Report- Language Acquisition
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Abstract
There is a correlation between learning disabilities and phonological problems that might have their origin in Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). This paper’s aim is two-fold; first, to discuss the scenario and the subject’s modes of skills development, and second, is to analyze Behaviourism theory and its limitations and strengths in the acquisition of the first language in our subject. Children with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) manifest a wide range of challenges: difficulty in following instructions, challenges in speech perception, and discrimination of similar speech sounds. In this paper, we present a 9-year-old boy who was diagnosed with APD. His cognition problems and speech-language before evaluation included a length of speech, semantic problems, attention disorder, and phonological sound disorder. After diagnosis tests, it was suggested that he did not have a hearing problem; rather, he was unable to process information. Evaluating this subject was significant because learning approaches, especially first language acquisition, among children is a challenge. Through early diagnosis, the subject was able to be put on treatment intervention programs, and improvement in learning was observed over time.
Introduction
In recent years, there has been a dramatic upsurge in public and professional awareness of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), also commonly referred to as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). It is a hearing problem that affects an estimated 5% of the school-aged children, where the true prevalence may be greater due to misdiagnosed and undiagnosed cases (Charmark & Musiek, 2013). People with this condition cannot process what they hear because there is a lack of coordination between the hears and the brain. It sometimes interferes in the manner in which the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, particularly speech. This paper is a report on Max’s case; he is a 9-year-old boy with APD. He was diagnosed at eight years old with the condition after his teachers noticed his difference in learning and social behaviour, unlike other students. He portrayed limited vocabulary, often lashed to peers and teachers when he was frustrated, misbehave in class, and unable to follow instructions. After the diagnosis, speech therapy and literacy interventions were admitted. More so, first language acquisition will be discussed, listening and speaking as the two aspects of language development. To further understand Max’s acquisition of the first language, the behaviorism theory will be evaluated, its summary, development and research, and relevance.
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Summary
Max is a 9-year-old boy with APD, whose diagnosis was done a year earlier after his teacher notice learning and behavioral changes, unlike his fellow students. He was a ”late talker,” and his vocabulary was limited compared to his peers. His situation worsened when he started school since social situations were challenging for him. He portrayed other behaviours such as; misbehaving in class, lashing to teachers and peers when he got frustrated, confusing his tenses and repeating sentences, difficulty listening and following instructions, and yelling at fellow students when they failed to understand his rules during playtime.
During Max’s diagnosis, the specialist explained that he had no hearing impairment; he could not process the meaning of words. He was then put on literacy interventions in school and speech therapy, where the treatment plan was done once a week. The therapy entailed encouraging Max to use short, simple sentences, repeating and rephrasing sentences to convey meaning, and including multi-sensory activities. In school, the teachers followed recommendations from the therapist on how to support Max better; he now sits at the middle row in class, there is also the incorporation of learning stimuli to support oral instructions, and the teacher communicates in simple sentences. With these interventions, his grades greatly improved and he is less frustrated, thus improved social interaction.
Mode and Skills Development
According to Clark (2009), the process in which children acquire their first language is referred to as first language acquisition. Without those with exceptional mental and physical disabilities, every human has a natural potential for acquiring language. Children have the capability to acquire one or two languages, and it occurs unconsciously and passively through implicit learning. Simply, when children are acquiring their first languages, they do not need explicit instructions as they rather seem to just ”pick up” language the same way they learn to crawl, rollover, or walk. Language development in children follows a predictable pattern in nearly all cases. However, there are wide variations in the ages at which they reach a particular milestone. The gradual acquisition of certain abilities characterizes first language acquisition. Between 6 to 8 months is the babbling stage; 9 to 18 months is the one-word stage; 18 to 24 months as two-word stage; 24 to 30 months as telegraphic stage; and 30 and above months as later multiword stage (Clark, 2009). Therefore, Max’s first language acquisition will be analyzed by evaluating two aspects of language development; listening, and speaking
Listening has a significant role in learning, as it is one of the four major skills of language acquisition. In human beings, listening is a receptive skill that develops first, and it has the role of awakening awareness of the language. The rhythm, sound, stress, and intonation of the language can be made perfect through listening. Other aspects of language development can be improved by the ability to understand spoken language through listening (Hamaguchi, 2010). Max portrayed difficulty in listening and following directions, often misunderstanding what was asked of him. It seems that Max was lagging in attaining the listening milestone. According to Clark (2009), certain listening milestones would have been achieved by the age of 5, carrying out a series of three directions, understanding time series, using complex and compound sentences, and engaging in conversations. Also, by this age, a child has the ability to attend to longer activities and stories and apply past and future tenses. This is unlike Max, whose teachers described as having a short attention span. Max’s listening skill was able to be enhanced through speech therapy to help in remembering sounds, distinguishing sounds, and sequencing sounds. Also, his listening skill was improved by making him sit at the middle row in class, and the teacher giving oral instructions by incorporating visual stimulus. Hamaguchi (2010) recognizes the significance of visual stimulus to promote listening among children with APD by use of colour or picture that is shown on screen as they evoke Visual Evoked Potential (VEP); where there is an integration of auditory and visual information to create a cross-modal percept that lies on sensory signals.
