Language Development
in Internationally-Adopted Children:
Parent Information Materials
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Language Development in Internationally-Adopted Children:
Parent Information Materials |
Internationally adopted children represent a unique population of language learners. The abrupt loss of the child’s birth language followed by the immediate introduction of the adopted language is often referred to in the literature as “second first language acquisition.” Language development in this population may progress somewhat differently than that of non-adopted monolingual English speakers or typical bilingual speakers.
Information regarding speech and language development for the internationally adopted population is scarce. Therefore, the concerns of parents often go unaddressed by their pediatricians, adoption agencies, and other sources. This creates anxiety for parents who are unable to find reliable information to address their concerns.
This website includes the following:
A
review of recent research investigating speech and language development in
internationally-adopted children
A
summary of typical language
developmental milestones with their approximate ages
of acquisition highlighting key findings from the international adoption
literature
Communication:
a downloadable pamphlet that defines communication, explains the early development levels of
communication, and discusses why and how children communicate
Letting Your Child Lead and Following Where They Go:
a downloadable pamphlet explaining how to let your child lead interactions, how to create
opportunities for them to do so, and how to follow your child’s lead
Activities to Foster Language Development:
a downloadable pamphlet describing social routines, how to add language to interactions, and
some activity ideas to encourage language development
Before and After: What Can You Do?:
a downloadable pamphlet that provides questions to ask the orphanage or foster family, how to
seek speech and language services, and tips to ensure that your child’s speech
and language needs are met
Materials developed by Erin Weston and Nicole Sax in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Alberta, January, 2007.
June 2008