Friday, February 28, 2014

Language Development in Boys and Girls



            It has been well-observed that, in general, girls begin communicating and developing language skills earlier than boys. By 18 months of age, girls produce around 5 percent more hand and arm gestures than boys. Girls can produce about 300 different words by 22 months of age, while boys do not reach that point until around 23 to 24 months. By the time they are two-and-a-half years old, girls are generally able to thread together about 8 words at a time, while boys of the same age can only string together about 6 words at a time. And this gap in language and vocabulary does not end with early childhood. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the twelfth grade, about 47 percent more girls than boys finish high school as proficient readers.
            While the gap in language development may not be so obvious in infancy and early childhood, the difference in ability between boys and girls seems to become more substantial with age. It is not surprising then that more boys than girls are diagnosed with learning disabilities and developmental disorders. Boys are as much as four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. In particular, dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by specific difficulty in learning to read and processing language. In the United States, around 10 percent of the population suffers from the condition, usually diagnosed around the second grade.
Why is it that dyslexia is more commonly diagnosed in boys? One reason is that written language and spoken language are closely related phonological skills, both of which develop from early speech and hearing. Phonological awareness refers to an individual’s awareness of the sound structure of spoken words, particularly syllables, rhymes, and phonemes, which are the specific sounds of human speech. According to a study of children aged four to five years old, girls are about 12 percent more phonologically aware than boys. A proven method for improving a child’s language skills is the concept “language in = language out.” Unfortunately, parents are more likely to talk to and converse with girls, and more likely to play with and entertain boys, which may contribute to the gap in language development.
Another reason that dyslexia is more commonly diagnosed in boys is due to brain anatomy. According to a study that compared the brain matter of men, women, and children with dyslexia to those without, differing amounts of gray matter were found in different parts of the brain of males and females. In the males, less gray matter was found in those with dyslexia in areas of the brain involved in processing language, such as the occipital lobe and the superior temporal lobe. In the females, less gray matter was found in those with dyslexia in areas of the brain involved in sensory and motor processing, such as the frontal and parietal lobes.
One of the fundamental arguments in the developmental process is the debate between nature and nurture. Because of the prevalence of learning and developmental disabilities in the United States, it is important to determine which is the greater factor in such disorders. Are genetics and brain anatomy to blame for a child’s dyslexia, or does the responsibility lie with a child’s parents, to ensure that they expose him to as much language as possible? While both are important factors, any child has a greater likelihood of successful language development if he is exposed to personal and intentional spoken language as often and as early as possible.




References

Georgetown University Medical Center. “Brain anatomy of dyslexia is not the same in men and women, boys and girls.” ScienceDaily. 8 May 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/120509131831.htm>.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Brain scans may help diagnose dyslexia.” ScienceDaily. 13 August 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130813201424.htm>.

Elliot, Lise. “Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow Into Troublesome Gaps and What We Can Do About It.” New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 2009. Print

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