Kneucker, R. “Converging Technologies”: Legal, Ethical, and Social Implications. Integrating the Social Sciences and Humanities Dimensions in an Expanded European Vision Retrieved from < http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/pdf/ntw-raoul-kneucker text_en.pdf>
Technology and technological developments have various implications on the social, legal and ethical development of people. Despite the excitements that come with such developments, there are usually fears on how they will affect the society and well it will adjust. The article looks at the various aspects of life that are affected by such developments and the need for legal laws that will protect the public from manipulation. The author has highlighted the technological convergence that the society needs to be ready for and the role of various stakeholders in protecting the society against their adverse effects.
Lowry, L. Do second and third-born children really talk late? The effect of birth order on language development . retrieved from < http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/Do-second-and-third-born-children-really-talk-late.aspx>
Hanen is Certified Speech and Language Pathologist who carried out a research to clear the myth that the second and subsequent siblings in the family usually develop late speech and language skills. Some of the excuse that parent and care givers give to support this is that the older siblings will always talk for them and hence not having the chance to do it themselves. However, as we realise from the research, there is no difference between the older and younger siblings in speech development. However, the younger siblings may develop the skills at a slower rate but catch up with their older ones very fast. Lowry explains that younger siblings in fact have higher chances of developing language skills because they have their older sibling(s) to talk with.
Westminster, L. & Media, D. Language Development Strategies in Toddlers with Older Siblings. Retrieved from < http://preschooler.thebump.com/language-development-strategies-toddlers-older-siblings-6023.html>
Older siblings can be of great help and relieve to a toddler if they are trained on how to do it. Westminster and Media in this article suggest some of the ways through which parents can involve their older children in helping their children develop language skills. For instance, parents many times get caught up with work and other activities that they may not get the time required to mentor and teach their young toddlers language. During such times, they can always delegate the responsibility to their older siblings which will ensure that they are both kept busy. Practices such as reading to your toddler and repeating sentences for them until when they grasp enhance language development in toddlers. In cases where parents are unable to do this, they can always let their older siblings do it to them and hence enhancing their language development skills.
Barron-Hauwaert, S. (2010). Bilingual Siblings: Language Use in Families. London: Multilingual Matters.
Bowerman, M. & Levinson, S. (2001). Language Acquisition and Conceptual Development. New York: Cambridge University Press.
The book brings together researches from various scholars who analyse the relationship between cognitive development and language acquisition in children. The literature reveals some of the environmental features that influence the ability of a child to acquire language and develop speech skills. As revealed by the research, with the changing times that are influenced by technological development, language acquisition has also changed significantly. It is hence advisable for parents not t rely so much on some historical events to relate to their child’s language acquisition but rather realise that as long as the environment that their children are being brought up is different from what they experienced, it will reflect on their language development.
Language development is a vital stage in a child’s life as it signifies development and the level at which he or she will relate with the environment. Children have been considered to have their own unique way of communicating. This changes as they grow from infants to babies and young children. The first means of communication that is synonymous with infants is usually crying and facial expression. This usually tells a lot about how a child feels and hence making them get the much needed attention. Crying in younger children has been the most challenging to decode as parents employ all comfortable measures to sooth their children. However as they grow, they observe certain signals and are able to relate to them. They move from just crying when they feel uncomfortable to throwing tantrums. Language acquisition among children will however differ especially if they have siblings that interact frequently with them.
Despite the negative myths that have been held against siblings in terms of influencing their young ones to acquire language, researches have revealed that siblings cab be supportive if they are monitored and trained how to do it. Depending on the age of the siblings, they may use slang words that are likely to affect language acquisition. On the other hand, when the siblings are guided appropriately, they are likely to provide adequate support that will ensure children learn and develop language faster. There are usually issues where younger siblings tale longer to acquire language and speech skills because they do not receive maximum attention from their parents. However, we realise that language acquisition in toddlers is all about the gestures they observe and what they hear other people speak. This hence implies that the more siblings they have to make noise around them, the higher their chances of them acquiring language skills.
Language development in children is usually affected by the environment in which they stay in. Children tend to relate easily with their younger siblings than with adults. This hence implies that the more they relate with their siblings, the more they get influenced by them. Parents should therefore aspire to be good examples to their children from the first born. Once the first child has a good foundation and discipline, parents will not have to worry about their younger siblings being negatively impacted on their language development. Older siblings can also be trained to read stories to the younger siblings and help them recognize things by pointing at them and mentioning their names. With such repeated exercises, siblings will learn how to be good friends to them rather than their language development enemies. The rate at which other siblings acquire language may be slow and should not alarm the parents until when they suspect higher extremes. The fact is that younger siblings may take time to develop language but adopt very fast with time.
Reference list
Barron-Hauwaert, S. (2010). Bilingual Siblings: Language Use in Families. London: Multilingual Matters.
Bowerman, M. & Levinson, S. (2001). Language Acquisition and Conceptual Development. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Kneucker, R. “Converging Technologies”: Legal, Ethical, and Social Implications
Integrating the Social Sciences and Humanities Dimensions in an Expanded European Vision
Retrieved from < http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/pdf/ntw-raoul-kneucker-text_en.pdf>
Lowry, L. Do second and third-born children really talk late? The effect of birth order on language development . retrieved from < http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/Do-second-and-third-born-children-really-talk-late.aspx>
Westminster, L. & Media, D. Language Development Strategies in Toddlers with Older Siblings. Retrieved from < http://preschooler.thebump.com/language-development-strategies-toddlers-older-siblings-6023.html>
