1. Language Development, Communication and Culture
Peter Mangione and Alice Nakahata
Developed by Peter Mangione and Alice Nakahata. © 2017, WestEd, The Program for Infant/Toddler Care.
This document may be reproduced for educational purposes.

2. Language Development, Communication and Culture
Agenda
Introduction:
Review Agenda
Focus of Workshop
Mini-Lecture
Keys Points to Consider When Facilitating Early Language Development
First Activity:
Reflection on early language experience. Opportunity to share experiences with one other person, followed by whole group discussion.
Video:
Early Messages: Facilitating Language Development and Communication, Part 1
Second Activity:
Small group discussion. Each small group discusses how to help caregivers implement one or two of the strategies recommended in the video Early Messages.
Break
Early Messages: Facilitating Language Development and Communication, Part 2
Mini-Lecture:
Signs that indicate there may be a problem with a child’s language development.
Third Activity:
Being playful with language. Pairs do activity with one person in the adult role and the other acting as an observer or social partner.
Close
Developed by Peter Mangione and Alice Nakahata. © WestEd, The Program for Infant/Toddler Care.
This document may be reproduced for educational purposes.

3. DVD: California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations
Disc: 1
Clip: Language Development, Introduction

4. Communication and Culture
Language Development,
Communication and Culture
Key Points to Consider
Respect infants and toddlers as active learners of language. We are not teaching them language.
Provide infants and toddlers with rich experiences with language. Children need us to bathe them in language.
Adapt to individual and social-cultural differences. Language development varies from individual to individual and from social-cultural context to social- cultural context.
Make communication with language a natural part of relationships with infants and toddlers. Children learn language in the context of human relationships. Experience with language typically occurs during everyday routines/activities.
Developed by Peter Mangione and Alice Nakahata. © WestEd, The Program for Infant/Toddler Care.
This document may be reproduced for educational purposes.

5. DVD: Early Messages
Clips: Strategies to Enhance Language Development (#1-6)

6. Activity
Develop one means to help care teachers value and implement strategies shown in Early Messages

7. IN INFANTS AND TODDLERS
EARLY MESSAGES
STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
IN INFANTS AND TODDLERS
Be responsive when children initiate communication
Engage in nonverbal communication
Use child-directed language
Use self talk and parallel talk
Help children expand language
Support bilingual development
Attend to individual development and needs
Engage infants with books and stories
Be playful with language
Create a communication-friendly environment
Developed by Peter Mangione and Alice Nakahata. © WestEd, The Program for Infant/Toddler Care.
This document may be reproduced for educational purposes.

8. DVD: Early Messages
Clips: Strategies to Enhance Language Development (#7-10 and Close)

9. Communication, and Culture
Language Development,
Communication, and Culture
Pay Attention When:
0-8 Months
There is a general lack of interest in social contact (avoids eye contact; holds body rigidly)
You observe a lack of response to human voice or environmental sounds
6-18 Months
A babbling baby becomes silent ~ 8-9 months
Child does not show interest in interacting with objects and caregivers in familiar environments
9-10 mos. Child does not follow direction of point
11-12 mos. Child does not give, show, and point to objects
11-12 mos. Child does not play games such as pat-a-cake or peek-a-boo
16-36 Months
By 24 months child uses 25 words or less
By 36 months:
Vocabulary is limited
Uses only short, simple sentences
Makes more grammatical errors than peers
Difficulty talking about the future
Misunderstands questions
Is misunderstood by others
Displays fewer forms of social play
Has difficulty carrying on conversation
Adapted from: WestEd. (2010). The program for infant/toddler care trainer’s manual, module III:
Learning and development (pp. 129, 142). Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education.
This document may be reproduced for educational purposes.

10. Caregivers who engage in responsive, rich exchanges with infants make communication and language magical.