Project Prospectus

How can parents know if their child is a late-talker or has a developmental language delay?

1. What defines a late-talker?
2. What defines a developmental language disorder?
3. What are some characteristics of late-talkers?
4. What are some characteristics of developmental language disorders?
5. At what age is it apparent that a child is a late-talker or if he/she has a language disorder?
6. At what age should a parent seek therapy?

The point that I plan to make is that not all late-talkers are disordered. I plan to show some distinguished differences between the two. Through my research, I plan to help others learn those differences.

The genres that I plan to use include:
· Webliography—Clinician Voice
· PowerPoint Presentation—Clinician Voice
· Poem—Clinician Voice
· Journal Entry—Parent Voice
· Letter to Parent—Client Voice
· Interview Transcript—Clinician Voice
· E-mail Exchange-- Parent Voice and Friends

I plan to use my e-mail exchange as my unifying genre. It will contain bits and pieces from everyone of my other genres.

Tentative Resources:
1) Collins, J., Cooper, L., & Parenti M. (2001). Information on late-talkers and deviant
speech. Can You Tell the Difference Between Delayed Speech and Deviant Speech? [Online]. Available http://www.geocities.com/latetalkers/page2.htm
2) Patterson, J. Late-talkers are at risk for language impairment. Expressive Vocabulary of Bilingual Toddlers: Preliminary Findings [Online]. Available http://www.asha.ucf.edu/patterson.html