Human Development Preschool Obsevation question!!!?

Question

Can anyone Describe, with specific examples, a preschool child language skills. And some of the grammatical mistakes that are made?

Answer 1

Preschool....that depends on when they start preschool. My friend's three year old is talking in complete sentences most of the time, but when it comes to unfamiliar topics, he sometimes reverts to telographic speech (one and two word phrases) For exammple, he might say "I want a drink of water, Mommy," but if it it has a funny taste, he might just say "Water ucky."

They are often still struggling with certain sounds.  Ls and rs are especially hard and they should be just outgrowing the lisp on s and z.

They are often prone to overregulation (not recognizing that there are exceptions to the rules of language): I runned instead of I ran, it's gooder instead of it's better.

My friend's son also mimics some of the things he hears frequently. For example, today, she told me that when she put him down for his nap, he said, "Mommy, I'm a genius!" (Which is something she and her husband tell him all the time because he is a really clever and creative little boy.

On the other hand, I have one friend who's little girl didn't say a word until she was almost four. They knew she could hear and was of normal intelligence because she followed directions and so forth, but she just didn't talk.  Then, on one of those misty mornings when the moisture beads on the outside of your windows and fogs them up, she turned to look at her mother and said, "Mommy, will you please roll down the window so I can look at the birdies?"

Of course my friend did as she was asked, and the kid hasn't shut up since. ;)

Answer 2

Assuming that a child is progressing "normally", and taking into consideration, girls tend to advance ever so slightly quicker than boys, preschoolers Speak whole sentences, or at least have the capability. They use pronouns in their sentences like, "I have a puppy.", but they may miss use verbiage like, "My puppy l**k-ded my face this morning." Also miss pronunciation of works is common through first grade at least. You would probably hear children have difficulty saying words with sounds like, th, r, confusion of b and d, skipping over p sounds like se(p)tember.

Answer 3

My son speaks 2 languages fluently, he is 4. He has one problem though and that is with his pronouns.

Answer 4

Children are individuals and as such will develop communication/language skills at different rates, although they will all go through the same stages.

The way in which these skills will develop  will be influenced by their environment.

As child carers it is vital that you

encourage a language rich environment by providing opportunities for children to communicate through planned activities in each area of learning.  

This will support children in developing to their full potential.

Listening skills:

- It is essential to develop good listening skills

- It is more than just hearing sounds, it is being able to understand and interpret them too.

Birth to Three Matters:

- Is a framework

- The Framework takes as its focus the child

- The Framework  identifies four aspects

- One of the four ‘ aspects is – A skilful communicator.

Early Learning Goals:

Although children do develop as individuals it is expected that most children will have reached these goals by the time they are five years of age.

This is known as the FOUNDATION STAGE.

Many aspects of the way children think at different ages has an affect on the child’s ability to communicate effectively.

Some difficulties may be faced by children and parents whose cultural and language background is different from the predominant culture and language of the setting.

Once the child care practitioner has established how a child is communicating then he/she needs to look at how to create the best learning environments.

There are many ways that children communicate in addition to language:

- Pointing

- Gestures

- Behaviour

- Miming

- Facial expressions

- Crying

- Leading an adult to something

- Body language.

Factors that may influence language development:

- Opportunities for talking, singing & listening

- Books

- Conversation

- Interesting displays

- Stimulating environments

- Role play

- Labelling

- Use appropriate language

- Encourage self expression

- Open ended questions

- Give praise

- Repeat words if not heard/understood.

The book corner should be inviting to children, be equipped with a good selection of age appropriate books and if space allows a good selection of posters to prompt discussion and recall - set out in a quiet area of the room away from too many distractions.

By regularly monitoring a child we are able to identify the stage of development they have reached.  It is important to observe children's communication skills before intervening.

This can be achieved by:

- Observations of a child in different situations

- Completion of child's profiles

- Knowledge of child's development.

As a child care practitioner, you should not underestimate the important role you have in supporting the development of children’s individual language and communication skills.