Word Learning and Vocabulary Development in Blind Children

项目摘要 视觉经验的缺乏可能会影响词汇学习和词汇领域的语言发展 发展的方式，需要具体的教学方法和干预措施，盲童。 与视力正常的孩子相比，盲童可以从言语中学到更多的单词，因为他们不会随便 在他们的环境中感知书写并且经常经历阅读延迟。他们也可能学会更少的单词 从直接的知觉经验，因为他们不能通过感知他们的参考获得单词的含义， 在视觉上。累积起来，这些词汇学习差异可能会影响词汇发展的轨迹- 在早期和中期的童年。提高对词汇发展的理解可以提高艾德- 为这一弱势群体提供教育。不幸的是，单词学习和词汇量在 盲童语言发展的领域。这项观察性分析研究采用了一种交叉- 功能设计直接比较自我报告的模式（感知或语言）和渠道（口语或书面） 在盲人和视力正常的儿童中学习单个单词。它还比较了它们的vocabu轨迹- 从5岁到12岁的毛发发育。具体目标是：1）确定盲人的词汇发展是否 2）探讨盲童词汇学习的方式和渠道是否与盲童词汇学习的方式和渠道有关 儿童与视力正常的儿童不同; 3）提出一个数据集的年龄获得（AoA），模式， 采集（MoA）和采集渠道（CoA）规范，供未来研究使用。方法是创新的- 这是因为客观的获得年龄规范（从儿童本身获得，而不是主观的） 成人估计数）比主观标准更可靠和有效，而且非常罕见。口头广告- 对通常通过视觉执行的任务的管理将使它们不仅对盲人儿童， 也适用于任何有阅读或学习障碍的儿童。最后，数据收集的虚拟方法将允许 研究人员从历史上难以研究的人群中接触到更多的个体。南水北调工程是 PI的长期目标是了解词汇如何在没有视觉的情况下发展，并应用于 利用这种理解来改善盲童的教育策略和结果。

Project Summary A lack of visual experience may affect language development in the domains of word learning and vocabulary development in ways that necessitate specific instructional approaches and interventions for blind children. Compared to sighted children, blind children may learn more words from speech because they do not casually perceive writing in their environment and often experience reading delays. They may also learn fewer words from direct perceptual experience because they cannot acquire the meanings of words by perceiving their ref- erents visually. Cumulatively, these word learning differences may affect the trajectory of vocabulary develop- ment in early and middle childhood. An improved understanding of vocabulary development could improve ed- ucation for this underserved population. Unfortunately, word learning and vocabulary are understudied within the area of blind children’s language development. This observational analytic study employing a cross-sec- tional design directly compares self-reported modes (perceptual or linguistic) and channels (spoken or written) of word learning for individual words in blind and sighted children. It also compares their trajectories of vocabu- lary development from age 5 to 12. Specific aims are 1) Determine whether vocabulary development in blind children is delayed relative to sighted children; 2) Examine whether mode and channel of word learning in blind children differ from those in sighted children; and 3) Present a dataset of age-of-acquisition (AoA), mode-of- acquisition (MoA), and channel-of-acquisition (CoA) norms for future use in research. The approach is innova- tive because objective age-of-acquisition norms (obtained from children themselves rather than subjective adult estimates) are more reliable and valid than subjective norms and are exceptionally rare. The verbal ad- ministration of tasks that are typically administered visually will make them accessible not only to blind children, but to any child with a reading or learning disability. Finally, the virtual approach to data collection will allow the researchers to reach more individuals from a population that is historically difficult to study. The project is an instrumental part of the PI’s long-term goal of understanding how vocabulary develops without sight and apply- ing this understanding to improve educational strategies and outcomes in blind children.