During the first language acquisition, children do not simply imitate words and utterances that they hear in their environment; rather, they have to first learn how the language sounds before they are able to speak. By making vocal sounds, children are able to speak, thus expressing their thoughts (Hamaguchi, 2010). Conveying information thoughtfully and convincingly is particularly challenging for Max as he cannot process instructions to give proper feedback. An important aspect of effecting speaking is the ability to analyze and absorb information, which Max also lacks. The inability for him to speak and communicate clearly to his peers and teachers often led him to lash out and even yell as they could not understand whatever he meant. In this case, there was a communication barrier where there was a lack of consistency in the communication process, unclear messages, and speaking words that have a different meaning. However, Max’s speaking development was able to be enhanced through speech therapy, where he was encouraged to use short and simple sentences, repeating and rephrasing them, and communicating their meaning.
Behaviourism Theory
Behaviourism Theory Development and Research
The acquisition of language is a unique and complex human phenomenon, and there is no one particular theory that has been able to explain how language is obtained comprehensively. However, the present theories explain how native language is acquired, and this goes back to studies put forward by researchers such as Chomsky, Skinner, Piaget, and others. There are three main theories of language acquisition, which include constructivism, Behaviourism and Connectionism, Nativism, and Social Interaction (Charmark & Musiek, 2013). For a thorough analysis of Max’s condition, the Behaviourist theory will be evaluated. Based on this approach, the construction of language can be done through positive reinforcement and exposure. Basically, it is through principles of conditioning that language is obtained, and this includes imitation, association, and reinforcement. According to this view, children are able to learn and understand words by associating sounds with actions, objects, and events. Skinner (1957) sums this theory as; listening, imitating, receiving a reward, and repeating for recall. According to this theory, when a behaviour is followed by pleasant consequences, a repeat may likely happen; however, if the consequence is negative, a repeat is less likely. Skinner researched this approach by carrying out experiments on a rat placed in a box similar to the Thorndike Puzzle box. Three responses were observed; reinforcers, neural operant, and punishers. Neutral operant were responses that were present in the surrounding that neither decreased nor increased the chances of behaviour to be repeated. Reinforcers, which can either be positive or negative, are responses that increase the probability of behaviour to be repeated. Punishers are those responses that decrease the probability of happening again (Nagowah & Nagowah , 2009).
There are several criticisms of this theory in the acquisition of the first language. This approach has been termed as one-dimensional in enhancing learning as it does not account for internal influencers such as thoughts, moods, feelings, and free will. It does not allow for deeper learning, as it only considers what is measurable and observable. Secondly, other learning types cannot be accounted for by this theory, especially learning that occurs without the use of punishment and reinforcement. However, there are some strengths to this approach. First, as it is based upon observable behaviours, it is easier to access outcomes and quantify results. Secondly, effective therapeutic techniques such as behaviour analysis, intensive behavioral intervention, discrete trial training, and token economics are all rooted in this approach (Nagowah & Nagowah , 2009).
The relevance of Behaviourism Theory to the Participant’s Language Acquisition
Behaviourism theory is based on acquiring oral language by children observing their role models through a process entailing imitation, reward, and practice. During speech therapy, Max’s understanding of words and sentences was enhanced by repeating and rephrasing sentences after the therapist, and it included other multi-sensory activities. Therapy would have led to better outcomes if rewards were given to Max, such as affection and praise. As this theory stresses that language acquisition can be promoted through habit formation, Max’s acquisition of the first language was able to be enhanced through a daily repeat of certain behaviours such as attending therapy weekly.
Conclusion
Auditory Processing Disorder is a condition that affects about 5% of school-aged children from across the world. It is the brain’s inability to process information because there is a lack of coordination between the brain and the hears. A scenario that was analyzed is about a boy called Max, who has the condition and was portraying different behaviour and learning outcomes compared to his fellow students. After his diagnosis, he was put on speech therapy and other classroom interventions where the specialist recommended certain elements to be incorporated into his learning. With these treatment strategies, he was able to improve his grades after a year. This paper also analyses the mode of skill development in relation to first language development, particularly listening and speaking. Behaviourism theory, its challenges, and strengths in connection to our scenario were also evaluated.