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Assessment of Language in Developmentally Disabled Infants and Preschoolers

  • Lesley B. Olswang
  • Barbara A. Bain
Chapter
Part of the Perspectives in Developmental Psychology book series (PDPS)

Abstract

The language assessment of infants and developmentally delayed preschoolers requires a usable definition of language and a comprehensive understanding of language development. Language is a complex skill that has traditionally been viewed as consisting of four basic parts: phonology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. Phonology refers to the sound system of our language; semantics, to the meaning of words and word relations; syntax, to the grammatical rules for ordering words; and pragmatics, to communication, or the use of language in social contexts. Although language must always be viewed as an interactive system in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, the assessment process requires that the major components be examined separately. This approach is necessary for evaluating language development and for identifying specific deficit areas.

Keywords

Communicative Intention Language Intervention Language Disorder Language Assessment Intraindividual Comparison 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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© Springer Science+Business Media New York 1988

Authors and Affiliations

  • Lesley B. Olswang
    • 1
  • Barbara A. Bain
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of Speech and Hearing SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleUSA
  2. 2.Department of Communication Sciences and DisordersUniversity of MontanaMissoulaUSA

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