1. Real World Application Cognitive Theory 1
Real World Application of the Cognitive-Constructivist Theory
Breanne Rubison
Kaplan University
PS345; Speech, Language and the Developing Child
January 21, 2015

2. Real World Application Cognitive Theory 2
Real World Application of the Cognitive-Constructivist Theory
As defined by Shulman (2010) a language disorder is an impairment in comprehension
and/or use of spoken language, written and/or symbol system and can involve: the form of
language the content of language and/or the function of language in communication in any
combination. Aside from being noticeably impaired in the ability to use language to
communicate, the child has to score significantly below age-expected norms on norm-referenced
or standardized tests to be identified as having language impairment and be eligible for speech
and language services. The typical criterion used to diagnose a child as having language
impairment and qualify them for services is a score of one or two standard deviations below the
mean for the child’s age (Shulman, 2010). Factors that contribute to language impairments in
children include developmental and intellectual disabilities, child abuse and neglect, hearing loss,
autism, traumatic brain injury and structural abnormalities of the speech mechanism (Heward,
2013). “Language plays a hand in all aspects of learning. If a student has language impairment,
things such as reading directions or comprehending stories can become very difficult.” These are
the words of Elementary and Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Ashlee Barnhill who
has held this position for the past year and a half. I personally interviewed, first time teacher, Ms.
Barnhill about her career in the field of speech and language development, what this career
entails, the types of professionals she works with, the types of impairments she specializes in and
her ideas on how these impairments influence learning. In the present paper I will discuss Ms.
Barnhill’s answers to the interview questions and how her thoughts and ideas relate to the

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cognitive-constructivist theory, which I feel is her professional approach to working with
children with language impairments. I will also provide a discussion as to why the cognitive-
constructivist theory is the perspective I would find to be the most useful if I were in her
position.
Ms. Barnhill described her present job as working with “students ranging from pre-
kindergarten to fifth grade with various types of disabilities in the subjects of math, reading and
writing as well as behavior.” She also stated that “I work with students with all types of
disabilities including specific learning disabilities, other health impairments (e.g. ADHD, autism
and cerebral palsy), emotionally disturbed and language impairments.” Ms. Barnhill described
her typical day as “starting each day checking in with the students who have behavioral
concerns. We discuss how we would like our day to go and what we need to do to make it that
way. Each day I pull around 19 students into my classroom in which they receive individualized,
specialized instruction in whatever content area their disability requires. I end the day checking
back in with the behavior students.” Ms. Barnhill mentioned that she works with “a variety of
professionals” in providing services to children and families in her workplace such as “speech
pathologists, behavior health, doctors, paraprofessionals, counselors, DFS, other teachers and
school staff.”
When asked, “What do you think caregivers and teachers can do on a daily basis to help
children with language impairments,” Ms. Barnhill answered “They can use their knowledge of
what the students know in order to find a way to explain things in a way that the students can
understand. The students should be exposed to new terms and phrases constantly. These students

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will need the support to connect these new terms to words and phrases they already understand.”
Ms. Barnhill’s idea that children are an active participant in the learning process and that
learning occurs as the child interacts with their environment and with others relates to Jean
Piaget’s concept of cognitive development (Shulman, 2010). The foundation of cognitive
development, according to Piaget’s theory, rests solely on four factors: maturation, physical
experience, social interaction and a general progression toward equilibrium (Shulman, 2010).
Piaget’s theory focused around the role of maturation in a child’s capacity to understand the
world around them: they simply cannot undertake certain tasks until they are psychologically
mature enough to do so (Atherton, 2013). His theory of cognitive development also focused
around the concepts of: 1) adaption- modifying thoughts through assimilation and
accommodation, 2) assimilation-taking new information obtained from our environment and
incorporating it into the information we already have, 3) accommodation-changing the
information that we already have to include new information obtained from our environment and
4) schema-the representation in the mind of a set of perceptions, ideas, and actions which go
together (Atherton, 2013).
Ms. Barnhill believes that “the student’s family, the location in which they live and what
life experiences the student has had play an important role in the language development of a
child, starting at a very early age.” Her idea that children are a product of their upbringing and
the environment in which they live relates to nurture rather than nature as well as the behaviorist
paradigm (Shulman, 2010). According to Shulman (2010) the nurture theory targets primarily
observable and measurable events to explain the environmental impacts on development.
Proponents of the nurture view argue that although environmental stimuli are not always

