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Learn about adolescence, its diverse stages, and impacts on language development. Explore signs of language disorders in adolescents and how to support them.
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What is Adolescence? • The term adolescence is commonly used to describe the transition stage between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence is also equated to both the terms “teenage years” and “puberty.” However adolescence is not exclusive to either of these terms. Puberty refers to the hormonal changes that occur in early youth; and the period of adolescence can extend well beyond the teenage years. In fact, there is no one scientific definition of adolescence or set age boundary. There are key development changes that nearly all adolescents experience during their transition from childhood to adulthood. • Many researchers and developmental specialists in the U.S. use the age span 10 – 24 years as a working definition of adolescence. This age span can be further divided into sub stages. The table on the next slide, developed by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, describes the developmental characteristics of adolescents by sub stage specific to physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. This table illustrates that adolescence is one of the most dynamic stages of human growth and development; and is second only to infancy in the rate of developmental changes that take place.
Another Definition… • Adolescence is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the period of life between 10 to 19 years of age. While puberty refers to the physical and sexual maturation of boys and girls, the term adolescence refers to the behavioral characteristics of this period, which is influenced both by culture as well as physical changes.
Language and Adolescence The ability to read and write is strongly influenced by the ability to understand and use language. Students who are good listeners and speakers tend to become strong readers and writers . Language has a major role in all subjects including reading, math, history , geography and even art. The early school years emphasize language development, social-emotional growth and readiness skills. The middle grades emphasize specific subjects. Mastery of language is assumed. Emphasis is placed on written skills. The later grades involve more complex use of language by students including an increased vocabulary, more advanced sentence structure, and different kinds of language for different situations
More on the Language of Adolescence • Teenagers Are Experts • One of the first signs of impending adolescence is the desire to put space between them and their parents’ generation, and the fastest way to do that is through the art of language. • Teenagers develop their own idioms and expressions that make adults scratch their heads, trying to figure out what the slang means (and if it’s something they should be upset about.) • For example: • Emo - If you’re “all emo,” it’s like being a drama queen (a slightly older expression.) Emo was a type of music that seemed to rip at the souls of adolescent angst. It frequently included wearing all black clothing, dying one’s hair pitch black, and having a complexion so paper white that it looked as if the teen had grown up in the basement. • To be emo was to be perpetually depressed, moody, and emotional, and perpetually at odds with society (even if it was nothing more than a pose.) • My bad - If a teen has made a mistake, the phrase “my bad” is frequently employed as a cover. It means what it appears to mean: “I was bad!”
Characteristics of Adolescent Language Disorder • • Failure to understand or pay attention to rules of conversation, for example, turn taking, introducing topics of conversation, and staying on topic. • • Difficulty using different language for different needs of the listener or situation. • • Incorrect use of grammar. • • Poor or limited vocabulary • • Difficulty requesting further information to aid understanding. • •Tendency to ask questions that are too general ("Are you going out tonight?" when what is really meant is "Where are you going tonight?") • • Tendency to agree rather than voice opposition. • • Indirect requests and ambiguous statements. • • Class clown behavior. • • Extreme forgetfulness.
Characteristics of Adolescent Language Disorder • • Withdrawal or exclusion from group activities. • • Difficulty with: a. understanding non-verbal behaviours, such as body language b. finding words c. puns, idioms, riddles, jokes, sarcasm and slang d. instructions, especially those that are long or grammatically complex e. words with multiple meanings (bear versus bare) f. sequencing g. expressing thoughts h. organizing information. Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
I. On Walter Loban Walter Loban, a pioneer in researching oral language development of students from kindergarten through 12th grade, used to say: We listen a book a day, talk a book a week, read a book a month, and write a book a year. (cited in Buckley, 1992) With this saying, Loban highlighted the pervasiveness of oral language in our lives; it is so pervasive, in fact, that we easily take it for granted—until plagued with a case of laryngitis. Reading and writing also play vitally important roles in our lives, but oral language interactions account for the bulk of our day-to-day communications, remaining the primary mode of discourse throughout the world. LOBAN, W. (1976). Language development: Kindergarten through grade twelve (Research Report No. 18). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
More on Listening • Listening is often called the most important language art because it is the one we use the most. Researchers report that people spend as much time listening as they do reading, writing, and talking combined (Pinnell & Jaggar, 2003). • Both children and adults spend approximately half of their communication time listening.
