nicole kotras masters thesis

verbal cues. Thus, the crystallization of concepts, the structuring of thought and the
communication of ideas are promoted by language. Moore (1968) proposed that the child
who learns to use this valuable instrument early, would have a permanent intellectual
advantage over one who learns it late. The concern with language is of importance for
clinicians working with the assessment and remediation of a child's language ability and
disability (Harris, 1990).
In order to understand the language acquisition and the language development of a
person, it is necessary to consider the person as a biological, psychological, social and
cultural-intellectual being. Within the field of language development, numerous theories
have been put forward, some more prominent than others. Griffiths (1954) stated that when
assessing the speech of infants and young children, one must be aware of the child's
reaction time. This suggests that there is a time-lag that can be observed between what the
child hears and what he later attempts to produce or reproduce. It is likely that it is this gap
between what is understood (passive speech) and what can be expressed (active speech),
that becomes part of the complex stimulus to progress that is present in all normal subjects
from infancy onwards. The theories and assessment measures pertaining specifically to
language development and language acquisition have been discussed in Chapter 3.
A comprehensive assessment of a child's overall development should include a
number of tests that would measure ability without penalty. This implies that a child's ability
to perform tasks involving cognitive and associative responses should be measured. Since
most language tests are by nature culturally bound, any attempts to measure a child's
expressive and receptive language should be culture specific (McElroy, 1972).
PROBLEM STATEMENT AND AIM OF THE STUDY
Since the arrival of the Griffiths Scales in South Africa, some 20 years ago, several
studies have been conducted at both national and international levels. The findings of these
studies have been reviewed and evidence presented regarding the 20 small pictures and the
large picture of the Hearing and Speech Scale of the Griffiths Scales, clearly indicated that
the users of the Scale find these items to be culturally biased and non-contemporaneous,
and thus in need of revision.
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