Author: Natasha Boskic

Language Development

Kindergarten children have great language skills. They truly enjoy language and are, in many ways, using it the way adults use it. Language is a very obvious skill. This makes noticing language delays somewhat easier than noticing cognitive or academic delays.

RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE

There are some signs of receptive language delay. A child may:

have difficulty following directions, even simple ones (for example, please give me the book);
have difficulty understanding what others are saying, even if they are using simple language;
seem defiant (see full Glossary) (which could be a sign that the child does not understand what we are asking him to do);
not know basic body parts (for example: head, hands, legs).

EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE

There are some signs of expressive language delay. A child:

struggle with getting his or her point across, even to those who know him;
speak in two word phrases (for example: mommy go, cookie want);
struggle with questions (that is: asking a question by raising her voice, instead of using a “wh” question (see full Glossary));
say “no” and shake his or her head no, instead of using complete negation (such as: I don’t want to go);
speak mostly in the present (that is: using no or very little past or future tense, such as “I will do it”);
not know basic colors;
not using possessives (for example: Johnny’s cat).

ARTICULATION

There are some signs of articulation difficulties. A child may:

speak in a way that is not understood by others, even people close to the child;
struggle with pronouncing basic sounds such as “b” and “d”;
use a lot of sound substitutions (for example: snell for smell);
leave out certain sounds from words (for example: cool for school);
add sounds to certain words (for example: p-h-lay for play).

PRAGMATICS

There are some signs of pragmatic difficulties. A child may:

constantly interrupt others (the key word here is constantly);
speak in a rather monotonous way, with no tone difference;

DID YOU KNOW?

Language and cognitive development are closely related. A delay in one will almost automatically result in a delay in the other. It is extremely important that children receive a full developmental evaluation, if they are showing any difficulties with their language skills.
Language development greatly influences social/emotional development. Children who have good language skills are able to communicate well with others and sometimes have better social skills than those who are struggling with language. Language is therefore important in its own right, but also because it greatly influences most other developmental areas.
Sometimes a language delay indicates a cognitive delay. For example, some articulation difficulties could be due to poor muscle control in the oral/motor area.

see References

1.2 Kindergarten: Cognitive Development

Cognitive Development

Most kindergarten children are very active. They love to explore their surroundings and want to learn about everything and anything (Fig. 1). But some children seem to be less active than others. This could due to individual differences in their temperament. For example, some children learn by watching and are just not as active as others. This is a very typical part of development and should not be a cause for concern for parents or teachers.

Figure 1. Exploration

However, all children at this age want to learn and grow. A passive child who does not seem to be willing or eager to learn should be watched closely. There could be a serious reason for this. It could be lack of self-esteem. It can also be an indication of a significant delay in the development of cognitive skills. It is very important that we watch young children carefully, know what they should be doing and what they are capable of doing, in order to determine whether or not a child needs help.

There are some possible signs of cognitive delays in kindergarten children. A child may:

not be able to pay attention for more than 3 or 4 minutes;
lose interest in an activity quickly, even if it is an activity the child enjoys;
not know how old he or she is;
not understand basic “cause and effect” principles (for instance, Lucy does not want to play with me because I pulled her hair);
not have a lot of words in his or her vocabulary and may constantly refer to objects as “that thing”;
struggle with basic spatial concepts (for example, confuse below and above and near and far);
not recognize most basic colors (that is: blue, red, green, yellow…);
struggle with basic classification activities (for example, not know how to group items according to size, shape or color);
struggle with the ability to retell a story or an event;
struggle with the sequence of events (for example, may not know what happened next, first, last);
not be able to answer when asked: what day is it?;
not know what the four seasons are;
not know what the seven days of the week are;
not ask a lot of questions, because of lack of interest or an inability to do so;
not recognize dangerous situations;
not understand that he or she needs to be careful around hot and sharp objects;
not know what money is for;
not engage in pretend play (see full Glossary) activities;

Did you know?

Children at this age enjoy imitating others. They may pretend that they are Mom, Dad, a cat or the post man. Imitation is a very important skill (Fig. 2). Children learn a lot by pretending and imitating others. Children who do not imitate may be at a disadvantage because they are not using a basic tool that most children use to learn and grow.

Figure 2. Imitation

see References

1.1 Kindergarten: Adaptive Skills

Adaptive Skills

Adaptive skills are linked to all aspects of development. A child struggling with her fine motor skills will find it difficult to eat with a spoon and zip a zipper. Similarly, a child struggling with cognitive skills may not understand that they need to chew their food carefully, before they swallow it. It is very important to watch for signs of delay in adaptive skills because they could indicate larger and more serious delays in other developmental areas.

Here are some signs that a child may have atypically developing adaptive skills. He or she:

still needs help with toileting and may not be fully toilet trained;
does not seem to be bothered that his diapers are soiled (if child is still in diapers);
is no longer wearing diapers but experiences a lot of bowel and bladder accidents;
experiences difficulties with eating and struggles with the use of basic utensils (this could indicate a fine motor delay);
experiences difficulties with tooth brushing and may avoid doing so altogether;
struggles with buttoning buttons, zipping up, and fastening snaps (this could indicate a fine motor delay);
struggles with undressing, even large items of clothing, such as coats;
relies on others for help dressing;
still uses a sipper cup and makes a mess when uses a regular cup;
cannot use a straw (Fig. 1);
may not be able to blow his or her nose

Figure 1. A girl drinking with a straw

Did you know?

