Speech & Lang.

Study Guide
Communication, Speech, and Language
Theories
Neurological Bases of Speech
6 Bases of Speech
Neurological
Cognitive
Perceptual
Motor
Social
Communicative
Neurological Bases of Speech and Language
Exploring the nervous system and its components, landmark areas of
the brain used for processing language, and information processing
theories. Disorganized but all neurons by age of 6 months (Inside) they
eventually migrate to specialized areas and by birth they are in the
special areas. Substance, nutrition, and environments, stress, lack of
sleep can negatively affect the growth of neurons.
Brain Maturation
Sensory and perception allows us to increase the number or neuronal
connections. By 12 years of age the brain reaches full weight but we
can still make neuronal connections after that. Most sensory and
perceptual connections are made when an infant, by 2 years of age the
brain weight is tripled because of all the connections made. Early
intervention is most affective because thats when so many neuronal
connections are made.
2 Types of Neurons
Motor Neurons- outgoing message/ from brain into muscles and glands
Sensory Neurons- Incoming message/used for input
This is important for speech and language because we need motor
neurons to speak and we need sensory neurons to perceive speech
and language.
Language Processing
Relay system has to be in place in order to process language. Right
brain verses left brain language, left brain is for language. Up to
Wernickes Area is Sensory and then switches to Motor. We need to
know this so we can make sure a child is developing corrected and for
an adult so we can assess which area is being effected.

 Meaningful sound

Sound relay center

Thalmus

goes left
Heschels
Paralinguistics go
Gyrus
right

Coordinates
Brocas
verbal message
Activates motor
Area
speech systems

Analyze structure
Wernicke
Analyze content
s Area

Arcuate
Sends info to
Fasciculu
Brocas area
s

4 steps in linguistic processing:

1. Attention- awareness. Being able to have awareness to a learning
situation. (Autistic children lack with this)
2. Discrimination- Be able to identify relevant characteristics of
different stimuli. Be able to discriminate what is important to
listen to and what is not.
3. Organization Chunking together like information.
4. Memory- Recall previously learned and stored information. Short
term memory is not limitless we need to push it into long term
memory.
Problem solving- apply previously learned material to a new
idea/situation/problem.
Why is this important for development?
- We have to be able to build on our communications skills.
How does this affect intervention?
- Use this as a tiny little rubric or a jumpstart to where we can
figure out what level is not working and how to treat that.
Information Processing Theories
A. When we go from Bottom-up this is a shallow analysis of what
is entering our brain.(Visual,perceptual) Talking about sounds
and syllables. Then, recognition of words. Next is comprehension.

Understanding what phrases mean. Last is predicition and

hypothesis. Top-down is reverse.

B. Passive Processing- Little fragments of info. that is analyzed

until we see a pattern emerge. Ex- thinking of something red, its
roundish, edible, a fruit, grows on tree (Apple)
Active Processing is when we use a comparison strategy and
comparison is based on world knowledge. Example- a piece of
fruit youve never seen before, same color as orange/peach but
different texture so you compare to your worlds or fruit.

C. Serial Procesing- Is a one at a time process

Parallel- multiple levels of analysis at the same time.

By third or fourth grade they can do top-down/bottom-up and

passive/active processing at the same time. Why know about
processing? Understand how people take in, sort, store, and
remember information so that we can intervene and teach them.

Executive Function and Theory of Mind

Executive function- the brains way of overseeing and checking
what everything in the body is doing. Help us to be active and
connective to the world. Managing time, behavior.

Theory of Mind (TOM)- your intellect, thought, reasoning,

perception, imagination. No theory of mind at birth because it
evolves as we get mental representation of objects and
experiences. At birth those things arent available to us.

Brain Lateralization
Left Hemisphere Jobs:
Oral, written and visual language. Speech .Logistics. Step by
Step interpretations. Time. Math.
Right Hemisphere Jobs:
Global interpretations. Spatial relations. Memory. Recognition.
Art. Music.
SOCIAL and COMMUNICATIVE BASES of EARLY LANGUAGE and SPEECH
Expanding understanding of entities and relationships through social
and communicative experiences.

