Some parents who thought their children were doing very well with speech and language may find themselves unpleasantly surprised as their children begin second grade, when a higher level of language is required.
Teachers have often noted poor academic performance among immigrant children graduating from English as a Second Language programs, even though the children appear to converse in English perfectly well. Educators and speech-language clinicians are learning that there are two kinds of language. Many refer to the first type as Communicative Language Fluency. This is the type of language we think of when we say a child can “speak English”—they have the skills needed for practical social interaction. This includes vocabulary, and also basic skills in grammar and pronunciation.
The second kind of language is Cognitive Language Mastery. At this level language is used as a tool of reasoning. It is not just something to learn, but the very medium of learning. It is also the language used for speaking and reading about language—understanding the concepts of a sound, a letter, a paragraph—and for academic reading where one does not have the everyday context of the sentence right in front of them.
Although Communicative Language Fluency develops first, the two kinds of language do not develop in isolation. Certain contexts and grammatical structures are embedded in children early on, well before they can articulate them themselves, through frequent repetition by parents and others who speak to them, from hearing adults converse, from listening to stories and television programs. These are the foundation for Cognitive Language Mastery, and it is in this area that adopted children can have problems.
Most internationally adopted kids have learned a second language. Even those who were adopted before speaking their native language have missed out on some of the early listening which is critical to distinguishing the unique sounds of a specific language.
In addition, children who have been in institutions such as hospitals, baby homes or orphanages likely have not have been spoken to as much as children reared in families.
Children placed in their adoptive families when older than infants may also be affected. These children may have come from a deprived background where caregivers neglected to, or were unable to, provide rich conversational experiences. Children who experience a traumatic separation, whether the grief of separation from one beloved caregiver or the trauma of switching schools and caregivers frequently, may be too anxious to focus on learning and language.
In deprived situations, whether in institutions or with neglectful caregivers, the context of language is different. Russian psychologists studying the experiences of children in orphanages report that the purpose of communication in these settings is to attract attention and to obtain physical contact and/or to have one’s other needs met. There is not mutual activity such as looking together at a book, toy, zoo animal, etc. A child can receive physical contact by making eye contact with an adult. She will not need to use language as frequently if she has nothing else to desire—if she has no box to ask for help opening, no books to be read to her, nowhere to ask to go.
Please see these related blogs:
Does Your Child Have ADHD or Central Auditory Processing Disorder (or Both)?
A Group of Children Clearly Left Behind
Understanding and Strengthening Language Comprehension