Physical Development Scenarios

Language Development Scenarios

Amy, two months pregnant, wonders how the developing embryo is being fed and what parts of the body have formed.  “I don’t look pregnant yet, so does that mean not much development has taken place?” she asks.  How would you respond to Amy?

Fran frequently corrects her 17 month old son Jeremy’s attempts to talk and –fearing that he won’t use words- refuses to respond to his gestures.  How might Fran be contributing to Jeremy’s slow language progress?

After a difficult birth, 2 day-old Kelly scores poorly on the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS).  How would you address her mother’s concern that Kelly might not develop normally?

As his father place a bowl of pasta on the dinner table, 2 year old Luke exclaimed, “So ‘licious!” Explain Luke’s phonological strategy.

Lisa is concerned that her 10 month old is not sitting or crawling.  Should she be concerned?  Why or why not?  What are some ways she can encourage her 10 month old to practice these skills?

Katy’s first words included “see, “give, and “thank you,” and her vocabulary grew slowly during the second year.  What style of language learning did she display, and what factors might have contributed to it?

Lucia experienced damage to the left hemisphere of her cerebral cortex shortly after birth.  As a first grader, she shows impressive recovery of language and spatial skills, but she lags behind her peers in body movement and coordination.   What might account for her difficulties?

At age 20 months, Nathan says “candy” when he sees buttons, pebbles, marbles, cough drops, and chocolate kisses.  Are Nathan’s naming errors random or systematic? Why are they an adaptive way of communicating?

 Nine- year old Allison dislikes physical education and thinks she isn’t good at sports.  What strategies can be used to improve her involvement and pleasure in physical activity?

Three year old Jason’s mother told him that the family would take a vacation in Miami.  The next morning, Jason announced, “I gotted my bags packed.  When are we going to Your-ami? How do language researchers explain Jason’s errors?

  As a school-age child, Chloe enjoyed leisure activities with her parents.  Now, as a 14 year-old, she spends hours in her room and resists going on weekend family excursions.  Explain Chloe’s behavior.

Erin was raised in a house with a mother who was bilingual in English and Spanish.  Her parents decided that her mother would speak to her in Spanish and her father in English so that she too would be bilingual.  Erin sometimes mixes the two languages together when she is talking.  Were Erin’s parents wise to teach her both English and Spanish? Does Erin’s mixing of the two languages indicate confusion?