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identifiable, the frequency of certain behaviors or antecedent behaviors could be increased if
positive reinforcers were contingent upon the targets (B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning)
(Shulman, 2010).
In my opinion, Ms. Barnhill’s professional approach to working with children with
language impairments matches up with Piaget’s cognitive-constructivist theory. According to
Shulman (2010) Jean Piaget’s cognitive development operates under the premise that learning is
a process that occurs throughout the child’s lifespan by active participation of infants, children
and adults. Children direct their own learning as they encounter new experiences and challenges
during their ongoing interactions with the world. Piaget observed that children respond to
external events over time with qualitative differences which are described in the following
developmental stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational
(Shulman, 2010). In terms of language development, Shulman (2010) states that Piaget’s view
maintains that a correlation exists between cognitive achievement and later linguistic
attainments, specifically, cognitive prerequisites for early word leaning during the sensorimotor
period which include concepts of object permanence, intentionality, causality, deferred imitation
and symbolic play (Shulman, 2010). When Ms. Barnhill was asked, “how do the language
impairments you see influence learning” she stated that “the child’s language development is
delayed thus delaying other aspects of their development which means they won’t be on the
same level as their peers.” This comment tells me that Ms. Barnhill believes learning to be a
continuous process that occurs in a series of stages. When a child fails to reach the
developmental milestones that are appropriate for their age, she looks for some type of delay or
impairment and takes the appropriate and necessary assessment and intervention measures. Ms.

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Barnhill also mentioned that “The students should be exposed to new terms and phrases
constantly. These students need the support to connect these new terms to words and phrases
they already understand.” This tells me that Ms. Barnhill’s approach for working with children
with language impairments follows Piaget’s idea of the model of functional invariants stating
that children engage in play, exploration and problem solving using adaption, schemas,
assimilation and accommodation (Shulman, 2010). Ms. Barnhill also said that “Some students
who have a language impairment might go unnoticed in the classroom until they reach the upper
elementary grade level where comprehension starts to be tested. Other students, however, will be
identified as having language impairment based on the noticeable differences that exist between
them and their same-age classmates.” This tells me that Ms. Barnhill is using Piaget’s stages of
cognitive development, or something similar, as a method of comparing students to determine
those that are not following the norm.
If I were in Ms. Barnhill’s position I would find the cognitive-constructivist theory to be
useful as a professional approach to working with children with language impairments. In my
opinion, Piaget’s cognitive-constructivist theory is the most accurate theoretical view on the
manner in which a child develops. I believe this to be especially true for children with language
impairments. According to Shulman (2010) in addition to being noticeable impaired in the ability
to use language to communicate, the child has to score significantly below age-expected norms
on standardized or norm-referenced tests to be identified as having language impairment and be
eligible for speech and language services. Although there are a number of assessment tools that
can determine if learning impairment does indeed exist, but teachers aren’t typically trained and
qualified to conduct them. However, it is a teacher’s job to keep track of their students and

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ensure that they are all getting the quality education that they deserve. So, how are they supposed
to determine that a child possesses language impairment just by interacting with their students?
The answer is a simple one: have a criterion to compare all students to. Like Ms. Barnhill, I
would use Piaget’s stages of cognitive development to ensure that all of my students were at their
age appropriate stage and developing typically. If I found that some students weren’t in fact
reaching the milestones that correlated with the appropriate stage then the child could be
assessed and the proper course of action could be devised. This is possible because of Piaget’s
observation that children possessed similar patterns in their responses to intellectual tasks
(Shulman, 2010). Children of similar ages responded in ways that were similar yet quite different
from adult responses and expectations (Shulman, 2010). Yet, children at different ages had their
own characteristic way of responding in relation to their stage of development (Shulman, 2010).
It would also be beneficial to use the cognitive-constructivist theory when working with children
with language impairments because it would allow me to teach my students difficult concepts by
working from information that they already understand and possess. According to Shulman
(2010) intellectual or cognitive development is the process of restructuring knowledge and
begins with a cognitive structure, or distinct way of thinking. This way of thinking is based on
what the child currently knows or has already experienced. As children encounter new
experiences they have to restructure their way of thinking and previous knowledge to make room
for the new information (Shulman, 2010). Shulman (2010) states that all organisms must adapt in
response to change in their environment; it’s through this process of adaption that a child
integrates new information. Thus, cognition precedes language development and many cognitive
aspects are prerequisites to language development. Over time, the relationship between cognition

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and language likely grows more interdependent as growth in one area fuels growth in another
area (Shulman, 2010).
Although there are multiple theoretical views that could be used when working with
children with language impairments, I believe that the cognitive-constructivist theory is the most
accurate and practical. In the present paper I have discussed this theoretical view at length as I
have applied it to the interview questions received by Elementary and Early Childhood Special
Education Teacher, Ashlee Barnhill. I also provide a discussion as to why the cognitive-
constructivist theory is the perspective I would find to be the most useful if I were in her position
as well.

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References
Atherton, J. S. (2013). Learning and Teaching; Piaget’s developmental theory. Retrieved from
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm
Heward, W. L. (2013). Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education. Pearson
Learning Solutions
Shulman, B. B., & Capone, N.C. (2010). Language development foundations, processes, and
clinical applications. Jones and Bartlett.