Hardwiring for communication

Perceptual and cognitive abilities
Communication before language
Motivating factors

Physical Influences
Child development is dependent on:
Chromosomes-intact
Chemical environment
Nutrition
Stress-Managed stress.
Teratogens/environmental pollutants- Chemical pollutants
Birthing process- can influence development because babies are
birthed in a particular way on purpose.
Beginnings of Communication
Influential factors related to caring for a child:
Genetics
Bonding and Attachment-very important.
Stress
Emotional health
Culture- Ex; people not allowing children to have a say when they
are
Relationships/ Experiences
Symbolic Communication
Language is a social tool.
We get symbolic communication by associating things with
cognitive representations. Mothers anticipate the childs rigid
schedule, monitoring her own expressions, being flexible.
If you are treated as a communicator you become a
communicator. Provoke communication from baby, raise pitch,
regular rythm, babies bodily functions as communication,
exagerrated facial expressions.
Parental Controls of Communicative Exchanges
(Kaye, 1979)
1. Caregiver timing
2. Caregiver agenda and leading
3. Caregiver monitoring
4. Caregiver creativity
***Parent expectation becomes a self fulfilling prophecy***
Neonatal Prewiring for Communication
Response to sound
Visual acuity and preference
Sensitivity to touch
Learn simple responses
Interactive Processes
Development of co-action patterns is seen by three months.
Mutual gaze
Play routines- such as This little piggy, peek-a-boo, touching feet
together, raspberries on belly

 Co-vocalization-Making sounds in imitation of babies sound.

Proto-conversations By 6 months these interactions have
identifiable/predictable phases that contain the elements of emerging
conversation.
We develop co-action with children. Co-action -Predictable
patterns of exchange, introduce rules for turn taking, provide
places for us to add new semantics and routine.
We play peek-a-boo with them, some simple activity with turn
taking. This little piggy with toes.
Mother initiates by smiling and talking to baby and then an infant
response (Vocalization and smile) They are both tending to one
another in a mutual phase and engage in back and forth to
eachother and disengagement by one person or another. (Mother
looks away or baby)
Development of Communicative Intentions
Infant begins to have more control over the interactions with
caregiver . GOAL DIRECTED BEHAVIOR emerges around 8-9 months
More frequent exchanges
More effective exchanges
Use of gestural and verbal means (primarily gestural) to get
things done.
Goal Directed Behavior seen from infants 8-9 months of age.
More frequent exchanges between caregiver and child. More
effective exchanges, they are getting things done.
Stages of Communicative Intentions
1. Prelocutionary Stage (0-8 months) Communicative intent is
inferred by parent. These kids have no goal awareness but they
do pay attention to people and things. Progresses through time,
children begin to modify own behavior to get someone to do
something for them
2. Illocutionary Stage (8-12 months)- Coordinated plans to get
things done, functional gesturing and tantruming.
3. Locutionary Stage (12+ months)- Using words with gestures
intentionally to get things done. Emergence of symbolic
interaction.
Maternal Communication Behaviors
Parents use joint reference, joint action, baby talk, facial
expression, proxemics, and head postion. Mom adjusts her self to fits
the baby pattern.
What happens when a baby doesnt do when expected back? Become
unattached to child because no reciprocated response. Become sad.
Interactions Between Caregiver and Infant
A. Joint Reference-shared focus
B. Joint Action-shared behaviors

C. Turn-taking- taking turns to communicate

COGNITIVE, PERCEPTUAL, AND MOTOR BASES FOR SPEECH AND
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Examining early development for clues that symbolism is being
established for speech
Setting the Stage
Based on theories, we know cognitive growth sets the pace for
linguistic growth experience and interaction help organize the brain
and mind for cognitive growth.
Early cognitive development occurs in four areas:
1. Sensation- ability to register sensory input.
2. Perception- use of sensory information plus previous experience
to make sense of more sensory information. Taking the sensory
information and adding to experience to help make sense. Be
able to discriminate and differentiate.
3. Motor Control- Consist of muscle movement and sensory
feedback that allows he brain to perceive movement.
4. Cognition- mental activites involved in comprehending all of this
information.
Sensation
Development of the 5 senses
Sensory abilities change in quantity and quality, not in ability
(Born with a certain ability to perceive these things but
experience changes quantity and quality of what you perceive.)
Role of attention and discrimination-(Neonates are lacking
attention and discrimination but do have the ability to shut out
offensive sensory info) By two months of age selective attention
is evident and they can ignore background stimuli.
-Touch is first sense to develop when baby is in utero, fetus is
sensitive to sound and able to startle reflex to sound, newborns
like mothers scent, vision is the least developed skill. They are
inside a body and dont need to look at anything.
Perception
Newborns can discriminate sound especially human speech sound,
they prefer to listen to human sounds rather than any other sound in
environment.
What matters most to us?
- Most relevant
Newborns born to perceive sounds in all language but eventually only
intuned to own native language because brain is looking for repetition
of sounds, use it or lose it. Sets the framework up for learning first
words, around 9 months we are just intuned to our own native sounds

