital Defects ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Speech Impairment ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Oral Motor ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum ◽  
Speech Motor

BackgroundFetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a highly prevalent spectrum of patterns of congenital defects resulting from prenatal exposure to alcohol. Approximately 90% of the cases involve speech impairment. Yet, to date, no detailed symptom profiles nor dedicated treatment plans are available for this population.PurposeThis study set out to chart the speech and speech motor characteristics in boys with FASD to profile the concomitant speech impairment and identify possible underlying mechanisms.MethodTen boys with FASD (4.5–10.3 years old) and 26 typically developing children (4.1–8.7 years old; 14 boys, 12 girls) participated in the study. Speech production and perception, and oral motor data were collected by standardized tests.ResultsThe boys with FASD showed reduced scores on all tasks as well as a deviant pattern of correlations between production and perception tasks and intelligibility compared with the typically developing children. Speech motor profiles showed specific problems with nonword repetition and tongue control.ConclusionsFindings indicate that the speech impairment in boys with FASD results from a combination of deficits in multiple subsystems and should be approached as a disorder rather than a developmental delay. The results suggest that reduced speech motor planning/programming, auditory discrimination, and oral motor abilities should be considered in long-term, individually tailored treatment.

A Coding System for Describing Conversational Breakdowns in Preschool Children

2000 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 300-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine M. Yont ◽  
Lynne E. Hewitt ◽  
Adele W. Miccio
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Interobserver Reliability ◽  
Clinical Analysis ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Communication Ability ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Rich Data

Analysis of children’s breakdowns offers a rich data source, potentially revealing patterns of weakness in children’s communication ability. The purpose of the present study was to present a fine-grained instrument, the Breakdown Coding System (BCS; Yont, 1998), for measuring conversational breakdowns in preschoolers. The BCS was applied to language samples collected from five typically developing children (ages 3;11–4;2 years) during naturalistic interactions with familiar caregivers. Results indicated that the BCS was a useful tool for describing children’s breakdowns. Further support for the BCS was seen in the high interobserver reliability for identifying (kappa = .8834) and describing (kappa = .9170) breakdowns and in its usefulness for profiling individual patterns of breakdown types across children. This study is an important first step in developing a valid and useful measure for clinical analysis of breakdowns in young children’s conversational samples.

Exploratory behaviour and adaptation to novelty in preschool children with autism – a preliminary report

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafał Kawa ◽  
Ewa Pisula
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Preliminary Report ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Exploratory Activity ◽  
Complex Object ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Experimental Room ◽  
Similarities And Differences

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to compare exploratory behaviours in children with autism and typically developing preschool children and the course of their adaptation to novelty. A series of five repeated trials was conducted, during which children were allowed to freely explore the experimental room. The results revealed differences between study groups in the overall rate of exploratory activity, which was lower in children with autism. Patterns of time characteristics of exploratory activity showed both similarities and differences between the groups. In both groups, the rate of simple exploratory behaviours (i.e. looking at an object, touching the object, manipulating one object) decreased with time, while the levels of diversive exploration (i.e. touching the wall or floor) increased. Children with autism engaged in less complex object manipulation than their peers. Similarly, their adaptation and habituation to a novel environment proceeded in a different way in the low stimulation zone than in the high stimulation zone. In the low and medium stimulation zones, the rate of exploration decreased with time, while in the high stimulation zone it remained relatively constant. In typically developing children, habituation occurred in all stimulation zones. These results suggest the presence of some differences between the patterns of adaptation to novelty in the two groups, which emerge in a stimulation-rich environment. Due to the limitations of the study, in particular the small number of subjects, the present paper should be treated as a preliminary report.

scholarly journals The Ability of Preschoolers to Use Ideas About Other’s Knowledge and the Ways of Changing It

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya.K. Smirnova ◽  
A. Makashova ◽  
M. Kharitonova
Keyword(s):  
Mental Retardation ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Mode Of Action ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
School Age ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Cognitive Level ◽  
The Relationship

The article deals with the problem of the ability to use ideas about other’s knowledge and the ways of changing it, the ability to de-center thinking in the process of communication in the example of understanding deception in typically developing preschoolers and preschoolers with mental retardation. The recognition of deception is considered as a cognitive function, taking into account the specific techniques of the implementation of the mental model. Empirical sample of research: 72 children of pre-school age from 5 to 6 years. Contrast samples show the specificity of the lack of social interaction tools based on the mental model. Analyzed that in a game with deceit, a child is required to use signs to anticipate events that made it known about the nascent action of another person. In children with mental retardation in a game with deceptive action, shown a situational mode of action without taking into account the model of a mental interaction partner due to the lack of ability to decentration. The data reflects the relationship between the cognitive level of development and the level of the mental model in the process of forming the basis of social cognition and social experience in the early stages of ontogenesis.

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