The problem of this investigation was to compare the linguistic competence of learning disabled and emotionally disturbed pupils by means of two performance tasks. Sixty subjects, seven-and-eight-year old monolingual public and private school pupils, were assigned to three groups of twenty subjects each, learning disabled, emotionally disturbed and normally achieving children. The majority of those in the learning disabled and the normally achieving groups were from middle-class families, with the majority of fathers owners of small businesses. A majority (17) of the emotionally disturbed group attended the public schools.

This study evaluated whether picture exchange communication system (PECS) training would result in the development of conditional relations among corresponding pictures, objects (reinforcers) and spoken words used in PECS training with learners with developmental disabilities. Three participants with autism and mental retardation were trained to use PECS. Match-to-sample procedures were used to assess all possible conditional relations among stimuli before, during, and after PECS training. None of the three participants in this study acquired conditional discriminations involving the pictures, reinforcers, and spoken words used in their PECS training.

This study sought to investigate the Spanish and English receptive pictorial vocabulary of four- and five-year-old bilingual Mexican-American children. The performance of bilingual Mexican-American children on the Mexican-American Inventory of Receptive Abilities--MIRA (Nelson-Burgess and Meyerson, 1975) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--PPVT (Dunn, 1959) was compared to that of monolingual Anglo-American children of the same relative age range and socioeconomic level.

The study investigates prediction factors of children's proficiency in Russian among children from Russian-speaking families in Saskatchewan. For that purpose, 5-7 year old children and their parents were interviewed about their language use, proficiency, and language attitudes, as well as children's Russian language proficiency was measured and compared to monolingual children in Russia.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Children experiencing language disorders have often been noted to have difficulty in comprehending figurative language, to a greater or lesser degree. The present study examined and compared the comprehension of figurative language, namely idioms and similes, in three groups of boys between the ages of 8 and 10. These three groups included (i) typically developing Afrikaans first language speakers, (ii) typically developing Afrikaans second language speakers (L2) and (iii) Afrikaans first language speakers with specific language impairment (SLI). A total of 18 participants were studied. The participants were interviewed individually and tests were conducted verbally. 25 idioms and 25 similes obtained from Die Afrikaanse Semantiese Taalevaluering (AST) were used. No contexts were provided for the idioms initially, but if the participant produced an incorrect or literal answer for the idiom, the idiom was placed in context. The use of context proved to be beneficial to all groups. Similes were read to the participant, who had to provide the final word as a response. The similes proved easier for all groups to comprehend, possibly due to their greater explicitness. The data were analysed statistically, but due to the small sample size, the participants were also examined individually as case studies, which provided further insight into the results obtained and revealed the non-homogeneity within the SLI group. The performance of the SLI group proved to be slightly inferior to that of the other two groups, but no statistically significant differences were found among the three groups. The L2 participants were asked to translate the idioms and similes into English. It was found that the Afrikaans idioms and similes were seldom likened to their English equivalents. Idioms which were semantically and syntactically similar or identical to the Afrikaans sentences often incited literal interpretations. Incorrect phonological transfers also appeared to create confusion and to obscure meaning. The L2 speakers’ difficulties possibly arose from (i) a lack of familiarity with figurative language, (ii) an inability to grasp figurative language, and/or (iii) a lack of proficiency in Afrikaans. Pedagogical implications and recommendations are discussed, and comments are made regarding future research on this topic. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kinders met taalversteurings blyk dikwels ook tot 'n minder of meerdere mate probleme te hê met die begrip van figuurlike taal. Hierdie studie ondersoek en vergelyk die begrip van figuurlike taal, naamlik idiome en vergelykings, in drie groepe seuns tussen die ouderdomme van 8 en 10 jaar. Hierdie drie groepe sluit in (i) tipies-ontwikkelende Afrikaans eerstetaalsprekers, (ii) tipies ontwikkelende Afrikaans tweedetaalsprekers, en (iii) Afrikaans eertetaalsprekers met spesifieke taalgestremdheid (STG). 'n Totaal van 18 deelnemers is bestudeer. Onderhoude is individueel met elke deelnemer gevoer en toetse is verbaal uitgevoer. 25 idiome van Die Afrikaanse Semantiese Taalevaluering (AST) is gebruik. Aanvanklik is geen konteks gegee nie, maar indien die deelnemer 'n verkeerde of letterlike antwoord vir 'n idioom gegee het, is die idioom in konteks geplaas. Die gebruik van konteks het in alle groepe 'n positiewe effek gehad. Vergelykings is aan deelnemers gelees, waar hulle as respons die laaste woord moes verskaf. Die vergelykings was vir alle groepe makliker vir begrip, moontlik weens hulle hoër vlak van eksplisiteit. Die data is statisties geanaliseer, maar weens die klein aantal deelnemers is elkeen ook individiueel as 'n gevallestudie ondersoek, wat verdere insigte in die resultate gelewer het, en die nie-homogeniteit van die STG groep aangedui het. Die prestasie van die deelnemers met STG was effens onder dié van die ander twee groepe, maar geen statisties-beduidende verskille is onder die drie groepe gevind nie. Die tweedetaal-deelnemers is gevra om die idiome en vergelykings in Engels te vertaal. Daar is gevind dat die Afrikaanse idiome en vergelykings selde aan hulle Engelse ekwivalente gekoppel is. Letterlike interpretasies is dikwels gegee vir idiome wat sintakties en semanties eenders is as die Afrikaanse sin. Verkeerde fonologiese oordragte het ook verwarring veroorsaak en betekenis verduister. Die probleme van die tweedetaal-deelnemers is moontlik as gevolg van (i) onvoldoende vertroudheid met figuurlike taal, (ii) onvermoë om figuurlike taal te interpreteer, en/of (iii) onvoldoende vaardigheid in Afrikaans. Pedagogiese implikasies en aanbevelings word bespreek, en kommentaar word gelewer oor verdere ondersoek op hierdie gebied.

