Language Disabilities

Language, as a symbolic tool and coping strategy, is an important factor of any child's overall development, and its acquisition by children has been studied by many researchers. There are many different theories of how language is acquired--for example by imitation of adult behavior (Bohannon & Warren-Leubecker, 1989) or because of an innate "internal grammar" (Chomsky, 1969) that makes language use inevitable. Controversy arises on the issue when children fail to accomplish the task of language acquisition. The failure in children may be attributed to a variety of factors that are grouped under the general category of language or developmental disabilities.

Language disabilities are classified under problems relating to communication, which generally means oral communication, hence with one or more disabilities of physical oral and aural motor function (NICHCY, 2000). The specific character of the disability will vary with the individual affected, and "range from simple sound substitutions to the inability to understand or use language or use the oral-motor mechanism for functional speech and feeding" (NICHCY, 2000). A language disability may be physically or cognitively based, as the professional literature illustrates. It may be related to problems with language acquisition.

The symptom patterns of language disabilities are quite varied and may "refer to difficulties producing speech sounds or problems with voice quality," ranging from stuttering to voi

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approximately half of children with an language and learning disorder (LLD) are also subject to a "comorbid" psychiatric disorder, and that any diagnosis must show a disconnect between potential and achievement, when measured by normal chronological development. Others (e.g., Musselman, et al., 1996; Richman & Wood, 1999) note that psychosocial, cognitive, and behavioral, as well as physical factors, influence language deviance or delay. Diagnosis can be further complicated by the availability (or lack) of appropriate family dynamics (Baker & Cantwell, 1991). Wiig (1984 & 2001) emphasizes the need for ongoing diagnosis and testing of language-disabled subjects, in particular those who are approaching adolescence, a critical developmental stage that has implications for the balance of the life cycle. She advises counselors to continually monitor semantic, cognitive, and syntactic skills in spoken and written language, as well as social behavior. What a diagnosis reveals may have implications for highly specific intervention and remedial strategies. 4. Intervention in a School Program Beitchman, et al. (1998), make a point of the fact that school facilities for LDD students may vary widely. They advocate an enhanced role for the

Category: Psychology - L