List of problems of ECED children:
PHYSICAL:
1. Speech and Language Development?
For parents, the area of speech and language development is probably the hardest to evaluate. When evaluating physical development, the process is easier. We know when a child is able to sit, stand, walk or run.
Language development is less clear. My son talks - but does he talk enough? My daughter speaks clearly - but does she speak clearly enough? For this reason, speech and language difficulties are often the hardest for the average parent to detect.
In order to help you understand the area of speech and language development, we at Whole Family have prepared a series of articles that will help you to better understand your child's development. This series will include the following topics:
- What does the term "speech and language development" mean?
- A checklist to help you evaluate your child's progress.
- An understanding of which professionals to contact if your child may have speech or language difficulties
- The answers to some commonly asked questions about early childhood speech and language development
- Activities to do with your child to help stimulate speech and language development.
Our first article is about the basics:
WHAT DOES THE TERM SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT REALLY MEAN?
Speech and language are actually two separate areas of development, which can be divided into four separate areas.
SPEECH DEVELOPMENT: Speech development can be divided into articulation and quality of voice. Articulation refers to a child's ability to produce speech sounds. You might hear professionals using the slang "artic" among themselves to refer to difficulty in producing speech sounds. A child with this difficulty uses the wrong sounds when speaking, often at either the beginning or end of the word and/or sometimes leaves certain sounds out completely. Examples would be a child who says "wabbit" instead of rabbit or " ha" instead of hat. Each specific speech sound normally develops by a certain age. For a two- year-old, the mistakes mentioned above are acceptable and are to be expected. A five- year-old, however, should already be able to say these words correctly.
The term quality of voice refers to how the speech sounds when it comes out. Is it loud, soft, fluid, fast, slow or just right? Of course, all children sometimes speak too loudly, softly, slowly, etc... The questions when evaluating quality of voice is: Does the sound quality of the child's voice interfere with normal everyday activities or make the child's language difficult to understand? Overall, is the quality of the child's voice appropriate for a child of his age?
A term you may hear discussed in connection to speech (both articulation and voice quality) is "oral-motor development." This term relates to the physical make-up of a person's mouth and his ability to use it properly. While this area is not the same as speech development, it is often used in connection with speech, since if a person can not physically use his mouth properly, it affects his ability to speak.
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Language development refers to how your child understands, organizes, speaks and uses words and can be divided into two categories: receptive language and expressive language.
RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE: The term receptive language refers to how well your child understands what is said to him. Way before a child can verbally answer a question, he can show that he understands you by following a simple direction or pointing to a specific object. Usually a child can follow simple directions and run to find an object, well before he will start using words.
EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE: The term expressive language refers to your child's ability to express or communicate his thoughts and needs to others. As a child grows, expressive language is used to refer to how well the child uses words; however, this term also refers to gestures or any other non-verbal forms of expression. Sign language, for example is expressive language and does not involve speaking. Pointing to a candy is an appropriate use of expressive language for a one and a half-year-old. For a three-year-old, appropriate expressive language is to ask for a candy by using words.
2. INTELLECTUAL
Problems Resulting From Advanced Verbal and Reasoning Ability
- Gifted children can be argumentative and/or manipulative. (Adults often remark that theses children are little lawyers!) Parents and other adults need to remember that, although credit should be given for logical and convincing arguments, a child is still a child and requires appropriate discipline, no matter how clever or cute the behavior may look. Children who see that they can manipulate adults can feel very insecure.
- Gifted children can be manipulative. (Parents and other adults need to take care that they don't allow this manipulation.)
- A gifted child may try to outsmart parents and teachers.
- Sophisticated vocabulary and advanced sense of humor can cause gifted children to be misunderstood, which can make them feel inferior and rejected. (This is one reason gifted children prefer to be around older children and adults.)
One Solution: How (Not) to Argue With Gifted Children
3. EMOTIONAL
Problems Resulting From Perfectionism and Emotional Sensitivities
- Perfectionism can lead to fear of failure, in turn causing a gifted child to avoid failure by refusing to even try something (including doing a homework assignment!)
- Keen observation, imagination, and ability to see beyond the obvious can cause a gifted child to appear shy, holding back in new situations in order to consider all the implications.
- A gifted child may require full details before answering questions or offering help, making him or her appear socially shy.
- Intense sensitivity can cause gifted children to take criticism, or even general anger, very personally. Childhood slights do not roll off their backs.
- Sensitivity and well-developed sense of right and wrong can lead to concern over wars, starving children, pollution and other injustice and violence. If they are overloaded with images and discussions of these issues, they can become introverted and withdrawn or even suffer from "existential depression.”
One Solution: Helping Gifted Children Cope with Intense Emotions
