Microstructure competences and grammatical errors of Danish-speaking children with developmental language disorder when telling and retelling narratives and engaging in spontaneous language

BACKGROUND

Research on the grammatical characteristics of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) across languages has challenged accounts about the nature of DLD. Studies of the characteristics of DLD in different languages can reveal which components of DLD emerge irrespective of language and which components are language specific.

AIMS

To examine the grammatical characteristics of children with DLD acquiring Danish (microstructure and error types) in order to contribute to research on language-general and language-specific characteristics of DLD.

METHODS & PROCEDURES

Language samples from two telling narratives, one retelling narrative and one session of semi-spontaneous talk were collected from 39 Danish-speaking children aged 5;0-8;6, comprising one group of children with DLD (n = 15) and two control groups (age- and language-matched: n = 15 and = 9, respectively). The data were analysed with reference to microstructure and grammatical errors. The DLD children's performance was compared with that of their peers with typical language development (AM) and to that of a younger group matched on language comprehension (LM). Task effects were also analysed.

OUTCOMES & RESULTS

A significant group difference in microstructure was present in the results for mean length of utterance (MLU), where the AM group had significant higher MLU compared with the DLD group. Two variables clearly distinguished DLD children from both AM and LM children in terms of errors, namely word order errors and omission errors. The analysis of grammatical errors also revealed that the most salient challenges for Danish-speaking children with DLD were not clearly morphological in nature. Although the children with DLD, as expected, made more morphological errors compared with the AM group, they did not produce more errors compared with the LM group. Task effects were present for some but not all results.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS

This research emphasizes the importance of cross-linguistic comparisons of the linguistic error profiles in the elicited language of children with DLD and the importance of considering the methodological context when analysing the grammatical language abilities of children with DLD. The results are relevant for clinicians and for developing screening tools.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS

What is already known on this subject DLD is characterized by challenges in producing and comprehending language. Ample research is available on English-speaking children with DLD, and which has reported on challenges acquiring morphology. Studies of children with DLD acquiring other languages than English show challenges related to specific grammatical features of the respective language. What this study adds to the existing knowledge This study is the first to investigate microstructure abilities and grammatical errors produced by Danish-speaking children with DLD and using different language samples (narrative telling, narrative retelling and spontaneous language). It enhances our knowledge about DLD in Scandinavian languages and cross-linguistically and reinforces cross-linguistic findings that grammatical and structural challenges in language acquisition for children with DLD might not be reducible exclusively to morphology. While some components of DLD children's language challenges may appear universal and be attributed to overarching factors other components seem more specific to the structure of the target language. Results from this study additionally draw attention to the importance of considering contextual constraints when investigating productive grammatical abilities in children with DLD. What are the practical and clinical implications of this work? More detailed analysis of grammatical error types seen in children with DLD acquiring languages other than English and of individual differences contribute to clinical advancement in the field. A better insight into grammatical difficulties of Danish-speaking children with DLD may contribute to improved assessment procedures and planning of therapy for children with DLD.

A further look at two grammatical measures from children's language samples and their contribution to the diagnostic process

Previous research has identified two measures derived from language sample analysis as having a high level of diagnostic accuracy for developmental language disorder (DLD): a verb-based measure, the Finite Verb Morphology Composite (FVMC) and a more comprehensive grammatical measure, the Sentence Point. In this study, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of these two measures using a new group of children with DLD. To determine whether these measures would likely add to diagnostic decision making if used in conjuncion with other tests of language, we also examined the relationship between scores on these two measures and scores on a standardized test with a grammatical emphasis. In Study 1, FVMC and Sentence Point scores were computed from the language samples of 22 four- and five-year-olds with DLD and 22 age-matched typically developing peers. Both measures showed very good sensitivity and specificity. In Study 2, we analyzed the FVMC and the Sentence Point correlations with the SPELT-P2 for the 22 children wtih DLD from Study 1 and for a larger group of 60 children with DLD. All correlations were very low and non-significant. Results suggest that the FVMC and Sentence Point could be part of a diagnostic battery for DLD as these measures demonstrate good sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, the findings of very low correlations between these measures and the SPELT-P2 suggest that they can contribute unique information to the diagnostic process even when used in concert with standardized tests of a grammatical nature.

The Effect of Sampling Context on Preschoolers' Finite Verb Morphology Composite Scores

PURPOSE

The finite verb morphology composite (FVMC) is a valid measure for charting children's tense development and for differentiating children with and without language impairment during preschool and early elementary years. However, it is unclear whether FVMC scores vary as a function of language sample elicitation contexts. The current study evaluated the performance on FVMC in preschool-aged children across different language sampling contexts.

