Download The Effects of Symbolic Play on Language

The Effects of Symbolic Play on Language
Development in Children Who are Deaf or
Hard of Hearing
Objectives:
Age of Intended Audience: 18 and up
• Provide an introduction of the important role that play has on the
development of language.
• Provide examples of how the development of play and language differ
between children with a hearing impairment and their normal hearing peers.
• Describe the impact that caregivers have on their child’s development.
Abstract: This product was designed to inform
professionals and families about the effects of symbolic
play . Through understanding, caregivers and professionals
alike can provide an appropriate model for both language
and play by knowing the natural order of development.
Between hearing children and
those with a hearing loss…
The relationship between symbolic play and language
development is similar:



13 mos. = play is related
to receptive language, not
so much expressive.
20 mos. = the amount of
expressive language is
equal to play.
2 ½ yrs. = language skills
lead the development of
play.
Still lagging!



Deaf (D) children still
lag in their
comprehension and
expression of
language.
They lack full access
to communicative
information.
Degree of loss affects
awareness of spoken
communication
forms.
What is the big deal about play?

The communication that occurs in play requires
children to know what to communicate, how to
communicate, and to understand other’s
communication.
Symbolic vs. Non-Symbolic?


Non-symbolic play
was found to have no
bearing on later
communication
abilities.
Symbolic play is
related to various
aspects of early
language
development in
children that are
D/HOH.
Hearing Impaired Children
and Their Play Behaviors




Less likely to identify
a specific role.
More likely to use
real objects.
Show little evidence
of planning.
More repetitive in
their play behavior.
Environmental Factors

Dyad Hearing Status


Deaf children of deaf mothers have similar
language abilities as hearing children of
hearing mothers.
Hearing mothers of deaf children lack the
responsiveness conducive of child language.
Ideas to Keep in Mind



Provide structured
play scenarios during
early development.
Guide and encourage
parents to use pretend
play as a context for
interaction with their
child.
Encourage parents to
refer to events that
occurred in the past.
Parents: The First Teachers

Teach parents the hierarchy
of symbolic play.
References

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Bornstein, M.H., Selmi, A.M., Haynes, D.M., Painter, K.M., & Marx,
E.S. (1999). Representational abilities and the hearing status of
child-mother dyads. Child Development, 70(4), 833-852.
Brown, P.M., Prescott, S.J., Rickards, F.W., & Paterson, M.M.
(1999). Communicating about pretend play: A comparison of
the utterances of 4-year-old normally hearing and deaf or hard of
hearing children in an integrated kindergarten. Volta Review,
99(1), 5-17.
Brown, P.M., Rickards, F.W., & Bortoli, A. (2001). Structures
underpinning pretend play and word production in young hearing
children and children with hearing loss. Journal of Deaf Studies
and Deaf Education, 6(1), 15-31.
Lyytinen, P., Laakso, M., Poikkeus, A., & Rita, N. (1999). The
development and predictive relations of play and language across
the second year. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 40, 177186.
References
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Microsoft Power Point. (1998). Microsoft Office 2000: Premium
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Morelock, M.J., Brown, P.M., & Morrissey, A. (2003). Pretend play
and maternal scaffolding: Comparisons of toddlers with
advanced development, typical development, and hearing
impairment. Roeper Review, 26(1), 41-51.
Schick, B., de Villiers, J., de Villiers, P., & Hoffmeister, B. (2002,
December 3). Theory of mind: Language and cognition in deaf
children. The ASHA Leader, 7(22), 16-18.
Snyder, L.S. & Yoshinaga-Itano, C. (1998). Specific play behaviors
and the development on communication in children with hearing
loss. Volta Review, 100(3), 165-185.
Spencer, P.E. (1996). The association between language and
symbolic play at two years: Evidence from deaf toddlers. Child
Development, 67, 867-876.
References
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Umek, L.M. & Musek, P.L. (2001). Symbolic play: Opportunities
for cognitive and language development in preschool settings.
Early Years, 21(1), 55-64.
Yoshinaga-Itano, C., Snyder, L.S., & Day, D. (1998). The
relationship of language and symbolic play in children with
hearing loss. Volta Review, 100(3), 135-164.