Sarah's literacy from ages 2-5 is documented through this longitudinal interpretative case study. The researcher, Sarah's mother, employed ethnographic techniques and methodologies of data analysis and data collection, including interviews, writing samples, audiotapes, observations, and field notes, to accomplish the research goals and purposes. The initial research goals were twofold: (a) to observe and describe Sarah's literacy in natural settings, particularly at home, beginning formally at age 2; and (b) to analyze, understand, and explain her literacy learning process. The model of literacy learning presented, the generative learning cycle, is grounded and rooted in both the data and the theory and research of others, notably Ken Goodman, Yetta Goodman, and Kathy Short. The data demonstrate that Sarah's learning is continuous and not hierarchically ordered as developmental stages propose. While the qualities of her literacy artifacts, or products, change, the quality of her thinking, strategies, and learning process do not. She perceives, questions, and invents sophisticated solutions to her inquiries concerning literacy, continually utilizing all she knows to outgrow herself and learn what she does not know.

The SRA-10 is a tactile instrument which provides hearing impaired subjects with acoustic transforms that can be easily discriminated on the skin. Whether or not the SRA-10 is an effective means of training speech-language skills in profoundly hearing impaired subjects was the focus of this investigation. Two profoundly hearing impaired subjects were trained on phonetic reception/production tasks and on discrimination of multisyllabic words. Each subject served as his own control, wearing the SRA-10 for 14, 30 minute sessions, and a Bioacoustics 70-B auditory training unit for the same period of time. Results indicated a greater correct performance gain function with the SRA-10 than with the 70-B, suggesting that speech perception/production training using the SRA-10 or similar device would be superior to training using acoustic amplification.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-09-26T10:04:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosângela de Faria Correia.pdf: 808290 bytes, checksum: 71d83be864732bf2d2b6d9f46cea6724 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-26T10:04:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosângela de Faria Correia.pdf: 808290 bytes, checksum: 71d83be864732bf2d2b6d9f46cea6724 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-08-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This dissertation aims to do a reflection, from the clinical-institutional experience, together with a children diagnosed with autism. The crucial point of this study is about the clinical enigma, caused during the meeting with the patient, especially about difficults in language acquisition and absence of voice. In the autisms we can identify phenomena that reveal a difficult for the children to occupy the enunciation place, resulting a position of segregation. This way, considering the relation between the children with their objects, and more specifically with voice object, this research looks for presenting a clinical-theoric reading, articulating the concepts of subjective constitution, body constitution and establishment of pulsional circuits, emphasizing the importance of the voice as an object connected to the desire / A presente dissertação tem como objetivo fazer uma reflexão a partir da experiência clínica-institucional junto a uma criança com o diagnóstico de autismo. O eixo fundamental desse estudo passa pelo enigma clínico provocado durante os encontros com o paciente, especialmente sobre as dificuldades de aquisição da linguagem e a ausência da voz. Nos autismos, é possível identificar fenômenos que marcam um impedimento da criança em ocupar o lugar de enunciação, o que a coloca, muitas vezes, em uma posição de segregação. Dessa forma, considerando a relação da criança com seus objetos, e, mais especificamente, o objeto voz, essa pesquisa pretende apresentar uma leitura teórico-clínica, articulando os conceitos de constituição subjetiva, constituição do corpo e o estabelecimento dos circuitos pulsionais, enfatizando a importância da voz como objeto vinculado ao desejo