METHOD

Participants were 38 English-speaking children who were between the ages of 3 and 4 years and below the mastery level of tense usage in three language sampling contexts, including conversation (free-play), picture description, and narratives (story retell). FVMC from each sampling context was computed by calculating the overall accuracy of copula be, auxiliary be, third-person singular present -s, and past tense -ed combined. A linear mixed-effects model comparison was carried out to determine the effect of sampling context on FVMC scores.

RESULTS

After controlling for child age, mean length of utterance, and the number of obligatory contexts for FVMC scoring, FVMC scores were significantly higher in conversation than in picture description and narratives. In addition, FVMC scores across the three sampling contexts were significantly correlated (rs ≥ .62, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Although children's performance on FVMC relative to each other was quite stable across sampling contexts, FVMC scores may vary with sampling contexts. As compared to picture description and narratives, conversation may not adequately capture the limitation in preschoolers' tense development that is important for therapeutic planning.

Should We Stop Using Lexical Diversity Measures in Children's Language Sample Analysis?

PURPOSE

Prior work has identified weaknesses in commonly used indices of lexical diversity in spoken language samples, such as type-token ratio (TTR) due to sample size and elicitation variation, we explored whether TTR and other diversity measures, such as number of different words/100 (NDW), vocabulary diversity (VocD), and the moving average TTR would be more sensitive to child age and clinical status (typically developing [TD] or developmental language disorder [DLD]) if samples were obtained from standardized prompts.

METHOD

We utilized archival data from the norming samples of the Test of Narrative Language and the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument. We examined lexical diversity and other linguistic properties of the samples, from a total of 1,048 children, ages 4-11 years; 798 of these were considered TD, whereas 250 were categorized as having a language learning disorder.

RESULTS

TTR was the least sensitive to child age or diagnostic group, with good potential to misidentify children with DLD as TD and TD children as having DLD. Growth slopes of NDW were shallow and not very sensitive to diagnostic grouping. The strongest performing measure was VocD. Mean length of utterance, TNW, and verbs/utterance did show both good growth trajectories and ability to distinguish between clinical and typical samples.

CONCLUSIONS

This study, the largest and best controlled to date, re-affirms that TTR should not be used in clinical decision making with children. A second popular measure, NDW, is not measurably stronger in terms of its psychometric properties. Because the most sensitive measure of lexical diversity, VocD, is unlikely to gain popularity because of reliance on computer-assisted analysis, we suggest alternatives for the appraisal of children's expressive vocabulary skill.

Transcription Decisions of Conjoined Independent Clauses Are Equitable Across Dialects but Impact Measurement Outcomes

PURPOSE

Transcription of conjoined independent clauses within language samples varies across professionals. Some transcribe these clauses as two separate utterances, whereas others conjoin them within a single utterance. As an inquiry into equitable practice, we examined rates of conjoined independent clauses produced by children and the impact of separating these clauses within utterances on measures of mean length of utterance (MLU) by a child's English dialect, clinical status, and age.

METHOD

The data were archival and included 246 language samples from children classified by their dialect (African American English or Southern White English) and clinical status (developmental language disorder [DLD] or typically developing [TD]), with those in the TD group further classified by their age (4 years [TD4] or 6 years [TD6]).

RESULTS

Rates of conjoined independent clauses and the impact of these clauses on MLU varied by clinical status (DLD < TD) and age (TD4 < TD6), but not by dialect. Correlations between the rate of conjoined clauses, MLU, and language test scores were also similar across the two dialects.

CONCLUSIONS

Transcription decisions regarding conjoined independent clauses within language samples lead to equitable measurement outcomes across dialects of English. Nevertheless, transcribing conjoined independent clauses as two separate utterances reduces one's ability to detect syntactic differences between children with and without DLD and document syntactic growth as children age.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25822675.

Developmental language disorder in Chinese children: A systematic review of research from 1997 to 2022

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. The influences of DLD on language development have been delineated in detail in English. The same is not true for Chinese, a group of Sinitic languages with distinct typological features that may modify the profile of DLD crosslinguistically. We conducted a systematic search of English and Chinese journal databases and reviewed 59 studies on the manifestations of DLD in Chinese. Methodological quality appraisal of the literature revealed several areas of improvement to enhance transparency and replicability. A bibliometric analysis indicated a steep growth trajectory of this literature. Examination of the participant selection and diagnostic criteria revealed limitations and calls for the development of assessment tools and increased knowledge of evidenced-based diagnostic practice. Areas of deficits demonstrated by Chinese children with DLD were synthesized qualitatively and discussed in light of the literature on clinical markers of DLD in English.

Vietnamese children with and without DLD: Classifier use and grammaticality over time

INTRODUCTION

One way to identify Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is to establish clinical markers in a language to serve as reliable indicators of the disorder. This study embarks on the search for clinical markers for Vietnamese using longitudinal data from children with and without DLD.

