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Copyright of Treaties & Documents / Razprave in Gradivo is the property of Institut za Narodnostna Vprasanja and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reading skill is one of the basic skills a learner should develop to function as a competent learner. This enables a student to feel successful, as s/he can access information and be oriented on what is going on in this fast-changing world. For foreign students, like Chinese, an ability to read and comprehend a text is crucial for success but how much comprehension they know seems to be a big question that needs to be answered especially if the focus is about reading critically (Waring & Nation, 2004). This paper emphasizes on the importance of students' perceived reading ability and its implication to teaching critical reading because often we read depending on our purpose. As well, there are different types of readers, competent readers who normally know what information they are looking for and those who need more time for understanding the information. To teach critical reading, therefore, students should be competent readers as they are likely to be equipped with understanding implicit messages when they interact with the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research considers that language, context, and culture are inextricably linked as their starting point, and this viewpoint has two significant consequences for foreign language teaching. Textbooks have historically been essential in influencing English classrooms. The present research has concentrated on the methods and practices linked to context and culture found in Stretch 1A, Stretch 1B, and Speak Now English textbooks currently used at Chonburi Technological College in Thailand. Content analysis was used to answer the research questions and derive meanings from words or images selected in the Stretch 1A, Stretch 1B, and Speak Now English textbooks to determine the context in which they are used and understand their relationship to one another to draw inferences about the underlying culture. The present study has found concrete links between the English textbooks used by the Chonburi Technological College and various elements of culture employed to facilitate a better understanding of the Thai students' English-speaking countries. All three textbooks under analysis use different cultural teaching methods for non-native learners in interactive classroom activities that allow them to practice English as a communicative, interactive process. Furthermore, the study found that the Speak Now Student Book is more focused on improving students' communication skills, stimulating them to speak confidently and effectively. Through Speak Now Student Book - Online Practice, the students can enhance their listening, speaking, and pronunciation abilities outside of class by allowing them to talk, record, and submit to instructor activities. In contrast with Stretch 1A and Stretch 1B, the Speak Now Student Book is the first English learning book to introduce dialogue videos to provide real-life models of English communication while emphasizing the native English culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the benefit of Child Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) in enhancing communicative patterns in a childcare setting. Topics covered include the effectiveness of CCPT responses in encouraging children's emotional and social development, the opportunity provided by play therapy for children to explore their feelings and problems and the difficulty faced by children in understanding the range of emotions that accompanies life situations.

