Part 1 Module: Why?  

Participants will learn that language development dramatically and positively impacts life outcomes. Conversely, the failure to develop a capacity for effective communication jeopardizes emotional well-being and educational attainment. The objective is for participants to learn a new, proactive approach in which all who interact with caregivers and children employ the understanding that language is the primary vehicle for frequent and positive social connections. This approach will consider language as a well-being indicator that is foundational for literacy and academic success, emotional and mental health, and positive quality of life.

Why?

Language development dramatically and positively impacts life outcomes. Conversely, the failure to develop a capacity for effective communication jeopardizes emotional well-being and educational attainment.

A New Proactive Approach

We have the opportunity to institute a new, proactive approach in which all who interact with caregivers and children employ the understanding that language is the primary vehicle for frequent and positive social connections.

This approach will consider language as a well-being indicator that is foundational for literacy and academic success, emotional and mental health, and positive quality of life.

Language is the vehicle by which we:

·   communicate for many different reasons

·   formulate ideas

·   seek and respond to support from others (mutual regulation)

·   learn to cope on our own (self-regulation)

Language includes:

Expressive language:

expressing one’s thoughts and feelings using gestures, facial expressions, vocalizations, words and writing

 Receptive language:

understanding the intents of others

Pragmatic language:

the way verbal and nonverbal communication is used in social situations; it is also used to regulate emotions

Language is foundational for literacy and educational success, emotional and mental health, and positive quality of life.

What is less known is that engagement through frequent, positive social interactions with caregivers, educators, and peers* is both the “fuel” for and a “gauge of” language development.

*Language Nutrition refers to frequent, positive social interactions with caregivers, educators, and peers (source: A. Weldon) (insert a slide with this)

Language has a demonstrated protective effect on mental and physical health and well-being. Language provides the “inner dialogue” essential to effectively reason, comprehend, regulate emotions, and cope with the demands of everyday life.

*Words include speech, pictures, sign language, text, or technology.

PAUSE: We need to distinguish between “speech” and “language”

WHY is language a missing link to social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development?

Development and use of language—from infancy through adulthood — can dramatically impact an individual’s quality of life and life outcomes. In contrast, the failure to develop a capacity for effective communication jeopardizes social connectedness, educational outcomes, and emotional and mental health.

→      Difficulties with language development are associated with an increased risk of persistent emotional and mental health problems, school dropout, involvement with the juvenile justice system, and unemployment.

→      Language development has a significant role in these outcomes, yet it is often not considered when developing solutions.

→      Without noticing language as a missing link, we lose opportunities to improve quality of life.

WHY is language an opportunity?

If we consider language as a well-being indicator similar to others — such as vision, hearing, and oral health, we can lessen the likelihood of misdiagnoses and prevent adverse outcomes.

If we apply the understanding that engagement is both the “fuel” for and a “gauge” of language development, we can boost social communication, emotional regulation, and executive functioning in children of all ages and in all child-serving entities, including:

Infants and Toddlers

Early Childhood

Elementary & Secondary School-Aged Children

Child Welfare

Juvenile Justice

“It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.”          

Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

The “Why” Research and Missing Link:

Infant and Toddlers (Birth-3 Years)

Infant and Toddlers: THE RESEARCH

·   By age two, most children use single words and brief phrases to communicate for many reasons, including requesting actions (“daddy up”) and requesting comfort (“mommy hug”).

·   By kindergarten, they will demonstrate greater emotional regulation and academic skills and fewer challenging behaviors.

Infant and Toddlers: THE MISSING LINK

·   Frequent social interactions between a baby and caregivers are the “fuel” for the development of language.

·   Language development through social connections in infants and toddlers has a direct impact on their emotional resilience.

Early Childhood (3-5 Years)

Early Childhood: THE RESEARCH

Children who have difficulties with language development at age 5 are:

·   4 times more likely to have reading difficulties

·   3 times more likely to have mental health difficulties

·   2 times more likely to be unemployed as an adult

Early Childhood: THE MISSING LINK

·   Language development is foundational for social and emotional development and educational progress at all age levels.

·   By the end of elementary school, only 15% of students with language difficulties achieve the expected reading level, compared to 61% of their peers.

Elementary and Secondary School-Aged Children (5-18 Years)

Elementary and Secondary School-Aged Children: THE RESEARCH

·   Results from a national study of more than 265,000 five-year-olds found that children with effective use of language and communication were 19 times more likely to have high mental health competence than children without effective use of language and communication.

Elementary and Secondary School-Aged Children: THE MISSING LINK

·   School-aged children with well-developed language also develop a strong “inner dialogue” that is needed to bolster social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development.

·   Difficulties with language development are frequently misinterpreted as cognitive, emotional, academic, or behavioral problems at all age levels.

Child Welfare

Child Welfare: THE RESEARCH

·   Children who have experienced abuse and neglect are at least 3 to 6 times more likely to have difficulties with language development than their peers, particularly in the areas of expression and the social use of language.

·   44% of 42-month-old neglected children had pragmatic language (social communication) difficulties, compared to only 4% of non-neglected same-age peers.

·   Children in foster care who do not indicate language development typically expected for their age experience longer stays in foster care than those without language difficulties.

Child Welfare: THE MISSING LINK

·   Difficulties with language development are often the missing link in children in foster care, when they appear to be out of touch with their feelings, use challenging behavior, and disengage with their caregivers, educators, and health care providers.

·   Children in foster care are more likely to have difficulties with the social use of language. This often limits their use of language to communicating only for meeting basic needs rather than for social or emotional reasons.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Justice: THE RESEARCH

·   Nearly two-thirds of children involved with juvenile justice have significant levels of difficulty with language development that compromise their participation during intake proceedings and their ability to engage in and benefit from rehabilitative strategies.

·   However, language and communication are almost never considered at any point in the process.

Juvenile Justice: THE MISSING LINK

·   Children and teens involved with juvenile justice are 5 times more likely to have difficulties with language development expected for their age than their peers who are not involved with juvenile justice. This is also likely relevant into adulthood populations.

·   Language development is almost never considered when an individual doesn’t engage in court proceedings and processes, and when they cannot effectively express remorse.

·   In the justice system, expressions of remorse perceived as adequate are often rewarded, while inadequate expressions of remorse may result in harsher penalties. However, expressing remorse requires substantial expressive, receptive, and pragmatic language. Not only must the words be correct, but the delivery, tone of voice, and facial expression must match.