METHODS

We matched ten children previously classified with DLD to ten with typical development (TD) by age and gender. Participants completed a story generation task at three time points: kindergarten, first, and second grade. Overall grammatical development was measured using mean length of utterance, MLU, and proportion of grammatical utterances, PGU. We examined a language-specific feature, classifiers, in terms of accuracy (omission errors), diversity (number of different classifiers), and productivity, or the use of classifiers in constructions of two-to-three elements (classifier+noun, numeral+classifier+noun). Longitudinal change and group differences were examined using linear mixed modeling, supplemented by linguistic analysis.

RESULTS

Both groups increased in MLU and PGU over time. The DLD group performed lower in kindergarten and continued to show lower performance over time on these measures. Classifier omission errors decreased over time with no group differences. Classifier diversity increased across groups, with lower performance by the DLD group in kindergarten and over time. For classifier productivity, TD children used classifiers in multiple constructions in kindergarten and maintained the same level over time. In contrast, children with DLD had minimal use of three-element constructions in kindergarten but increased in productivity over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with DLD produce shorter utterances with relatively more grammatical errors compared to their TD peers in the early school years. Though no longer committing classifier omission errors, children with DLD showed more restricted use of classifiers in terms of the number of different classifiers and constructions produced. Findings inform the search for Vietnamese clinical markers of DLD.

Sharpening Our Tools: A Systematic Review to Identify Diagnostically Accurate Language Sample Measures

PURPOSE

This systematic review provides a comprehensive summary of the diagnostic accuracy of English language sample analysis (LSA) measures for the identification of developmental language disorder.

METHOD

An electronic database search was conducted to identify English publications reporting empirical data on the diagnostic accuracy of English LSA measures for children aged 3 years or older.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight studies were reviewed. Studies included between 18 and 676 participants ranging in age from 3;0 to 13;6 (years;months). Analyzed measures targeted multiple linguistic domains, and diagnostic accuracy ranged from less than 25% to greater than 90%. Morphosyntax measures achieved the highest accuracy, especially in combination with length measures, and at least one acceptable measure was identified for each 1-year age band up to 10 years old.

CONCLUSION

Several LSA measures or combinations of measures are clinically useful for the identification of developmental language disorder, although more research is needed to replicate findings using rigorous methods and to explore measures that are informative for adolescents and across diverse varieties of English.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21183247.

The Contribution of Socioeconomic Status to Children's Performance on Three Grammatical Measures in the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative contribution of socioeconomic status (SES) on three grammatical measures-finite verb morphology composite (FVMC), percent grammatical utterances (PGU), and clausal density-in children between the ages of 4 and 9 years. Method Data for this study were from the normative sample in the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument. For 359 children, hierarchical linear regression was performed to evaluate the amount of variance in FVMC, PGU, and clausal density that was uniquely explained by SES after accounting for child chronological age and language status (typical, impaired). Results After child age and language status were controlled, SES was a significant predictor of PGU and clausal density scores, but not of FVMC scores. SES uniquely accounted for 0.5% of variance in PGU scores and 0.8% of variance in clausal density scores. Conclusions Consistent with maturational accounts of children's development of tense markers, results of this study offer evidence that, among grammatical measures, FVMC is uniquely robust to variation in SES. Although significant, the variance of PGU and clausal density scores uniquely accounted for by SES was close to minimum. Clinicians can therefore include these three grammatical measures for assessing children of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14810484.

Clausal Density Between Ages 4 and 9 Years for the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument: Reference Data and Psychometric Properties

Purpose This study provided reference data and examined psychometric properties for clausal density (CD; i.e., number of clauses per utterance) in children between ages 4 and 9 years from the database of the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument (ENNI). Method Participants in the ENNI database included 300 children with typical language (TL) and 77 children with language impairment (LI) between the ages of 4;0 (years;months) and 9;11. Narrative samples were collected using a story generation task, in which children were asked to tell stories based on six picture sequences. CD was computed from the narrative samples. The split-half reliability, concurrent criterion validity, and diagnostic accuracy were evaluated for CD by age. Results CD scores increased significantly between ages 4 and 9 years in children with TL and those with LI. Children with TL produced higher CD scores than those with LI at each age level. In addition, the correlation coefficients for the split-half reliability and concurrent criterion validity of CD scores were all significant at each age level, with the magnitude ranging from small to large. The diagnostic accuracy of CD scores, as revealed by sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios, was poor. Conclusions The finding on diagnostic accuracy did not support the use of CD for identifying children with LI between ages 4 and 9 years. However, given the attested reliability and validity for CD, reference data of CD from the ENNI database can be used for evaluating children's difficulties with complex syntax and monitoring their change over time. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13172129.