| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Language Development and Impairment |
| Unit ID: | EDBSP2026 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | (EDBSP1013 or EDMST6010) |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 061707 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This course explores language development and impairment across the life span. For many children, receptive and expressive language capabilities develop in early childhood but for other children, the delayed development of speech, language and communication can have long lasting impacts on behaviour, academic performance, and social life. The course will examine specific speech disorders in children, acquired communication disorders in children and adults, and cognitive communication disorders across the lifespan. Theories of language development, developmental benchmarks and communicative milestones will be applied to the examination of case studies. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: No |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | |  | | | | Advanced | | | | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Recognise that language development and communication across the lifespan can be affected by language disorders that affect children and adults. |
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| K2. | Identify receptive and expressive language disorders and the educational implications for children. |
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| K3. | Explore how acquired communication disorders can impact people across the lifespan. |
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| K4. | Examine practices that facilitate language development and communication. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Analyse case studies to identify language and communication disorders. |
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| S2. | Identify the impacts of language and communication disorders for children and adults. |
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| S3. | Examine theoretical perspectives of language impairment and connect to relevant research. |
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| S4. | Incorporate practices that support language and communication. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Apply developing knowledge and understandings to answer questions about content of the course. |
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| A2. | Draw on knowledge to communicate understandings of receptive or expressive language disorders in children. |
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| A3. | Analyse a case study of an acquired communication disorder. Discuss the impact on the person and practices that could support the person. |
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| Unit Content: |
Language development and communication across the lifespan Relationship between spoken and written language development The impact of oral language development on literacy success Language disorders in receptive, expressive, oral, and written language Language expression (speaking and writing) and language comprehension (listening and reading) disorders Speech disorders in children, including apraxia, aphasia, stuttering, selective mutism. Acquired communication disorders of neurological origin across the lifespan. Cognitive communication disorders. Hearing loss and its impact on speech and language across the lifespan. Implications for language delay in educational contexts and across the lifespan. Practices to facilitate communication and language development. |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S2, S3, A1 | Written contribution to weekly forum questions | Written response | 10 - 20% | | 2. | K2, S2, S3, A2 | Present an oral report that focuses on one receptive or expressive language disorder in children and the educational impacts for the child. | Oral Report | 30 - 40% | | 3. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S2, S3, S4, A3 | Examine a case study of an acquired communication disorder and draw on research to discuss the disorder and the impact on the child or adult. | Written report | 40 - 50% |
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