Rethinking Echolalia: Repetition as Interactional Resource in the Communication of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Echolalia, that is the repetition of the speech of others, often constitutes the bulk of the early speech of those children with autism who develop language. Autism echolalia has traditionally been conceived of as an automatic, pre-reflexive behavior that bears no or minimal communicative function and compromises intersubjectivity. In line with recent naturalistic studies, Prof. Sterponi explores the functional role of echolalic behavior in the communication of and with affected children. Through an integrated methodology, which combines linguistic, discourse and acoustic analyses, Prof. Sterponi demonstrates that (1)immediate echoes are not automatic responses devoid of meaning but rather they accomplish a range of interactional goals; (2)delayed echoes are employed systematically and productively to mark different epistemic and affective stances; and
(3)adult-child verbal interaction unfolds according to discernible formats, which are distinctly conducive to functional uses of echoes.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
12:30-2:00p.m.
1111 Tolman Hall
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
April 15: Margaret Bridges, Institute of Human Development
Watching Scooby Doo and Making Tortillas: The Daily Activities of Mexican-American Preschool Children
In response to Social and Ecocultural theories about why some young children of color lag behind their peers in school, Dr. Bridges will present her research on the everyday activities of 25 young Mexican-American children. Specifically, she will report on the six most frequently observed activities in terms of their reproduction of heritage culture, language, symbols, and knowledge; their cognitive demands; and how they varied across families. She will use these findings to explain, in part, why some Latino children may differentially engage in the activity structures present in U.S. classrooms.
In response to Social and Ecocultural theories about why some young children of color lag behind their peers in school, Dr. Bridges will present her research on the everyday activities of 25 young Mexican-American children. Specifically, she will report on the six most frequently observed activities in terms of their reproduction of heritage culture, language, symbols, and knowledge; their cognitive demands; and how they varied across families. She will use these findings to explain, in part, why some Latino children may differentially engage in the activity structures present in U.S. classrooms.
Friday, March 12, 2010
April 1: Susan Stone, School of Social Welfare
School-level psycho-social supports and achievement: Evidence from the San Francisco Unified School District
The aims of Prof. Stone's talk are threefold. First she will discuss scholarly concerns, emerging from both social work and psychology literatures, raised about the nature and quality of psycho-social service provision in schools. She will argue that these concerns dovetail with findings generated from educational research on essential school reform processes and "improved" school finance (see Grubb, 2008). Second, Prof. Stone will characterize the mismatch between the accumulating body of school based "empirically supported treatments" and actual practices. Finally, she will present on data generated from San Francisco Unified School District's "Learning Support Professional" program, which was initially implemented in the 2001-2002 school year. This program was unique in that it encouraged "school reform minded" psycho-social service provision. Given that the program was rolled into schools over several years and that data on services were collected over time, these data provide an opportunity to explore the association between the school-based psycho-social service provision and overall performance trends. Findings suggest that the presence of this program is positively (albeit modestly) associated with school achievement, controlling for plausible confounds. There is also evidence that particular combinations of service strategies show additional, positive relationships with school achievement.
The aims of Prof. Stone's talk are threefold. First she will discuss scholarly concerns, emerging from both social work and psychology literatures, raised about the nature and quality of psycho-social service provision in schools. She will argue that these concerns dovetail with findings generated from educational research on essential school reform processes and "improved" school finance (see Grubb, 2008). Second, Prof. Stone will characterize the mismatch between the accumulating body of school based "empirically supported treatments" and actual practices. Finally, she will present on data generated from San Francisco Unified School District's "Learning Support Professional" program, which was initially implemented in the 2001-2002 school year. This program was unique in that it encouraged "school reform minded" psycho-social service provision. Given that the program was rolled into schools over several years and that data on services were collected over time, these data provide an opportunity to explore the association between the school-based psycho-social service provision and overall performance trends. Findings suggest that the presence of this program is positively (albeit modestly) associated with school achievement, controlling for plausible confounds. There is also evidence that particular combinations of service strategies show additional, positive relationships with school achievement.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
March 11: Susan Holloway
Women and Family in Contemporary Japan: Ideology, experience and agency
Japanese women have often been singled out for their strong commitment to the role of housewife and mother. But they are now postponing marriage and bearing fewer children, and Japan has become one of the least fertile and fastest aging countries in the world. To explore this phenomenon, I will report on a mixed method, longitudinal study excamining Japanese mothers' perspectives and experiences of marriage, parenting, and family life. My analysis will focus on how these women interpret and respond to the barriers and opportunities afforded within the structural and ideological contexts of contemporary Japan.
Japanese women have often been singled out for their strong commitment to the role of housewife and mother. But they are now postponing marriage and bearing fewer children, and Japan has become one of the least fertile and fastest aging countries in the world. To explore this phenomenon, I will report on a mixed method, longitudinal study excamining Japanese mothers' perspectives and experiences of marriage, parenting, and family life. My analysis will focus on how these women interpret and respond to the barriers and opportunities afforded within the structural and ideological contexts of contemporary Japan.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
February 25, 2010: Emily Ozer
Studying the Effects of Youth-Led Participatory Research on Students and Schools: Preliminary Results and Mixed Methods Approaches
Youth-led participatory research is a form of "action research" (Lewin, 1947) that is increasingly being implemented in the youth development, education, public health and community psychology fields. In this approach, students are trained to identify major concerns in their schools and communities, conduct research to understand the nature of the problems, and take leadership in influencing policies and decisions to enhance the conditions in which they and their peers live. While promising, it has been subjected to relatively little systematic study and evaluation regarding its potential impact on young people's development and on their schools as settings that support positive youth development. In this talk, I will present preliminary process and outcome findings from a longitudinal experimental evaluation of a youth-led participatory research program conducted in several SF public high schools for the past 4 years. This project entails the integration of extensive observational and interview data on the quality of implementation of the school-based intervention with self-report and district data regarding youth outcomes. My presentation will highlight the strategies used and challenges encountered in this multi-method study, and invite feedback from participants regarding the analytic decisions involved in the quantitative and qualitative components of this research.
