ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates the utility of the framework for organizing a large and diverse body of research findings and for defining the various determinants of behavior in a specific domain. It describes the Living Systems Framework and applies it to children’s general communicative functioning, noting the processes that have and have not been well researched. The chapter outlines integrative perspectives on children’s speech adjustments. The inconsistency with which children display this aspect of communicative competence suggests that children must attain and coordinate a diverse set of skills and processes. Traditionally, communicative abilities have been examined from either linguistic, cognitive, or social perspectives. Most research on children’s communication has focused on the governing functions of communication—system organization and coordination. Interest in children’s goals and their monitoring of progress toward these goals has infused the field of communication development. Much of communication development, then, involves practicing procedures until they can be enacted routinely, with little conscious attention.
