COM 102: Introduction to Language & Communication Development

Course Description

This course will focus on an overview of the normal process of language and communication development and its relationship to social, physical, psychological, and cognitive development. The components of phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics will be presented. (3 credits)

Prerequisite

  • None

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

  1. Define communication, its characteristics and related terms, including receptive and expressive language, verbal and nonverbal communication, phonology, semantics, morphology, syntax and pragmatics
  2. Describe the process of communication and the characteristics of effective communication
  3. Describe normal speech, language, and hearing development
  4. Describe the interactive nature of speech-language development in infant, toddler, preschool and school-aged children
  5. Differentiate among the various theories of communication development
  6. Explain the interdependence of communication with other developmental skills including vision, motor, play, social, emotional and literacy domains
  7. Describe the relation of environment to language acquisition
  8. Describe Speech & Language Disorder / Delay Preventive Practices
  9. Describe the stages of normal second language acquisition
  10. Identify the communication characteristics of various social and cultural language groups

Course Activities and Grading

AssignmentsWeight

Discussions (Weeks 1-15)

17%

Quizzes (Weeks 1, 3, 5, 11 & 13)

10%

Midterm Exam (Week 8)

17%

Application Project: Coding Components of Language (Week 11)

6%

Developmental Milestone Project (Week 13)

16%

Final Exam (Week 15)

34%

Total

100%

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's online bookstore

  • Owens, R. E. Language Development: An Introduction. 9th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2015. ISBN-13: 9780133810363

Additional Required Materials

The following materials will be provided in Blackboard:

  • Flynn, P. (1983). Speech Language Pathologists and Primary Prevention:  From Ideas to Action. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 14: 99-104.
  • ASHA (1988). Prevention of Communication Disorders.
  • Justice, L. (2006). EBP, RTI, and the Prevention of Reading Difficulties. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 37: 284–297.

Course Schedule

Week

SLOs

Readings and Exercises

Assignment(s)

1

1,2

Topic: Overview of Communication: The Properties and Components of Language

  • Readings: Chapter 1
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Participate in discussions
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Complete Quiz 1 (Chapter 1)

2

2,5

Topic: Development Models: 5 Theoretical Bases

  1. Behavioral Theory
  2. Psycholinguistic Theory (Syntactic or Nativist Model)
  3. Psycholinguistic Theory (Semantic / Cognitive Model)
  4. Sociolinguistic Theory
  5. Emergentism
  • Readings: Chapter 2
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in discussions

3

1,5

Topic: Neurological Bases of Speech and Language

  • Readings: Chapter 3
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in dDiscussions
  • Complete Quiz 2 (Chapters 2 & 3)

4

3,6

Topics: Cognitive, Perceptual, and Motor Bases of Early Language and Speech

  • Readings: Chapter 4
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in discussions

5

3,6,7

Topics: Social and Communicative Bases of Early Language and Speech

  • Readings: Chapter 5
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in the Discussions
  • Complete Quiz 3 (Chapters 4 & 5)

6

4,6,7

Topic: Language Learning Processes

  • Readings: Chapter 6
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in the Discussions

7

4,6,7

Topics: Toddler Talk & Preschool Pragmatic & Semantic Development

  • Readings: Chapters 7 & 8
  • Read assigned chapters
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in the Discussions

8

4,6,7

Topic: Preschool Development of Language Form

  • Readings: Chapter 9
  • Complete Midterm Exam(Chapters 1 – 8)
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Participate in the Discussions
Midterm Exam
Chapters 1-8
SLOs 1-7

9

4,6,7

Topic: School Age Language Development

  • Readings: Chapter 10
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review Lecture material
  • Participate in the Discussions
  • Submit Language Component Application Project (Draft 1)

10

4,6,7

Topic: School Age Literacy

  • Readings: Chapter 11
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in the Discussions
  • Submit Language Component Application Project(Draft 2)

11

8

Topic: Delay / Disorder Preventative Practices

  • Readings (available in Blackboard):
    • Flynn, P. (1983), Speech Language Pathologists and Primary Prevention:  From Ideas to Action
    • ASHA (1988), Prevention of Communication Disorders
    • Justice (2006), EBP, RTI, and Prevention of Reading Difficulties
  • Read assigned material
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Submit Components of Language ApplicationProject (final draft)
  • Complete Quiz 4 (Chapters 9 – 11)

12

4,6,7

Topics: Adolescent & Adult Language

  • Readings: Chapter 12
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in discussions

13

9,10

Topic: Language Differences / Bilingualism

  • Readings: Language Development: An Introduction - pages 260-263 (language learning, simultaneous acquisition), 359-60 (code switching) and 406-407 (adults and adolescents)
  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in discussions
  • Complete Quiz 5 (Chapter 12)
  • Submit Developmental Milestone Project

14

1,2,3

Topic: Language Analysis Examples of Child Language Data

  • Readings: Language Development: An Introduction - pages  54-58 (data collection - methods/procedures, naturalness) and 428 (language sampling)
  • Read assigned pages
  • Review the Lecture material
  • Participate in discussions

15

1-10

Topic: Conclusion and Final Exam

  • Readings: none
  • Complete Final Exam (Chapters 1 – 14)
  • Participate in discussions
  • Complete course evaluation
Final Exam
Chapters 1-14
SLOs 1-10

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.