Youth-led participatory research is a form of "action research" (Lewin, 1947) that is increasingly being implemented in the youth development, education, public health and community psychology fields. In this approach, students are trained to identify major concerns in their schools and communities, conduct research to understand the nature of the problems, and take leadership in influencing policies and decisions to enhance the conditions in which they and their peers live. While promising, it has been subjected to relatively little systematic study and evaluation regarding its potential impact on young people's development and on their schools as settings that support positive youth development. In this talk, I will present preliminary process and outcome findings from a longitudinal experimental evaluation of a youth-led participatory research program conducted in several SF public high schools for the past 4 years. This project entails the integration of extensive observational and interview data on the quality of implementation of the school-based intervention with self-report and district data regarding youth outcomes. My presentation will highlight the strategies used and challenges encountered in this multi-method study, and invite feedback from participants regarding the analytic decisions involved in the quantitative and qualitative components of this research.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Feburary 11, 2010: Anne Fernald
Early experience with language really matters: Links between maternal talk, processing efficiency, and vocabulary growth among diverse children.
Research on the early development of cognition and language has focused primarily on infants from middle-class families, excluding less advantaged children. But we know that SES differences are strongly associated with the quantity and quality of early cognitive stimulation available to infants. Longitudinal research on the development of fluency in language reveals relations between processing speed in infancy and longterm outcomes for both high-SES English-learning children and low-SES Spanish-learning children. But by 18 months, we find that low-SES children are already substantially slower in processing speed as well as vocabulary growth. It turns out that differences in early experience with language contribute to variability observed in children's efficiency in real-time processing. Within low-SES families, those children whose mothers talked with them more learned vocabulary more quickly; they also made more rapid gains in processing speed. By examining variability both within and between groups of children who differ in early experience with language, we gain insight into common developmental trajectories of lexical growth in relation to greater processing efficiency, and discover environmental factors that enable some children to progress more rapidly than others.
Research on the early development of cognition and language has focused primarily on infants from middle-class families, excluding less advantaged children. But we know that SES differences are strongly associated with the quantity and quality of early cognitive stimulation available to infants. Longitudinal research on the development of fluency in language reveals relations between processing speed in infancy and longterm outcomes for both high-SES English-learning children and low-SES Spanish-learning children. But by 18 months, we find that low-SES children are already substantially slower in processing speed as well as vocabulary growth. It turns out that differences in early experience with language contribute to variability observed in children's efficiency in real-time processing. Within low-SES families, those children whose mothers talked with them more learned vocabulary more quickly; they also made more rapid gains in processing speed. By examining variability both within and between groups of children who differ in early experience with language, we gain insight into common developmental trajectories of lexical growth in relation to greater processing efficiency, and discover environmental factors that enable some children to progress more rapidly than others.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
January 28, 2010: Anne Cunningham
Teacher Study Groups: Professional Development in Early Literacy for Preschool Teachers
Given the significance of establishing strong foundations in early
literacy in preschool children, there is a need for effective sustainable
professional development to assist preschool teachers in providing early
literacy support in their classrooms. The goal of our project, a three
year Institute of Education Sciences funded study, Teacher Quality: The
Role of Teacher Study Groups as a Model of Professional Development in
Early Literacy for Preschool Teachers, is to investigate the factors that
will contribute to effective professional development for preschool
teachers in language and literacy. In this presentation, we will describe
our model of PD employing Teacher Study Groups (TSG) .
The TSG professional development model is guided by an emphasis on content focus, coherence, duration/intensity and collective participation. The TSG will provide opportunities for teachers to have interactive, reflective, and context-sensitive conversations to foster their knowledge, beliefs, and practices in ways aligned with research-based early literacy development and instruction. This presentation will frame the study in historical and current research in the field of early literacy as well as provide an in-depth look into the inner workings of the TSG.
Given the significance of establishing strong foundations in early
literacy in preschool children, there is a need for effective sustainable
professional development to assist preschool teachers in providing early
literacy support in their classrooms. The goal of our project, a three
year Institute of Education Sciences funded study, Teacher Quality: The
Role of Teacher Study Groups as a Model of Professional Development in
Early Literacy for Preschool Teachers, is to investigate the factors that
will contribute to effective professional development for preschool
teachers in language and literacy. In this presentation, we will describe
our model of PD employing Teacher Study Groups (TSG) .
The TSG professional development model is guided by an emphasis on content focus, coherence, duration/intensity and collective participation. The TSG will provide opportunities for teachers to have interactive, reflective, and context-sensitive conversations to foster their knowledge, beliefs, and practices in ways aligned with research-based early literacy development and instruction. This presentation will frame the study in historical and current research in the field of early literacy as well as provide an in-depth look into the inner workings of the TSG.
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