Children S Oral Communication Skills

Based on a huge body of research in child language and communication development, Children's Communication Skills uses a clear format to set out the key stages of communication development in babies and young children. Its aim is to increase awareness in professionals working with children of what constitutes human communication and what communication skills to expect at any given stage. Illustrated throughout with real-life examples, this informative text addresses: normal development of verbal and non-verbal communication skills the importance of play in developing these skills developmental communication problems bilingualism, cognition and early literacy development working with parents of children with communication difficulties. Features designed to make the book an easy source of reference include chapter summaries, age-specific skills tables, sections on warning signs that further help may be needed, and a glossary of key terms. It will be of great use to a wide range of professionals in training or working in health, education and social care.

Deals with communication skills.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

For some time now, the study of cognitive development has been far and away the most active discipline within developmental psychology. Although there would be much disagreement as to the exact proportion of papers published in developmen tal journals that could be considered cognitive, 50% seems like a conservative estimate. Hence, a series of scholarly books to be devoted to work in cognitive development is especially appropriate at this time. The Springer Series in Cognitive Development contains two basic types of books, namely, edited collections of original chapters by several authors, and original volumes written by one author or a small group of authors. The flagship for the Springer Series will be a serial publication of the "advances" type, carrying the subtitle Progress in Cognitive Development Research. Each volume in the Progress sequence will be strongly thematic, in that it will be limited to some well-defined domain of cognitive-developmental research (e. g. , logical and mathematical de velopment, semantic development). All Progress volumes will be edited collec tions. Editors of such collections, upon consultation with the Series Editor, may elect to have their books published either as contributions to the Progress sequence or as separate volumes. All books written by one author or a small group of authors will be published as separate volumes within the series. A fairly broad definition of cognitive development is being used in the selection of books for this series.

This publication is concerned with the early stages of language acquisition and is designed for use by early childhood teachers, nursery nurses, special education teachers and others working with children experiencing difficulties in learning to talk. Procedures are described that can be used to assess a child' s current skills and plan activities to increase communicative competence. The programme described is based on a developmental sequence that moves the early skills of joint attention, turn-taking and appropriate play to the more complex skills of asking and answering questions. Other issues discussed include sound development and intelligibility, the use of augmentative and alternative communication as stepping stones to speech, working with children and with families. The second edition has an expanded focus on the place of communicative intentions in early language development.

`This book encourages all those working with children with speech, language and communication needs to develop their creativity within a model of child-centred reflective practice, acknowledging that our interaction with children has an effect at many different levels. Therapists, teachers, teaching assistants and parents will find a wealth of practical suggestions and a solid foundation of research within these pages.' Mary Hampton, Chair, Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP), UK For many children, the act of communication that most of us take for granted can be a struggle, and communicating with others can become something to fear rather than enjoy. This creative book is full of fun and imaginative ideas to help children aged 4-11 with a speech or language delay or disorder to develop their communication abilities and skills. It is packed with activities and games tailored to help develop abilities such as effective listening, imagination and perseverance, and to build specific skills such as formulation of questions, categorising, taking turns and understanding non-verbal communication. Tips for personalising and shaping the activities are provided. A comprehensive theory section also covers how play can be a therapeutic tool for enhancing communication, and how to structure the emotional environment. Practical advice on working with groups and individuals and in different settings is also given. This activity book is an invaluable resource not only for speech and language therapists and students, but also for parents, teachers, carers and other support staff who are looking for creative ways to promote speech and language development. Deborah M. Plummer is a speech and language therapist and imagework practitioner with over 20 years' experience of facilitating groups and working individually with both children and adults. Formerly a clinical lead therapist working within the NHS, she now lectures at De Montfort University, Leicester, and runs workshops and short courses on the uses of imagery and story-telling and issues of self-esteem. Deborah is author of several titles, including Helping Children to Cope with Change, Stress and Anxiety: A Photocopiable Activities Book, Helping Children to Build Self-Esteem: A Photocopiable Activities Book, 2nd edition, Self-Esteem Games for Children, Social Skills Games for Children, Helping Adolescents and Adults to Build Self-Esteem: A Photocopiable Resource Book, and Anger Management Games for Children, all published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Deborah's website can be found at www.deborahplummer.co.uk.

Includes established theories and cutting-edge developments. Presents the work of an international group of experts. Presents the nature, origin, implications, an future course of major unresolved issues in the area.