Language Development and Language Impairment

• Focuses for the most part on the pre-school years, the period during which the foundations for language development are laid
• Uses a problem-based approach, designed  to motivate students to find the information they need to identify and explore learning issues that a particular speech or language issue raises
• Examines the development of a child's phonological system, the growth of vocabulary, the development of grammar, and issues related to conversational and narrative competence
• Integrates information on typical and atypical language development

Paul Fletcher is Emeritus Professor, Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University College Cork,
Ireland, where he was previously Professor. He has also held professorships at the University of Hong Kong and Reading University.

Ciara O'Toole is Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy at the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University College Cork, Ireland. Her teaching and research interests are in the area of pediatric communication development and disorders. She has a particular interest in bilingual language acquisition.