The factors affecting cognitive and language development are opportunity , motivation, timing and the environment.

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The factors affecting cognitive and language development are opportunity , motivation, timing and the environment.

Children should have the opportunity to learn from when they are born, from their parent/carers or other siblings at home. Development is helped by parent/siblings talking to the child, playing, providing toys which the child can handle, investigate with to help with their imagination and concentration, giving children motivation and positive encouragement to explore their surroundings., developing new skills. Children with low-esteem should also be given special encouragement and motivation to learn these things. As children get older they should be encouraged to ask questions and be curious. Children imitate role models (parents) by coping speech and coping letters and words, helping them to know the difference between right and wrong, provided the environment sets a good example to them.

The child's development can be hindered by the lack of opportunity to play and talk, if nobody communicates with them, they don't develop speech and language. If nobody plays with them, children don't develop imagination or new skills.

The learning and development of children takes place only when the time is right and the opportunities are there. E.g. it is no good trying to force children to write their names before they are developmentally ready.
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Chomsky and Leneberg believed that all children are innate and that there was a 'critical period' up to puberty age where the 'language acquisition period' is active (this is the speech - producing mechanisms (tongue, lips, palette, breath control), the intellectual ability to understand complex language and parts pf the brain that enables understanding of language.) and that if the child has not developed in that time it would be difficult for a child to acquire cognitive and language development, however other's suggested that their was no 'critical period' and that they could learn in the 'sensitive period' ...

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