Motor Control
Neonates are unable to control motor moves smoothly (example when
awake crying, fussing, restless) Reflexes help them to grow more
smooth motor patterns. 3 months oral reflexes disappear and 6 months
remained reflexes disappear.
ORAL REFLEXES
Phasic bite- stimulate gums they bite and release
Rooting- stroke and infants cheek and they turn towards the side
where cheek is being stroked.
Sucking reflex- rhytmical
These are important for feeding and nursing. Integration of oral
reflexes. Gag reflex, we need that for protection

Cognitive Development
If child touches stove the sensation is touch and hot the perception is
burning the motor control is to take hand away. Goes back and touches
again and perception he hears his mom yelling and then pulls his hand
back and learns not to touch stove again. We should experience our
environment and learn from it.
Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development
Sensori-motor- Birth to 3. Thought process through sensory info and
sensory exploration. Gaining object permanence 8-12 months. Very
ego-centric. Out of sight out of existence (Baby crying for Mom)
Pre-operational- 3- 7 years old. Where kids their thinking is
dominated by everything that they see, very visual stage. Cant take
point of view of another person, difficult with logic and logic
sequences, classification, and cant reverse a scenario in the early part
of this stage. Symbalic thinking occurs between 18 months and 2
years, they are getting theory of mind and driven by experience.
Concrete operational- 7-12 years. Able to do classifications, can
reverse scenario, interested in cooperation with other kids. Not ego
centric. They learn conservation, objects of different volume. Ex- Her
daughters Hot Coco cups, does it look like more coco because his cup
is taller. It is important for SLP to understand their conservation stage
so we can prepare therapy.
Formal operations- 11-12 +. Highest level of thinking, abstract
thought, store lots of information, hypothesis testing,
Babies have primative abilities and build on their innate accessory and
they grow from there. We need to know what normal is to address the
not so normal.
Continued motor interaction
Lead him to label units of operation.
Schema- plan/mental operation

Assimilation- ability to incorporate new information into existing

language.
Accomodation- modifications with sensory neural system to deal
with our social enviornment.
Disequilibrium- causes anxiety, stress, the anxiety occurs when the
exisiting plan has no effect on new elements of our enviornment
Equilibrium- comes when we come with a new effective schema(plan)
Calm
When a client sits infront of you they have a pre-existing schema and
you have to break it. Asking them to rewire? (This is hard and awkward
for them)
Be aware that the children can act out when in disequilibrium
Language-Learning and Teaching Processes in Young Children
development- cognition and conceptual development is the tool
for comprehension so cognitive skills and language abilities are
associated.
cognitive development is related to increased memory and the
ability to acquire symbols.
Information processing theory applies
Adult Conversational Teaching Techniques to Toddlers
Language sequences and play sequences mirror eachother.
By the time a baby is playing with one toy they have one action words.
AGE 1
2 year olds play with things that move, or feeding a baby. Two action
words together
Increase length of utterance increases short term memory, and we
have to also have classification skills.
Use modeling, prompting and consequating behaviors- accomplished
by the adult making modifications in own actions. More participation in
child by increasing their attention. Increased joint attention time
increases vocabulary. Meaning is devrived from commucation
processes. Simplified word choice, repition, increase use of questions,
shorter utterances. Motherese or Parentese use a higher pitch range
a simplifed word choice to speak to a toddler.
Prompting- we use fill ins, questions, elicited limitation
Consequating behaviors- we do not directly teach syntax we use
feedback. If child uses correct grammar form parents will reward,
remain topic, follows childs lead and immitate what child says. If child
uses incorrect grammar parents try to expand on what child has said,
recast or reformulate what child has said.
Adult Conversational Teaching Techniques to Pre-schoolers
1. Provide opportunities-drawing a kid into communication
2. Elaborate-saying same context in diff. way

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Signal responses- give us another response, clue to answer us