Individuals in the Autism Spectrum often encounter situations where they have to respond to questions and situations that they do not know how to respond to, such as, questions asked by strangers including ones related to daily-life activities. A variety of research has been done to improve social and communication impairments in children with autism using technology. Immersive virtual reality is a relatively recent technology with a potential to bring an effective solution and used as a therapeutic tool to develop different skills. This paper presents a virtual reality solution to reduce the gap experienced by autistic children due to their inability to establish a communication. An interactive scenario-based system that uses role-play and turn-taking technique was implemented to evaluate and verify the effectiveness of immersive environment on the social performance of an autistic child. Preliminary testing of the system demonstrated the feasibility of VR-based system as a tool for improving the communication skill in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children. The results of the comparative usability study show the effectiveness of immersive VR in motivating and satisfying the autistic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrative production is often used to measure a child's communicative progress. Typical methods include assessment of quality or content. We propose a new way to describe narrative performance with a simple graph that depicts recall accuracy in relation to the sequence of story details. Children with impaired hearing (9–12 years-old) watched a 5-minute animatedPingustory on television, and then re-told the story. Each child's narrative was video-recorded and transcribed into text. We produced a list of ‘mini-events’ to describe eachPingustory. Each child's spoken narrative was compared with this list to identify which mini-events the child included. The result is a simple graph, anarragram, that depicts inclusion and omission of details. Omissions can be explained by the script, production method, and/or the child. A teacher or therapist can visually examine the child's results, obtain an impression of recall performance, and relate recall to details in the original story. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There is an increased prevalence of hearing impairment exist in recent population. This mandates a thorough hearing evaluation for every case of speech-language delay; this will help in the early diagnosis of hearing loss, allowing proper management to be instituted as early as possible. Apart from manual treatment, there is only handful of devices and mobile applications developed to assist children with hearing impairment in improving their communication skills. A general objective of the present study is to introduce an electronic device named "Speechifi" that can assist communication by persons having communication difficulties through tactile, auditory and visual modality. Another and more specific objective of the present study was to provide effectiveness of the device that is portable, battery-operated and constructed to be held in the hand of a user to improve communication skills of children with hearing impairment. In this paper the authors made an attempt to present a speech-enabled device named Speechifi. This device is found to be useful in the improving speech and communication skills of children with hearing impairment who participated in the present study. Speechifi enables rapid development of usable speech which allows the user to be hands-free when they use the multimodality of the device themselves when they want to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author describes the development and implementation of a cookery programme aimed at enhancing social and communication skills for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in an Irish primary school. Initially the programme was developed for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder, but was later extended to include pupils with other SENs. In order to ensure relevance and effectiveness, planning for the intervention was based on a review of pertinent literature. The project is ongoing and anecdotal evidence indicates positive outcomes for the pupils involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Observatorio (OBS*) is the property of OberCom and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Croatian Journal of Education / Hrvatski Časopis za Odgoj i Obrazovanje is the property of Uciteljski Fakultet u Zagrebu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article discusses a study which analyzed the factors that hinder communicative competence of student attending English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in Sri Lanka. Impediments encountered by students include lack of exposure to English, absence of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach in the classroom and difficulties in spelling, structure and listening. Strategies for developing their communicative ability are provided.

Copyright of Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology is the property of Editorial of the University of Almeria (Spain) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Pupils with Down syndrome, and especially those with moderate learning disabilities are hindered in their learning by significant issues with the acquisition of language. As a learning support teacher with a specific interest in this area, the author critically reviewed literature relating to language acquisition. Drawing on this review, an intervention which aims to improve communication skills is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zona Próxima is the property of Fundacion Universidad del Norte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Whilst impairments in joint attention, imitation, and pretend play are well documented in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the developmental trajectories of these symptoms remain unknown. The main objective was to explore these trajectories in a sample of children at risk for ASD between the ages of 2 and 4 years. After screening positive for ASD, 17 children were prospectively followed with 6-monthly assessments of social communicative skills and general development. During this study, 9 children were diagnosed with ASD. Results showed that there was growth in imitation skills and in pretend play ability. Also, a slightly increased amount of initiation of joint attention was noted. However, the quality of joint attention behaviours did not significantly improve and growth rates did not significantly differ between children with ASD and non-ASD cases. There was a great intra-individual variability, especially in the performances on the imitation tasks. Also interindividual variability was apparent: some children with ASD showed a delayed development of imitation or pretend play, whereas others had a more clearly deviant developmental profile. The importance of looking at individual trajectories and variability in the study of social communicative development in children with ASD is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on international teaching strategies that could help early childhood educators assists in the development of communication of children. It states that educators must connect to the personal experiences of children. It mentions that peer cross talk must be encouraged in children and use of communication skills to maximize learning of language. It states that drawing could be a way of children to communicate.

