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Language Development

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 14, 2025

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Published on: June 30, 2020

Measurement Issues: Assessing language skills in young children.

Julie E Dockrell¹, Chloë R Marshall¹

¹Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, London, UK.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health

|July 19, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Current language screening tools for children are not reliable for identifying language problems. Composite measures are better than single-skill tests for assessing language development and disorders.

Keywords:

Language assessment dynamic preschool psychometrics

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Last Updated: Dec 14, 2025

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Published on: October 11, 2010

Area of Science:

Child Development
Linguistics
Educational Psychology

Background:

Language and communication skills are fundamental for children's social engagement and learning.
Assessing these skills is crucial for early identification and intervention.
This paper examines current practices and challenges in language assessment for children.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify key issues for practitioners and researchers in assessing children's language skills.
To review existing language assessment tools and their psychometric properties.
To highlight limitations in current screening measures.

Main Methods:

Review of current language assessment tools.
Analysis of psychometric properties of screening measures.
Examination of factors influencing language assessment interpretation.

Main Results:

Current screening measures lack the necessary psychometric soundness to accurately identify language problems.
Interpreting language assessments is complex due to influences from socioeconomic status, language background, hearing, and test design.
Composite measures of language performance are more effective than single-skill measures.

Conclusions:

Psychometrically validated language assessments are vital for effective early intervention strategies.
Preschool children exhibit diverse language development trajectories, underscoring the limitations of current screening tools.
Utilizing composite measures enhances the identification of language problems and disorders.