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Lesson 11: Factors Affecting Cognitive and Language Development 1.

Introduction
Learning to talk is one of the most visible and important achievements of early
childhood. In a matter of months, and without explicit teaching, toddlers move from
hesitant single words to fluent sentences and form a small vocabulary to one that is
growing by six new words a day. New language tools mean new opportunities for social
understanding, for learning about the world, and for sharing experiences, pleasures and
needs. As young children are forming their own grasp on language there are several
factors that might influence development. Children between the ages of two and five are
especially vulnerable to these influences, so it’s important for parents and the caregivers
to be aware of them. At the end of the topic the student is expected to explain those
factors and how they affect development.
2. Pre-competency

What are the factors that affect language development?

3. Learning Resources
https://study.com/academy/lesson/factors-influencing-literacy-development-in-early
childhood.html
https://child-encyclopedia.com/language-development-and-literacy/according
experts/factors-influence-language-development
https://www.healthofchildren.com/L/Learning-Development.html#ixzz6YgzhH
Email Address: [email protected]

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Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph

https://www.psychologydiscussion.net/social-psychology-2/language/language
development-of-a-child-8-main-factors/1392

4. Explore
The following points highlight the different factors that affection cognitive and
language development: 1. General Health and Physical Status 2. Intelligence and
Cognitive Development 3. Learning and Maturation 4. Environment 5. Sex 6.
Relationship with Family Members 7. Number of Family Members 8. Bilingualism.

Factor # 1. General Health and Physical Status:

General physiological condition and Motor development influence language
development. Severe and prolonged illness and poor health particularly during the first
two years of life retards the development of speech undoubtedly. Due to illness the child
is separated from others and hence cannot learn to speak.

He also lacks self-confidence because of constant illness and weak health which
may retard his spontaneous desire for effective self-expression. Since the child feels
unwell most of the time there is no enthusiasm to talk and communicate with others.
Slightly deaf children and children who are hard of hearing may have slow speech
development.

Delay in speech development may be due to deafness. It a child does not start
his first word by the requisite time his ear and vocal cord should be examined by a
specialist. A healthy body produces a healthy mind. A healthy child is always happy,
active and full of life and progressive. He has a wholesome personality, curiosity and
interest in the environment, motivation and desire to learn.

A sickly child shows regression and backwardness in all types of development.

Hence all satisfactory steps should be taken to improve the health condition of the baby
so that retarded language development can be checked before it does further harm to
the baby.
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Factor # 2. Intelligence and Cognitive Development:

Language and intellectual development are so highly correlated that it is said ‘The
child’s speech is the best single indicator of his I.Q.’ This is absolutely true. A child who
is early in speech is above normal in I.Q. on the contrary, a delay in some months due to
illness or other factors does not mean that he is dull.

This delay may be due to other factors as well. The ability to know the meaning of
words and to gain from language symbols suffers because of difference in I.Q. Mentally
alert young children usually talk early. They also understand or comprehend early what
is communicated to them through language.

They very quickly grasp and understand what is told to them and recognize
objects and people in their immediate environment, call them by name. They can
express their needs and desires in correct and simple sentences.

When my grandson Anurag was 18 months old, his grandfather told him “Go ask
Maa (me) “dress me up, I will go out with Jeje”. The baby came to me alone when I was
in the Kitchen and told “Maa dress me up, I will go out with Jeje. This sentence becomes
longer when spoken in Oriya.

These two sentences spoken by the baby contained 10 Oriya words. I was simply
amazed at the remarkable speech development of the baby and took him in my arms
and gave him a big kiss as a mark of reinforcement for his great achievement. This child
has very high (Developmental Quotient) as tested by me.

Some children may be slow beginners, but subsequently develop mastery in

language development. This delay may not be due to low intellectual development, but
other factors. Keeping other factors constant, babbling at an early stage indicate higher
intellectual growth.

Growth of vocabulary depends to a considerable extent on cognitive growth. In a

dull child integration in language development is very poor, while an intelligent child
shows great integration.
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Studies and experience show that children with superior intelligence are better in
vocabulary linguistic growth and sentence construction. They also show competency in
the structure of sentence, length of sentences uttered and application of the words
rightly. Studies of Cruickshank Johnson (1958) show that the lower the I.Q., the poorer
is the speech.

Factor # 3. Learning and Maturation:

Child’s language development depends a lot on learning and maturation. In fact,
the interaction of these factors is crucial in determining the language development of the
child. With the increase in age the vocal cord of the child matures, and his learning also
increases. By the interaction of these two factors language develops.

Whatever training might be given to a neonate or a three four-month-old baby

until his vocal cord and speech muscles are not properly developed, he cannot speak a
word. The fact that most of the children start speaking between 18th to 28th months
suggest the strong influence of maturation in the language development.

