🧵 5/5

From a linguistic perspective, what really matters is interaction. Children develop vocabulary through meaningful communication: conversation at the dinner table, storytelling, collaborative play, & asking “why?” approximately 400 times before breakfast.

#langsky #childlanguage

🧵 3/5

I am always in favour of promoting reading with & for children. Books are my happy place & shared reading is one of the most powerful language-building activities we have.

But I also think the story is a little more complex than a simple “screens vs books” narrative.

#langsky #childlanguage

Children’s vocabulary shrinking as reading loses out to screen time, says Susie Dent Exclusive: Countdown lexicographer urges families to read, talk and play word games to help language development

I’ve just read this interesting article about children’s vocabulary development & reading habits, & I have slightly complicated feelings about it.

🔗 tinyurl.com/49nb26ps

🧵👇

#langsky #linguistics #language #languagedevelopment #childlanguage #languageacquisition

🧵 7/7

Encouragingly, new tools & research are beginning to close the gap. Innovative assessments are being developed to evaluate children across languages & to focus on learning potential, not just current vocabulary.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

🧵 6/7

The article also tackles an important myth: learning multiple languages does not cause or worsen DLD. In fact, multilingualism brings significant social & cognitive benefits.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

🧵 5/7

But in many countries, including the UK, assessment tools & specialist support are still not designed well enough for linguistically diverse populations.

Shortages of multilingual therapists & interpreters mean children can be misdiagnosed or missed entirely.

#langsky #DLD #childlanguage

🧵 4/7

DLD has lifelong consequences for mental health, education, employment & social inclusion. Early, accurate diagnosis can transform outcomes.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

🧵 3/7

True DLD looks different. It affects all of a child’s languages.

Children may struggle to understand instructions, tell stories, express thoughts, or interact with peers, even in their strongest language.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

🧵 2/7

Multilingual children often develop each language at different speeds depending on exposure & opportunity. A child might appear behind in English simply because they hear it less at home.

That is not DLD.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

🧵 1/7

The difficulty is this: when a child speaks more than one language, it can be hard to tell whether delayed progress is a normal part of bilingual development or a genuine language disorder.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

Question for #neuroscience, #neuroskyence, #psychology #Linguistics, #SpeechScience, #CommunicationScience, #ChildLanguage researchers in #academicSky doing auditory stimulus presentation.

Do you have speakers you recommend for free-field auditory presentation? Extra points if you can say why!

I am looking for a downloadable list of English transitive verbs. Anyone know of a good resource? #childLanguage #languagedisorders #languagetherapy

TLDR (2/4):

These same visual skills underpin early reading. When a child learns to tell b from d, they’re not just decoding letters — they’re mentally rotating them, connecting shape, orientation, & meaning.

#langsky #linguistics #languageacquisition #childlanguage

Even before they can read, young children are visualizing letters and other objects with the same strategies adults use Recent research shows that young children typically manipulate and rotate entire objects in their minds to understand challenges such as puzzles.

Ever noticed how young children sometimes mix up b and d — or p and q? New research suggests the answer may lie not just in literacy, but in spatial reasoning.

🔗 tinyurl.com/5f2cvxjd

TLDR 👇

#langsky #languageacquisition #linguistics #childlanguage

#BUCLD50 Symposium: “The First 1000 Days Project”, by Hadas Raviv, Brooke Ryan, Liat Hasenfratz, Casey Lew-Williams and Uri Hasson from Princeton University, on Friday, November 7th, 2025, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM!

Learn more at:
www.bu.edu/bucld/

#ChildLanguage #BUCLD #LanguageDevelopment

Another day, another conference... finishing up at #childlanguage Symposium at @uniofreading.bsky.social (conference organisation 10/10, food, drink and accommodation 0/10) and off to @royalholloway.bsky.social for @bpsdevsection.bsky.social - polishing my talk on autism & sex/gender understanding

Did you know that the IASCL maintains a list of videos of children talking? Want to use more real-world examples in your next child language course or have your own go-to videos that other #childlanguage researchers would benefit from? Then check it out: www.childlanguage.org/resources-fo...

Last call for contributions to the IASCL Child Language Bulletin! Send your book/thesis announcements, workshop/conference advertisements or other interesting pieces of information for #childlanguage researchers to editor Angel Chan by Aug 4th (editor.iascl.clbulletin@gmail.com).

Don't forget to submit your contributions to the IASCL Child Language Bulletin! Send your book/thesis announcements, workshop/conference advertisements or other interesting pieces of information for #childlanguage researchers to editor Angel Chan by Aug 4th (editor.iascl.clbulletin@gmail.com).

Dr. Elena Lieven was one of the recipients of the IASCL's 2024 Roger Brown Award, which honors outstanding #childlanguage researchers. It was established in 2011 as Elena herself was president of the IASCL! We recently asked her what it means to win it: youtu.be/sXwfJLnwJsM?...

Interview with Dr. Elena Lieven IASCL Media Coordinator Dr. Katie Von Holzen interviewed Dr. Elena Lieven, Emeritus Professor at the University of Manchester. They talked about how she came...

We recently sat down to talk with Dr. Elena Lieven, winner of the 2024 IASCL Roger Brown Award. In our interview, she reflects on the progress made in the #childlanguage field has made over the past decades. Check it out! youtu.be/sXwfJLnwJsM?...

German language elicited production task based on IpSyn, with normative data #childlanguage #grammar #assessment

Have a book/thesis to announce? A workshop/conference you'd like to advertise or write about? Something else interesting for #childlanguage researchers? Publish it in the IASCL Child Language Bulletin! Send your contribution to editor Angel Chan by Aug 4th (editor.iascl.clbulletin@gmail.com ).

Many #childlanguage conferences this week:
- WIMLA: National Uni. of Mexico www.iifilologicas.unam.mx/WIMLA-2025
- MEDAL: Uni. of Birmingham, UK medal.ut.ee/event/medal-...
- ICPLA: Uni. of Patras, Greece logoth.upatras.gr/en/icpla2025/
- PaPE: Palma, Mallorca, Spain agenda.uib.es/120122/detai...

Never heard of this journal? Check it out and follow!! Completely open access - great editorial team - all about language development. What more do you want!! #speechies #childlanguage #openaccess

Can learning cursive help kids read better? Some policymakers think it’s worth a try Teachers often have trouble finding enough time in the school day to teach all the expected writing skills, let alone cursive handwriting.

A growing number of studies suggest that learning to write in cursive might help children recognise words more easily, develop stronger reading skills, & connect more deeply with language.

🔗 tinyurl.com/spzexs9n

#langsky #linguistics #childlanguage

Being shouted at by parents can alter child’s brain, experts tell UK MPs Meeting will hear how exposure to verbal abuse leads to biological changes and can make mental ill-health likelier

Recent research presented to UK MPs reveals that verbal abuse—like shouting—can physically alter a child’s brain, impacting circuits related to threat and reward.

🔗 tinyurl.com/2s49hxf8

#childlanguage #langsky #linguistics

Happy to be here with all of the #childlanguage researchers!

Just finished reviewing chapters for an edited volume on #Indigenous #ChildLanguage research and #revitalization practice (with Ryan Henke & Melvatha Chee, not on bsky). So excited about this project and our amazing authors!!