ABSTRACT
Language plays a crucial role in child development. That is, children’s thinking, reasoning, and social competence develop via social interactions and functional communication with their parents (Bruner, 1977; Schaffer, 1996). Developmental language and behavior problems may, in turn, arise as a result of inadequate social interactions and communication during the preverbal period of socialization. This chapter considers the role and importance of adequate social interactions and communication in the ontogenesis of developmental language difficulties. It also examines how language development disorders may influence a child’s socioemotional development, resulting in varying degrees of perceived and assessed challenging behavior.
