Supporting communication in young children with developmental disabilities.

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Special Education

Background:

• Communication development in young children with disabilities is influenced by a bio-ecological model.
• This model emphasizes interactions between child characteristics and their environment over time.
• Foundational research and current views on communication development are synthesized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize intervention research and current perspectives on communication development in children with developmental disabilities.
• To illustrate how child characteristics impact caregiver interactions supporting language development.
• To review the roles of peers and classroom settings in language acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Review of foundational intervention research.
• Synthesis of current views on communication development.
• Illustration of research findings with specific child populations (autism, Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, augmentative communication users).

Main Results:

• Child characteristics interact with caregiver input (e.g., parent talk) to influence language development.
• Parent-child interactions are crucial for language acquisition.
• Peer interactions and classroom environments significantly impact language learning and use in young children with developmental disabilities.

Conclusions:

• Community support systems, particularly parents and peers, play a critical role in communication development.
• Understanding the interplay of child characteristics, caregiver interactions, and environmental factors is essential for effective interventions.
• Early and ongoing support within various contexts facilitates language development in children with disabilities.