Interactionist Theory Of Language Development

Language development is a critical part of a child’s overall development. Language encourages and supports a child’s ability to communicate. Through language, a child is able to understand and define his or her’s feelings and emotions. It also introduces the steps to thinking critically as well as problem-solving, building and maintaining relationships. Learning a language from a social perspective is important because it gives the child the opportunity to interact with others and the environment. This is referred to the interactionist theory.

“Similar to the behaviorist theory, the interactionist theory believes that nurture is crucial in the process of language development. Though, the interactionist perspective differs from the behaviorist

From the earlier stages of development, children learn to understand other people by tone, facial expressions, and gestures. Although these are important aspects to communication if a child is only using gestures to communicate and not words, then there might be a difficulty in language development. On average “Children will typically be able to say 50 words by the time they reach 2 years. At this age, they will start to put short two-word sentences together. Language learning increases dramatically and by three years children are using three to four-word sentences and can be easily understood by familiar adults. By four years children are communicating in four to five-word sentences and can be understood by anyone.” (Communication Difficulties -

The first year of a child’s life is spent communicating entirely through nonverbal means. Infants use every part of their bodies to convey their wants and needs as their parents and early childhood educators respond to meet them. Examples of this are reflexes, such as opening their mouths when hungry. Also, crying and whole body movements to demonstrate feelings. Another way that is interesting in infant nonverbal communication is allowing infants to play with each other. “In order for babies to feel secure and relate to other babies they need what is called a primary caregiver and continuity of care. Free play in a safe, developmentally appropriate environment with peers is another basic requirement. The Pikler approach makes a case for a firm surface where babies can be with each other and free to move. At Pikler Institute, caregivers place babies who are past the newborn stage on their backs in a playpen large enough for a group. In the play area a small number of very simple play objects lie within reach. The babies initiate their own activity and do not necessarily have an adult with them.” (Janet Gonzalez-Mena) Allowing infants to have this type of social interaction encourages peer