Talk:Language deprivation

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 21 January 2020 and 16 May 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Peer reviewers: RCovell.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 23:54, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 1 September 2020 and 3 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Orangy123. Peer reviewers: Carlyleannah.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 23:54, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Deaf Children
• Have you considered incorporating occurrences of language deprivation other than the well known cases or feral children mentioned?Jessblank (talk) 02:41, 7 February 2017 (UTC)

• For instance, Deaf children born to hearing parents who do not use a visual signed language are often deprived of language well into the critical period for development. Have you considered addressing the effects of language deprivation on other aspects of learning, cognitive, emotional and social development, etc?Jessblank (talk) 02:48, 7 February 2017 (UTC)


 * There's no evidence to support that deaf children experience "language deprivation", which results from isolation from language. Deaf children commonly experience language delays, but "deprivation" is a unique condition that would not be commonly found in deaf children, even those with severe language delay. There are no citations supporting the clinical definition of these delays as "language deprivation". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.58.225.34 (talk) 21:03, 13 June 2017 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure why you wouldn't use the term "language deprivation" in regards to deaf children. Isolation from language input is exactly what causes the language delays you are referring to in deaf children. Since they are not able to receive auditory language input, not being exposed to signed language is equivalent to not receiving linguistic input. Additionally, there are sources supporting that deaf children frequently experience language deprivation. Laineyh (talk)  —Preceding undated comment added 04:00, 27 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Ideally, if there are reliable, verifiable scholarly sources supporting the assertion that deaf children experience "language deprivation", they should be included in the article. The scholarly research points to language deprivation as a psychosocial disorder experienced by complete lack of exposure to language. Exposure to some language (e.g. some sign language, but not fluent language models, or speechreading) is not "deprivation", it is inadequate exposure, leading to language delay. While this inadequate exposure is a critical problem in language development for deaf children, it is not "language deprivation", which results from an intentional and consistent lack of participation in and exposure to language. Since deaf children in the developed world now typically have access to hearing aids, cochlear implants, and/or sign language, and since most developed nations have laws requiring the education of deaf children, the notion that deaf children are "language deprived" is unlikely to be validated, except in unique cases like those listed. The entire section about deaf children is not based on case studies or psychosocial research, as the previous sections are, and in fact the videos included show people who seem to have fluent language skills. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.90.44.21 (talk) 18:26, 9 May 2018 (UTC)
 * The sources I have included in the section I wrote (Deaf children section before "Personal experiences") all meet the criteria you've laid out. Additionally, the assertion that deaf children 'typically' have access to hearing aids, cochlear implants, and/or sign language is dubious. Deaf children only have access to the resources provided by their parents until in school. The studies provided compared children without hearing aids or cochlear implants who were exposed to sign for the first time at different ages, the latest group being exposed to sign languages for the first time after age 8. I'm still unclear as to how this does not qualify as language deprivation, as these children were completely without language input for the first 8 years of their lives. Laineyh (talk) 19:04, 10 May 2018 (UTC)

• I've done a bit of work on the section. Is there any reason why the POV tags should not be removed? Kelly222 (talk) 04:55, 21 September 2018 (UTC)

• The article implies that signing is a more "suitable language" for young children with cochlear implants, giving no evidence or citations. I don't think this page is neutral at all — Preceding unsigned comment added by 45.20.198.8 (talk) 11:28, 24 March 2019 (UTC)

• I have noticed that the research section seems a bit underdeveloped. So, I have been looking around for some sources to fill in more information. Here's the bibliography I have created: Newport, E. L. (2006), "Language Development, Critical Periods in", Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science, American Cancer Society, doi:10.1002/0470018860.s00506, ISBN 978-0-470-01886-6, retrieved 2020-10-08 Morgan, G. (2014). Critical period in language development. In P. J. Brooks & V. Kempe (Eds.), Encyclopedia of language development (pp. 116-118). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: 10.4135/9781483346441.n36 Redmond Sean (1992-11-01). "The Critical Period Hypothesis for Language Acquisition and It's Implication for the Management of Communication Disorders". NSSLHA Journal. 20: 25–31. doi:10.1044/nsshla_20_25. Additionally, I noticed neuroplasticity is more involved with sensitive period rather than critical period. It should probably be omitted. Feel free to let me know what you think. Thanks! Orangy123 (talk) 06:58, 8 October 2020 (UTC)

• I have omitted the research section and added new sentences due to sources that are outdated. Additionally, I have not used all of the sources I have mentioned a few weeks ago. The new sources are: Morgan, G. (2014). Critical period in language development. In P. J. Brooks & V. Kempe (Eds.), Encyclopedia of language development (pp. 116-118). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: 10.4135/9781483346441.n36 Zeanah, C. H., Gunnar, M. R., McCall, R. B., Kreppner, J. M., & Fox, N. A. (2011). Sensitive Periods. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 76(4), 147–162. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5834.2011.00631.x

• I have decided to mention both sensitive period and critical period, so I added a small phrase "and sensitive period" in the lead section. Feel free to let me know what you think. Thanks! Orangy123 (talk) 23:55, 8 November 2020 (UTC)

• It's clear that a lack of "fluent language models" in infancy can have a lifelong negative impact on language learning for children. To the points above, "deprivation" in the common sense, and in the sections above about children who were intentionally "deprived" earlier in this article, doesn't feel the same as deaf children without fluent language models. There is clearly controversy in this area, and this article isn't the place to solve or hash out the controversy -- although it is not inappropriate to bring the controversy to light. I'd be interested in more sources that clarify the difference between "language deprivation" and "language delay" in children with deafness and auditory neuropathy, and how pervasive the issue of language deprivation is in these children, today, as well as historically. I think the article can elucidate these points without loaded, biased language, but it's leaning a bit controversial by my lights. Kerri9494 (talk) 19:19, 29 November 2022 (UTC)