Adaptive skills are closely related to a child’s culture. In some cultures, children are not expected to feed themselves, even in the kindergarten year. Also, in some cultures, children do not help set the table. They are not expected to clean up after themselves when they are finished eating. It is very important to know what the expectations are at home before making a judgement that a child is showing serious or significant delays in the area of adaptive development.

see References

1.0 Kindergarten: Academic Skills

Academic Skills

The development of academic skills and cognitive, language, motor and social/emotional skills are closely related. Kindergarten is usually a great time in the life of the child. He or she is not a preschooler anymore and is on his way to grade school. Kindergarten (Fig. 1) is a good stepping stone between preschool and grade school. Children still get to be children because kindergarten offers many of the same advantages as preschool. It has different learning corners/centers, it has circle time and plenty of opportunity for free play. At the same time, kindergarten is like grade school because children are now actively involved in learning academic skills. They are learning their letters, letter combinations and a few sight words (that is, recognizing certain words by sight, without necessarily being able to decode them). Most kindergartners can write their own name, and a few other simple words (such as cat and dog). They are also using very simple mathematical operations (for example: I will share half the red blocks with Johnny).

kindergarten

Figure 1. Kindergarten

But kindergarten can also be a difficult time for children who are not developing typically. Because of the emphasis on pre-academic skills, some kindergarten children will struggle in the classroom. Children with identified special needs (for instance, Down syndrome or autism) will get extra help and will do quite well in kindergarten. Kindergarten tends to be a bit more difficult for those children with milder and more subtle delays or difficulties, for example, fine motor, or difficulties following directions or playing with peers. These are children who could end up getting a diagnosis of a learning disability or ADHD when they are older.

It is very important that parents and teachers be aware of some of the signs of developmental delay and academic difficulties so that they can support children from the very beginning. It is also very important not to talk about children experiencing “academic delays” (see full Glossary) in the kindergarten year. Children in this year have not had a chance to get academically behind because they have just started to develop their academic skills. Although we should not talk about academic delays in kindergarten, we can and should talk about academic or pre-academic difficulties in this year. To review what typically developing children can do, academically, in kindergarten, please visit the typical development section of the course.

Children who may be experiencing academic delays, could exhibit the following symptoms:

READING

These are some of the signs of possible future reading difficulties. A child may:

not know that letters and numbers are symbols that mean something;
experience difficulty recognizing certain common logos and signs in the community and at home, such as the “play” button on a video game or DVD player at home (if they have these items at home), and any common signs in the neighbourhood (for example, the sign of the grocery store or the pharmacy);
hold a book upside down;
experience difficulty with the recognition of their name in print and on their lunch box;
struggle with the alphabet, and only be able to name a few letters;
experience difficulties with word segmentation exercises;
experience difficulties with sound blending exercises;
experience difficulties with rhyming;
experience difficulties with nursery rhymes, and not being able to tell which word comes next, in a nursery rhyme, based on rhyming principles;
not be able to identify the first sound in a word;
not enjoy being read to, and may not be able to predict “what will happen next” in a familiar story – avoid books altogether.

WRITING

There are some of the signs of possible writing difficulties. A child may:

experience difficulty with writing or scribbling;
avoid writing;
write words that people cannot understand or read (because of less than perfect handwriting);
avoid all or most activities that involve the use of pens, pencils, markers, paint brushes;
be unable or unwilling to write their first name;
struggle with tracing exercises. (see full Glossary)

MATHEMATICS (MATH)

There are some of the signs of future math difficulties. A child may:

experience difficulties with rote counting (for example: counting from one to ten);
be unable to identify the numbers 1 through 5;
struggle with even the simplest of patterns and be unable to continue it, (that is, being unable to tell what comes next, in the following pattern: red blue red blue red…);
struggle with one to one correspondence (that is, counting an object more than once or skipping an object when counting);
experience difficulties when someone gives them directions that contain math concepts;
not be able to identify simple shapes, such as circles and triangles;
struggle with basic and simple seriation activities.

Did you know?

Some children at this age get confused when they are trying to identify letters that look similar, for example, “b” and “d”. This is common in kindergarten, and is no reason for concern. If a child still finds this grades one or two, it should be seen as a warning sign that perhaps the child is experiencing serious difficulties with academic skills.
Some children at this age may not like being read to because they do not understand that letters are symbols. They may also struggle with predicting “what will happen next”. It is very important that we keep trying with these children, and continue to tell them stories. A child seriously resists having a story read to her, she can always be told a story, and when she gets comfortable with that, we can move up to reading a story with her (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Reading a story

Most children at this age really enjoy arts and crafts activities. Some children resist such activities because they genuinely dislike them, and that is just fine. But some children who avoid such activities do so because of fine motor or visual/motor difficulties. If that is the case, a referral for an occupational therapy evaluation may be a good idea.
Most children at this age have an understanding of basic math concepts. Most children at this age will get upset or angry if they feel that someone got “more” of something than they did. Most will also ask for the biggest slice of pie. Terms such as “more” and “biggest” are mathematical terms and should not be overlooked when trying to determine whether or not a child is experiencing math difficulties. By watching a child’s use of such words, we can figure out if he or she is truly struggling with basic math principles. This is extremely important. A child with a basic understanding of math who struggles with mathematical symbols (for example, numbers) has very different needs than a child who cannot even tell the difference between “who got more and who got less cookies.”