PSY315H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: American Sign Language, Cochlear Implant, Language Acquisition
Document Summary
Language development in populations of children who are atypical in language development: children who have conditions such as deafness, blindness, intellectual disability, or autism spectrum disorders. Difficulty acquiring language but appear to be normal in all other aspects of their development: these children referred to as having specific language impairment. Children who are deaf or blind have normal mental abilities, although their access to information is impaired. Looking at language development in children with intellectual disabilities provides insights into how language development is affected by other cognitive limitations. Looking at language development in children with autistic spectrum disorders, who have their own distinctive constellation of mental abilities and limitations, also sheds light on the extent to which the ability to acquire language depends on other human abilities. Children who seem to develop typically in every respect except in language challenge us to identify what aspect of human ability is necessary for language development but not for anything else.
