Friday Feature: Differentiating Language Difference versus Language Impairment in Young Dual Language Learners

Photo credits: Division for Early Childhood, 2015

Ever have questions about whether a child in your care has a true language impairment or a language difference as a dual language learner (DLL)?

In this week’s Friday Feature, we would like to highlight an article from the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Young Exceptional Children Monograph Series No. 14: Differentiating Language Difference versus Language Impairment in Young Dual Language Learners by Peña, Bedore, & Sheng (2012).

The article covers the following topics:

• Cultural Context: Home and School Difference
• Culturally Based Differences in Communication
• Second Language Acquisition in Early Childhood
• Language Impairment and Bilingualism
• How Do Professionals Differentiate Language Differences from Language Disorders?
• Supporting First and Second Language Learning for Young Children with Language Impairment

Specific strategies to support young children include:

• providing opportunities for children to hear models
• opportunities for children to talk with peers
• support of language development in both languages
• providing suggestions to parents that are consistent with their beliefs about language development and children’s roles

(p. 26-27)

An important statement: “There is no reason that children with language impairment cannot be bilingual. Stated another way, bilingualism does not cause language delays or impairment” (p. 27)

Download the article and supplemental resource for free here: http://www.dec-sped.org/sub-yec-mono-14

Call to action:
Once you've read the article, please share 1-2 of your main "take-aways" in the comments section below.

For more on the YEC Monograph Series, go to: http://www.dec-sped.org/dec-bookstore-products

Bilingualism in Infancy and Toddlerhood: A presentation from Zero To Three

From ZERO TO THREE: Bilingualism in Infancy and Toddlerhood: Behaviors, Strengths, and Pathways, Wed March 29, 2 pm EDT.

"This Presentation focuses on bilingualism in infancy and toddlerhood in an effort to provide participants with a broad understanding of what bilingualism is, what benefits it boasts, and various ways to support young children’s bilingual development. As such, participants can expect to analyze children’s speech, identify and explain the benefits of raising bilingual children, and recognize different traditional pathways to raising bilingual children. This event is intended for a wide audience, including, but not limited to, early childhood education practitioners and supervisors, mental health professionals, early learning administrators, and community leaders." 

To register: https://my.zerotothree.org/nc__Event?id=a0l1a0000046dW2AAI

Friday Feature: Transdisciplinary Model and Early Intervention: Building Collaborative Relationships

Reviewing the EI SIG survey responses, it became clear that there are a lot of questions around teaming. In this Friday Feature we are sharing this Young Exceptional Children article by Boyer and Thompson (2014): Transdisciplinary Model and Early Intervention: Building Collaborative Relationships

One of the questions we hear often is on role release. It’s a term we hear a lot – but how does it really happen?

Role release does not happen overnight. This article summarizes the “key elements leading to role release” in Table 2: Role extension, role enrichment, role expansion, role exchange, and role support. 

Questions for reflection (please share your thoughts in the comments section below):

To what extent do you and your team members…

• Become more educated about own discipline (role extension)?
• Learn more about other disciplines (role enrichment)
• Share ideas with each other (role expansion)?
• Implement integrated intervention or assessment plans (role exchange)?
• Consult regularly to monitor implementation (role support)?

(Boyer & Thompson, 2014, p. 21)

See more at http://journals.sagepub.com/d…/abs/10.1177/1096250613493446…

Remember, as a Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Member you can access Young Exceptional Children articles online for free!

Not a DEC member? Join now to get the latest and greatest on evidence-based practices in early intervention and early childhood special education.

NEW: Early Intervention Special Interest Group Roster

As we expand on our efforts to grow this EI community, we have been brainstorming ways to better facilitate meaningful interaction and connections among its participants/members.

One of our goals is to have a database of SIG participants and their location, position, and respective areas of interest and/or expertise.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN...

• ​Finding out more about the 1000+ EI SIG members who follow us on Facebook and/or the listserv?
• Asking specific questions to select EI SIG members based on self-identified areas of expertise?
• Learning which EI SIG members might be aware of local or statewide family-centered resources near you?

If so, please click on the below link to share a little about yourself and start connecting with others in your region and nationally.

NEW this Spring 2017 for Division of Early Childhood EI SIG Members: EI SIG ROSTER

​You can use the roster to contact specific participants for EI-related questions/discussions, networking, or any other professional collaboration.

**Please take 5 minutes to complete the online information form to join and view others on this new EI roster.**

HAPPY NETWORKING & INFORMATION SHARING with fellow EI SIG members!!

Many thanks to Brittany Clark, Operations Coordinator of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) for helping us set up the roster!

DEC Learning Deck: Shared Story Reading

Early language and literacy development begins in the first 3 years of life. Register for tomorrow's DEC Learning Deck webinar on Wednesday, March 15th from 2pm to 3pm EST:

Maximizing the Benefits of Shared Story Reading for Young Children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities

Approved by Illinois and Ohio for Early Intervention
Approved for BCBA

To register: http://www.dec-sped.org/learning-decks

Friday Feature: Beyond Hoping for the Best: Home Visits in Impoverished Urban Areas

This week's Friday Feature:
Do you "hope for the best" when conducting home visits in communities experience poverty?

Here is some information from a Young Exceptional Children (SAGE Publishing) article by Corr, Spence, Miller, Marshall, and Santos (2016): Beyond "Hoping for the Best": Home Visits in Impoverished Urban Areas.

Strategies for success:

1. Promoting collaboration by connecting families to community partners
2. Coaching to build family capacity
3. Fostering family resilience by promoting parent strengths, flexibility, parenting strategies, social connections
4. Being aware of personal safety
5. Considering your own self-care as a professional

(pp. 7-9)

See more information at
http://journals.sagepub.com/d…/full/10.1177/1096250616674332

Call to action:
Which of the five strategies do you think you could try? 

Please share your ideas in the comments section below!