Use redundancy-repeat to reassure
Interruption-interrupt children
Maintain and reintroduce-topics
Invite utterances- using questions and our answers
Turnabouts- give the child a chance to take a turn (Utterance,
Mothers Asks, Response, Mother confirms, encourages another
utterance)
9. Expansion-adds meaning, provides feedback and maintains
dialogue Addresses syntax. More mature version of childs
utterance but preserves words order.
10.
Extension- making a semantically related comment or
reply. Address semantic. Semantically related comment or reply,
increases semantic information for child and conversational.
Receptive Strategies (12-24months)
Reference Principle- understanding the use of words to talk
about things
Extendibility principle- understanding words are extendable.
Whole object principle- understanding words represent the whole
thing
Expressive Strategies
Evocative Utterances- Mom and Kid have joint attention. Child
looks to joint label.
Hypothesis Testing/ Interrogative Utterances- Child wants
confirmation of their label. Using interrogation to ask you.
ImitationPreschool Language Learning Strategies
Bootstraping- child has initial concept of word hears the s sound to
know means more than one. Example- block --- blocks
Stick to basic sentence type- Sentence order Ex; What you are eating?
No eat soup.
Rote Learning- associate putting coat and shoes on -> that we are
going out. Repitition, learn vocabulary this way. Expand vocabulary.

Slobins Universal Language Principles

1. Pay attention to ends of words
2. Phonological forms can be systematically modified
3. Pay attention to morphemes and word order
4. Avoid interruption of linguistic units
5. Underlying semantic relations should be marked clearly
6. Avoid exceptions
7. Grammatical markers should make semantic sense

Communicative Development through the First Year

Dialogue (Non Verbal)
Neonates are tuned in
Neonates dance
Neonates track
Neonates are sensitive to touch
Neonates can imitate
Mutual modification of behavior to help children become
communicators
Mothers Modifications
Adjust pitch
Adjust intonation
Adjust rhythm
Provoke vocalization
Mother interprets bodily functions as communication
Receptive Abilities of Newborn
1) Movement- motor reflexes, kicking, flailing
2) Expression- facial, smiling
3) Eye Contact-stimulus for loving (care giving) Necessary for care
and attention.
4) Crying-sign of internal tension (Hunger, pain, anger)
5) Speech sound perception- they can hear and pay attention to
speech sounds in their language
Motor, Cognitive and Psychosocial Development (Newborn)
MOTOR Predominantly reflexes
By three months voluntary motor development emerges (grasp &
release)
COGNITIVE circular reactions (repeats a response that gets an unexpected
result) Ex; baby kicks hanging thing and is shocked, so keeps
doing it.
PSYCHOSOCIAL Normal autism gives way to symbiosis- Baby sees himself as
center of universe but then gradually realizes is very important
(symbiosis) Believes he and mother is same thing.
Communicative Abilities of Newborn
If you are treated as a communicator, you become a communicator.
Infants recognition of all phonemic differences in their language.
Vocalization can be provoked, expressively can be evoked into
communication.
Co-action patterns develop
Motor, Cognitive, and Psychosocial Developments (3-6 months)
MOTOR- reach and grasp (roll over, sit up and alone)
COGNITIVE- secondary circular reactions

(we like something and we can do that same thing again, we can
repeat increase motor control)
PSYCHOSOCIAL- distinguishing self( around 5 months)
Communication (3-6 Months)
Alternating vocal exchanges
Vocalization of pleasure/displeasure
2 syllable vocalization
Vocal play- Dadada dadada
Imitation of familiar vocalizations
Proto conversations
Baby begins to understand intonation
Motor, Cognitive and Psychosocial Developments (6-9 months)
MOTOR crawling
Opposition- Self care. (Feeding, Writing, Typing)
voluntary release- can let go
Changes in motor development leads to cognitive development
and psychosocial development.
COGNITIVE coordinate actions- inventing new intentional behaviors
anticipation- anticipate based on signs and signals
imitation new action
focus of attention internal to external, Waking up to world
object constancy things continue to exist even when we dont
see them.
PSYCHOSOCIAL mother is separate
familiar vs. unfamiliar
separation anxiety
1. Receptively- understanding more language
2. ExpressivelyIncreased use of gesture
Can babble several sounds on one breath
Appearance of:
EARLY INTENTIONAL COMMUNICATION
Proto declarative intentional acts that say look at me. Act to get
attention
Proto imperative- to get something done. Need based
Early Intentional Communication- YOU MUST HAVE ALL THREE
TO COMMUNICATE
1. Gesture
2. Vocalize
3. Eye Contact

Early Phonological Development

5 stages of early phonological development:
STAGE 1- (through 8th week)- Vegetative sounds
STAGE 2- (8-20 weeks)- Pleasure sounds (Laugh)
STAGE 3- (16-30 weeks)- Vocal play (Increased control of
articulators, bottle to food)
STAGE 4- (25-50 weeks)- Consonant Vowel Combination
(Reduplicated babbling)
STAGE 5- (10-14 months)- Non-reduplicated babbling, jargon
(strings of phonemes that sounds like real words) ProtowordsConsistent word patterns use to represent same thing