The aim of this research is to study the social interaction of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Eleven groups of Finnish children with ASD (N= 45) were observed in organized and unstructured learning situations. The purpose of this article was to identify how children with ASD interact with other children. Based on the results, children with ASD as interaction partners are described. In addition, this article sought to highlight the communication assets of the learners with ASD thus contributing to the discussion of the positive aspects of ASD. The qualitative study revealed that the children with ASD were able to establish interaction and simple play routines with other children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, there is an increased prevalence of preschool and school-age children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Current reports show that about one in every 110 children fall within this category of disorders. Consequently, the successful inclusion of these children in both regular and special education classes is becoming a critical issue to address. Aims and methods: In this paper, attention is placed on the children' speech, language and communication skills which are the primary deficits associated with this category of disorders. Approaching it from the perspective of speech and language therapy, this paper will offer insights and suggestions to educators in regular schools and special education programs on how to teach speech, language and communication skills to young children with severe Autism Spectrum Disorders. A case study is illustrated to provide the objective exemplar of how a child with severe ASD could learn and improve once being given the appropriate, evident-based and individualized teaching management and intervention. Conclusion: The teaching of speech, language and communication skills to children with severe ASD requires a prior understanding of their behavioral patterns and learning styles. The teaching could be targeted to help them to develop the deficient skills and to use compensatory strategies to facilitate communication. A better understanding of how to teach children with severe ASD in schools will lead to a better teaching and learning experience to both the teachers and the children, with important implications on promoting sustainable inclusive education for these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) using technology. It states that the FLES program aims to teach elementary students world language focusing on communicative competence. It states that the program uses SMART Board, an interactive whiteboard and SMART Slate developed by Smart Technology. It argues engage students in the lesson.

The acquisition of effective communicative skills is critical in child development, and has been linked to better outcomes for children with disabilities. The presence of communicative skills has also been associated with lower levels of problem behavior, which can be a significant barrier during development, particularly for children with disabilities. Given the importance of communication skills and their role in the development of other adaptive skills and appropriate behavior, the acquisition and development of communication has been an important target of clinical intervention in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Behavior Analysts have attempted to overcome delays in communicative behavior using empirically-based procedures based on the principles of behavioral science. Using Skinner's conceptualization of verbal behavior, Behavior Analysts have been successful in designing training programs intended to teach verbal behavior to non-verbal individuals. Methods used to teach verbal responses go beyond vocalizations to include symbolic and gestural forms of communication, as well as the use of other augmentative devices. In this chapter, methodologies commonly used by behavior analysts to teach verbal behavior will be reviewed as well as the forms of verbal behavior that are often targeted for intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication scholars have a long history of conceptualizing uncertainty as a phenomenon which individuals attempt to reduce through information gathering. However, the more recently developed Uncertainty Management Theory acknowledges that humans may respond to uncertainty in a variety of ways. Since the transition from a family-of-origin to stepfamily is often rife with change and uncertainty, stepfamilies provide a fertile context for examining this phenomenon. My interpretive analysis of twenty-two in-depth interviews with young adult stepchildren revealed a typology of participants' uncertainties regarding their newly formed stepfamily, as well as how they communicate to manage those uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In early training for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), matching-to-sample (MTS) tasks are widely used to teach various language and cognitive skills. However, some problems in conducting MTS training for children with developmental disabilities are also recognized. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of stimulus pairing training as a training procedure for children with ASDs. Two boys with ASDs participated in this study. During the stimulus pairing training trial, the children observed only two corresponding stimuli were paired successively. Participant''s learning as a result of stimulus pairing training was assessed by MTS tests, which were conducted immediately after the training. In this study, visual–visual and visual–auditory stimulus relations were trained in stimulus pairing training. As a result, both participants could learn the stimulus relations by stimulus pairing training. The effectiveness and efficiency of the pairing training procedure and some issues to be considered in applying this procedure for children with ASDs are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents testimonies from primary education teachers including, Karen Argus, Debbie Brossuek, and Coral Swan, concerning their strategies, experiences, and philosophies in teaching literacy. Swan mentions that her goals in the classroom setting are to help children become competent readers and writers. Brossuek cites her passion in literacy teaching and learning wherein she uses poems, rhythmic rhymes, and kids magazines to facilitate her children's creative imagination. Argus states that her teaching environment is in a small, rural, state school, wherein her practice is strongly based in play, literacy and art.

The article looks at some teaching programs used by teachers, including Dot Walker, Kerry Balzarolo, and Ben Nolan, to promote talking and listening to children in the classroom. Walker engages her students in games, such as Who am I?, barrier game, and chain talk, in which it helps facilitate language acquisition through interaction. Balzarolo asks open ended questions to her students, ask other students to explain what the previous speaker has just said, and provides collaborative assignments that require oral communication. Nolan asks a simple question to a child whose attention is beginning to wander.