Huang, Aijun. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-166). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Acknowledgement --- p.i / List of tables and figures --- p.vi / Abstract --- p.viii / 摘要 --- p.x / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Outline of the thesis --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Organization of the thesis --- p.9 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- Count-mass distinction and acquisition issues --- p.12 / Chapter 2.0 --- Introduction --- p.12 / Chapter 2.1 --- "Syntactic, semantic and ontological aspects of the count-mass distinction" --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2 --- Semantic account of the count-mass distinction --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3 --- Syntactic account of the count-mass distinction --- p.19 / Chapter 2.4 --- Acquisition of the count-mass distinction --- p.23 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Semantic account of the acquisition of the count-mass distinction --- p.23 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Syntactic account of the acquisition of the count-mass distinction --- p.26 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Excursion into the syntactic account of the acquisition of the count-mass distinction --- p.31 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- Interpretation of bare nouns and classifiers in Chinese and review of the acquisition of Chinese classifiers --- p.39 / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2 --- Interpretation of bare nouns in Chinese --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Bare nouns in Chinese are unspecified in number and individuation --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Arguments against a lexically-based count-mass distinction in Chinese nouns --- p.43 / Chapter 3.3 --- Dimensions of classifiers --- p.48 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Taxonomy of classifiers --- p.48 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Quantification function of classifiers: classifiers as units of measures --- p.52 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Individuation function of classifiers: a distinction between individuating classifiers and non-individuating classifiers --- p.54 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Classification function of classifiers --- p.58 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- "Relation between the quantification, individuation and classification functions of classifiers" --- p.60 / Chapter 3.4 --- Arguments against Cheng and Sybesma´ةs (1998，1999，2005) account of the count- mass distinction in Chinese --- p.62 / Chapter 3.5 --- Review of the acquisition of Chinese classifiers --- p.68 / Chapter 3.5.1 --- Preponderant use of the general classifier ge: early acquisition of the quantification function of classifiers --- p.69 / Chapter 3.5.2 --- Delayed mastery of specific classifiers --- p.70 / Chapter 3.5.3 --- Acquisition order of individual classifiers and non-individual classifiers --- p.73 / Chapter 3.5.4 --- Experiments on children´ةs sensitivity to the distinction between count classifiers and mass classifiers --- p.75 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- Experiments on the acquisition of individual classifiers and container classifiers --- p.86 / Chapter 4.0 --- Setting the stage --- p.86 / Chapter 4.1 --- General introduction of research questions and experimental design --- p.88 / Chapter 4.2 --- Experiment 1: Acquisition of individual classifiers and bare nouns --- p.95 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- "Subjects, Material and test items" --- p.95 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Procedures --- p.101 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Findings in Experiment 1 --- p.105 / Chapter 4.2.3.1 --- Interpretation of number and quantification function of classifiers in the individual classifier and the bare noun contexts --- p.105 / Chapter 4.2.3.2 --- Interpretation of partial object situations in the individual classifier and the bare noun contexts --- p.109 / Chapter 4.3 --- Experiment 2: Acquisition of container classifiers --- p.116 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Method --- p.117 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Findings in Experiment 2 --- p.124 / Chapter 4.3.2.1 --- Interpretation of the quantification function of container classifiers --- p.124 / Chapter 4.3.2.2 --- Interpretation of noun denotation in the container classifier context --- p.127 / Chapter 4.4 --- Experiment 3: Acquisition the general classifier ge paired with substance situations --- p.131 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Method --- p.132 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Findings in Experiment 3 --- p.134 / Chapter 4.5 --- Summary of the findings in Experiment 1，Experiment 2 and Experiment 3 --- p.139 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE --- General discussion --- p.144 / Chapter 5.1 --- Count-mass distinction in Chinese revisited --- p.145 / Chapter 5.2 --- Quantification and individuation in the acquisition of noun denotations --- p.150 / Chapter 5.3 --- Further research --- p.155 / References --- p.157 / Appendix 1 List of test sentences used in Experiment 1 --- p.167 / Appendix 2 List of test sentences used in Experiment 2 --- p.170 / Appendix 3 List of test sentences used in Experiment 3 --- p.172 / Appendix 4 Pictures of whole and partial objects paired with individual classifiers and bare nouns in Experiment 1 --- p.173 / Appendix 5 Pictures of whole and partial objects and substances paired with container classifiers used in Experiment 2 --- p.174 / Appendix 6 Picture of substance situations with or without a container paired with the general classifier ge in Experiment 3 --- p.175

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 185-192. / by Marcia Ann Bush. / Ph.D.