The nervous system and the speech muscles are adequately developed by this
time to start speaking. Another proof of the role of maturation in language development
is that irrespective of culture, race, religion and geographical differences certain phases
of speech development have a fixed sequence and they occur within a fixed range of
age in spite of the individual differences.

Hence after proper maturation when the child is taught, motivated and reinforced
to speak, he gains from it. Thus, learning helps in language development only after a
certain age, only after maturation of speech organs. Learning undoubtedly facilities
language development.

If the child is not provided with proper facility, reinforcement and motivation to
speak through various measures, if nobody communicates or interacts with him and he
is left to live alone, his language development is affected due to want of proper training.
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Hence both maturation and learning are essential for language development.
Language development suffers severe setback if either one of these is deficient.

Factor # 4. Environment:
It has been established through research that favorable and stimulating
environmental conditions improve the development of early speech and unfavorable
environment retards it. It has been observed that orphans adopted in foster homes have
better language development than orphans staying in institutions or orphanages having
unstimulating environments.

The role of environment is therefore of extreme importance in the development of

language. Even the effects of unstimulating environment on speech development are
quite lasting and more or less permanent. The verbal ability is restricted and inhibited in
poor and an illuminating environment where the child does not get any encouragement
to speak.

Social class which is mostly linked to environment influences language

development. Irwin, a Professor of Psychology in the University of Iowa, USA has found
that by increasing the stimulation of the environment of a young child in lower class
background will lead to heightened interest in language and would lead to improvement
in speech.

The caretakers in the institutions usually speak less and hence never stimulate
the children to speak or communicate. Due to poor environment also, there is delay in
the organization of language and cognitive development. Greater opportunity to talk
with adults increase the scope of language development.

Factor # 5. Sex:
During the first of life effect of gender is not observed in language development
i.e., boys and girls show similar development in language. But from second year girls
show better speech development than boys; girls show greater mastery of speech
sounds and talk fluently than boys.
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 This difference becomes more pronounced with passing of age and with the
difference in Socioeconomic status. Closeness of mother daughter relationship perhaps
do help the girl child to have better speech development than the boy child. Boys commit
more grammatical mistakes, and their pronunciation is also less accurate than girls. This
difference in the language development of boys and girls in enduring.

Factor # 6. Relationship with Family Members:

The relationship of the child with his family members has lasting and enduring
effect on his speech development. Excessive love and over protection of parents on the
one hand and faulty child rearing practices, careless handling of the child, lack of proper
parenting, continued and constant tension between parents and children, particularly
mother and children lead to tension, anxiety and emotional problems.

The child feels insecure. In family children come in closer personal contact than in
institutions. Those children who are reared by foster mothers or baby seaters from a
very early age they lack closeness with the mother and family tie. They are slow in
learning and retarded in their language development throughout their life.

Too much pampering of the child by parents has negative effect on language
development. Over protected and anxious mothers allow their children to speak less and
restrict their language. Democratic and flexible attitude of mothers encourage the
children to speak more.

Factor # 7. Number of Family Members:

This has got significant effect on language development. Some view that in a
single child family the language of the child well-developed, polished and free of
mistakes compared to a family with large number of children where because of
competition there is more conflict and defects in language development are observed.

But another group of Psychologists argue that when there are large number of
children in a family, the children get a chance to talk with each other. Which facilities
their language development.
Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY
OF AGRICULTURE Impig, Sipocot,
Camarines Sur 4408

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Email Address: [email protected]

Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

Factor # 8. Bilingualism:
Bilingualism develops when a baby is compelled to learn two languages in the
early childhood. When a child speaks in native language at home and another foreign
language at school or even when he hears two languages at home (when the father and
mother speak different languages) his language development is retarded for the simple
reason that it creates confusion in the small baby and his thinking power is affected.

Hence language development is delayed, and adverse effect is observed on the

vocabulary, spoken language etc. of the child. Due to transfer of training principles, one
word of one language is used in the second language leading to faulty sentence
constriction.

It is therefore not desirable to teach two more than one language to the child
before he enters school (5-6 years age). By learning two languages before school going
age, it becomes difficult for the child for adjustment. Defects in sentence construction
and comprehension is also observed.

When two languages compete with each other’s, because of competition of

responses there is negative effect. The child’s emotional and social adjustment is also
affected due to bilingualism. Realizing the adverse effects of bilingualism Thompson
(1962) has remarked “There can be no doubt that the child reared in a bilingual
environment is handicapped in his language growth.”
When father and mother speak in different languages at home, it further affects
the child’s language development than when parents speak one language only. Children
of immigrant parents are usually subjected to bilingualism.

5. Discussion Board

Can we encourage language development?

How can we prevent language delay?

6. Post Competency
Reflection paper: Please prepare a short reflection on How can we prevent language
delay?