More on Loban • Walter Loban pleaded, "Please in the name of all that is good in language and thinking, please let the children talk. Let them talk a great deal." • Children need to learn how to listen as well. The development of speaking and listening skills must continue from preschool throughout a student's academic career. Loban's passionate plea for attention to oral language development in the classroom stems from his understanding that oral language provides the foundation for thinking in and about language. • A significant link exists between well-developed oral language and strong reading and writing skills. Moreover, oral language further enhances thinking through its use in informal writing. When adequate attention is given to instruction in both informal and formal speaking, students learn why the rhetorical elements of purpose and audience so strongly influence such important matters as word choice, usage, tone, and style in oral discourse.
II.The Essence of Pragmatics • Pragmatics involve three major communication skills: • Using language for different purposes, such as • greeting (e.g., hello, goodbye) • informing (e.g., I'm going to get a cookie) • demanding (e.g., Give me a cookie) • promising (e.g., I'm going to get you a cookie) • requesting (e.g., I would like a cookie, please) • Changing language according to the needs of a listener or situation, such as • talking differently to a baby than to an adult • giving background information to an unfamiliar listener • speaking differently in a classroom than on a playground • Following rules for conversations and storytelling, such as • taking turns in conversation • introducing topics of conversation • staying on topic • rephrasing when misunderstood • how to use verbal and nonverbal signals • how close to stand to someone when speaking • how to use facial expressions and eye contact • These rules may vary across cultures and
An Individual With Pragmatic Issues May … • say inappropriate or unrelated things during conversations • tell stories in a disorganized way • have little variety in language use • It is not unusual for children to have pragmatic problems in only a few situations. However, if problems in social language use occur often and seem inappropriate considering the child's age, a pragmatic disorder may exist. Pragmatic disorders often coexist with other language problems such as vocabulary development or grammar. Pragmatic problems can lower social acceptance. Peers may avoid having conversations with an individual with a pragmatic disorder.
Universal Therapeutic Pragmatic Language Tips I Using Language for Different Purposes • Ask questions or make suggestions to use language for different purposes: • Respond to the intended message rather than correcting the pronunciation or grammar. Be sure to provide an appropriate model in your own speech. For example, if an individual says, "That's how it doesn't go," respond, "You're right. That's not how it goes." • Take advantage of naturally occurring situations. For example, practice greetings at the beginning of a day, or have the individual ask peers what they want to eat for dinner or request necessary materials to complete a project
Universal Therapeutic Pragmatic Language Tips II Changing Language for Different Listeners or Situations • Role-play conversations. Pretend to talk to different people in different situations. For example, set up a situation (or use one that occurs during the course of a day) in which the individual has to explain the same thing to different people, such as teaching the rules of a game, or how to make a cake. Model how the person should talk to a child versus an adult, or a family member versus a friend of the family. • Encourage the use of persuasion. For example, ask the person what he or she would say to convince family members or loved ones to let him or her do something. Discuss different ways to present a message: • Polite ("Please may I go to the party?") versus impolite ("You better let me go") • Indirect ("That music is loud") versus direct ("Turn off the radio") • Discuss why some requests would be more persuasive than others
Universal Therapeutic Pragmatic Language Tips III Conversation and Storytelling Skills • Comment on the topic of conversation before introducing a new topic. Add related information to encourage talking more about a particular topic. • Provide visual cues such as pictures, objects, or a story outline to help tell a story in sequence. • Encourage rephrasing or revising an unclear word or sentence. Provide an appropriate revision by asking, "Did you mean...?" • Show how nonverbal signals are important to communication. For example, talk about what happens when a facial expression does not match the emotion expressed in a verbal message (e.g., using angry words while smiling).
