Theoretical Principles to Guide the Teaching of Adjectives to Children Who Struggle With Word Learning: Synthesis of Experimental and Naturalistic Research With Principles of Learning Theory

A child needs to learn when it is appropriate
to use adjectives, both socially

Longitudinal Studies

examined the adjective development in two children and reported that, starting at agethe children began to produce at least one adjective from each of the following categories: dimension, color, value,physical property, and human propensity

Database Studies

There are several databases available that aid in the understanding of childhood language acquisition by providunderstanding of childhood language acquisition by providing norms.

Experimental Laboratory-Based Studies

These studies involve exposing typically developing children to novel adjectives in a variety of contexts and deducing what variables helped or limited the children’s ability to demon demonstrate understanding of these novel adjectives.

Naturalistic Experiments

give clinicians a starting point from which to design appropriate interventions, they are not sufficient.

Why Is Adjective Acquisition Difficult for
Children With Word Learning Challenges?

This ability to interpret adjectives becomes even more
difficult when the adjectives are presented in an ambiguous context, where even a vague understanding of sentence
structure would not be helpful in interpreting meaning

Learning Theory

examines the ways in which people learn implicitly

Applying Principles From Experimental
Studies to Treatment

Principle 1: Use Informative Contexts

Principle 2: Use Familiar Stimuli

Principle 3: Use Many Exemplars

Approaches to Teaching Adjectives
to Children With Word
Learning Challenges

How Can We Improve
These Activities to Reflect
Research on Adjective
Development?

Sample Lesson Plan

Incorporating Principle 1: Use Informative
Context (Linguistic)

Incorporating Principle 2: Use Familiar Stimuli

Incorporate Principle 3: Use Many Exemplars

Assessment