Copyright of Novitas-ROYAL is the property of Novitas Royal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An introduction is presented in which the guest editor discusses the theme of the issue, on the newborn hearing screening as a standard screening test for all babies across the Great Britain.

Copyright of Educational Sciences / Odgojne Znanosti is the property of Uciteljski Fakultet u Zagrebu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cagdas Egitim Dergisi is the property of Cagdas Egitim Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista CEFAC is the property of Revista CEFAC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista CEFAC is the property of Revista CEFAC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mean Length of Utterance (or MLU) is a measure of linguistic productivity in children. A higher MLU is taken to indicate a higher level of language proficiency. It is calculated in morphemes or in words by dividing the number of morphemes or words by the total number of utterances, with an utterance defined as a sequence of words preceded and followed by change of turn in a conversation The aim of this study was to establish normative data for MLU and acquisition of aspects of syntax in Konkani speaking children in the age range of 3 to 5 years and to find the relation between MLU and the development of syntax. Acquisition of syntax was found to be directly proportional to the MLU. Higher the MLU, higher was the percentage of usage of the grammatical forms. These findings can be used to establish age appropriateness of grammatical development in Konkani speaking children in the age range of 3- 5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Logopedia, Foniatria y Audiologia (Grupo ARS XXI de Comunicacion, S.A.) is the property of Grupo ARS XXI de Comunicacion, S.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This analysis of Marian Wright Edelman's book, The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours, demonstrates how the power of the parental voice as a persuasive social force can move an audience to action and generate changes in policy. Parental narratives can become the primary basis for how children perceive, judge and gain knowledge about their lives. Thus, the rhetoric of parents-immediate and extended-serve as narratives we live by. The rhetorical situation, image of the universal mother, and use of the "motherly nag," as a rhetorical device, all aid Edelman's argument that parents are ready-made storytellers just by their inherent family legacies. By passing on their family legacies through parental narratives, children are able to develop their narrative rationality-probability and fidelity. Thus, parental narratives support Fisher's narrative paradigm, which treats people as storytellers-authors, and co-authors who creatively read and evaluate the texts of life (Fisher, 1985b). Therefore, parents serve not only as authors of their life narratives, but also as co-authors of the life narratives of each of their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this chapter is to explicate a conceptual model that illustrates how extrafamilial (e.g., sources of stress and support), personal (e.g., inherent psychological child and parent resources), and familial (e.g., parenting, family interactions) processes work together to affect social/communicative peer group outcomes in young children. It is traditionally assumed that proximal factors (e.g., parenting, sibling/family interactions) have the greatest influence on child outcomes. In this review the authors discuss how these proximal factors work in combination with a host of personal and extrafamilial variables in ways that are linked to child social! communicative competence with peers. In addition to explaining possible mechanisms responsible for linkages within and between model components, the authors recommend directions for future research in areas of the framework that have weak empirical support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article studies the communicative, sensorimotor, and language skills of young children with Down syndrome. These children prefer to use gestures rather than vocalizations because of their sensorimotor level of functioning. Language competence of retarded children have reached fifth to sixth stage of reaction development. However, the developmental quotients of retarded children have decreased with advancing age.

The article identifies delayed or discrepant language development as a major distinctive characteristic of mental retardation. Language development has been a major concern of both researchers and clinicians working in the areas of mental retardation. Language retardation or delay can be most productively studied or treated in the light of some understanding of normal language development.

The article determines the differences between educable mentally retarded (EMR) and non-retarded children in fluency and quality of verbal associations. The researchers administered 25 associations to each of 10 verbal stimuli to 32 EMR and 32 retarded individuals along with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. The findings shows that EMR persons were slower compared to non-retarded persons in their first and continuing responses to association stimuli and used fewer logical associations.