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9 - Cognitive Competencies and Signals of Risk

from Part One - Factors Influencing Language Development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2022

By
Kirsten Asmussen ,
Jenna Charlton  and
James Law
Edited by
James Law ,
Sheena Reilly  and
Cristina McKean
James Law
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Sheena Reilly
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Queensland
Cristina McKean
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
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Summary

In this chapter, we consider children's early language acquisition as it develops alongside three other core cognitive competencies: children's understanding of objects, children's understanding of the thoughts and feelings of others (i.e. their theory of mind), and children's knowledge of numbers and mathematical principles. We argue that while early language acquisition is initially supported by these three other competencies, the acquisition of words transforms them by providing a method for children to communicate and organise the information obtained through them. We do this by describing the key milestones occurring within each of the competencies and the genetic and environmental factors which place them at risk, with findings derived from a systematic review of cohort studies in English-speaking countries. A key message is that genetic and environmental circumstances are inextricably linked in predicting early cognitive development, and that some factors are reliably stronger in predicting poor outcomes than others. Additionally, there is clear evidence that income-related disparities are reliably measurable from the age of 3 and then steadily increase throughout the remainder of childhood.

Keywords

developmental competencylanguagetheory of mindnumberchange over timedifferential susceptibilitydevelopmental cascadeimplications for intervention
Type
Chapter
Information
Language Development
Individual Differences in a Social Context
 , pp. 193 - 230
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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