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Luo J, Xu L, Wang M, Li J, He S, Spencer L, Liu HM, Guo LY. The Contribution of Noun and Verb Lexicon Sizes to Later Grammatical Outcomes in Mandarin-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2024; 67:2761-2773. [PMID: 39018252 DOI: 10.1044/2024_jslhr-24-00131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The present study evaluated the applicability of the sentence-focused framework to Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants (CIs) by examining the relative contribution of receptive/expressive noun and verb lexicon sizes to later grammatical complexity. METHOD Participants were 51 Mandarin-speaking children who received cochlear implantation before 30 months of age. At 12 months after CI activation, parents were asked to endorse words that their child could understand only or understand and say using the infant version of the Early Vocabulary Inventory. At 24 months after CI activation, parents were asked to endorse the grammatical structures that their children were able to say using the Grammatical Complexity subtest in the Mandarin Communicative Development Inventory-Taiwan. Children's receptive/expressive noun and verb lexicon sizes and grammatical complexity scores were computed from these parent checklists. RESULTS Correlational analyses showed that children's receptive/expressive noun and verb lexicon sizes at 12 months after CI activation were all highly correlated with their grammatical complexity scores at 24 months after CI activation (ρs = .52-.63, ps < .001). Regression analyses further revealed that verb lexicon sizes at 12 months after CI activation outweighed noun lexicon sizes in accounting for grammatical complexity at 24 months after CI activation. CONCLUSIONS Our findings supported the prediction of the sentence-focused framework. Emphasizing the role of verbs in early intervention has the potential to enhance grammatical outcomes in Mandarin-speaking children with CIs. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26129044.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianfen Luo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Department of Auditory Implantation, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Lei Xu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Department of Auditory Implantation, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Min Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Department of Auditory Implantation, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Jinming Li
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Department of Auditory Implantation, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shuman He
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus
| | - Linda Spencer
- MSSLP Program, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, UT
| | - Huei-Mei Liu
- Department of Special Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ling-Yu Guo
- Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, University at Buffalo, NY
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
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Binger C, Magallanes P, Miguel VS, Harrington N, Hahs-Vaughn D. How Toddlers Use Core and Fringe Vocabulary: What's in an Utterance? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2024; 33:1718-1747. [PMID: 38507571 DOI: 10.1044/2024_ajslp-23-00366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Selecting vocabulary for preliterate individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication presents multiple challenges, as the number of symbols provided must be balanced with cognitive, motoric, and other needs. Prioritizing certain types of vocabulary thus becomes a necessity. For example, prioritizing core vocabulary-that is, words that are commonly used across a group of people and contexts-is a common practice that attempts to address some of these issues. However, most core vocabulary research to date has narrowly focused on individual word counts, ignoring other critical aspects of language development such as how vocabulary aligns with typical development and how children use core and fringe vocabulary within their utterances. METHOD Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze 112 transcripts to describe how typically developing toddlers (aged 2.5 years) use core and fringe vocabulary within their utterances, in reference to a range of commonly used core vocabulary lists. RESULTS Results indicated that the proportion of the toddlers' utterances that consisted of only core, only fringe, or core + fringe vocabulary varied dramatically depending on the size of the core vocabulary list used, with smaller core lists yielding few "core-only" utterances. Furthermore, utterances containing both core and fringe vocabulary were both grammatically and semantically superior to utterances containing only core or only fringe vocabulary, as evidenced by measures such as mean length of utterance and total number of words. CONCLUSION Thus, relying on word frequency counts is an insufficient basis for selecting vocabulary for aided preliterate communicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathy Binger
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
| | - Priscilla Magallanes
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
| | - Vanessa San Miguel
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
| | - Nancy Harrington
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Central Florida, Orlando
| | - Debbie Hahs-Vaughn
- College of Community Innovation and Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando
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Nicholas K, Grierson T, Helen P, Miller C, Van Horne AO. Varying Syntax to Enhance Verb-Focused Intervention for 30-Month-Olds With Language Delay: A Concurrent Multiple Baseline Design. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2024; 67:562-572. [PMID: 38227485 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-23-00398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to determine if 2.5-year-olds with language delay would learn verbs (spill) when presented with varying syntactic structure ("The woman is spilling the milk"/"The milk is spilling"; milk = patient or theme) in a therapeutic context. Children with language delay have proportionally small inventories of verbs, which limits expressive language development. Children who have typical language development learn verbs more robustly when presented with alternating arguments than with a single argument structure. METHOD Three toddlers with expressive language delay (29-30 months of age) participated in a verb-focused treatment study using a concurrent multiple baseline design. Participants were shown action videos accompanied by sentences with varied argument structure for each target verb. To assess learning pre- and posttreatment, participants were asked to demonstrate actions corresponding to each verb. RESULTS Visual inspection and tau analyses reveal significant posttreatment gains of target verbs taught with varying argument structures. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that learning verbs with high variability of argument roles may facilitate a strong link between lexical representations of verbs and their syntactic structures. Using argument structure variability to teach verbs as an intervention strategy has great potential and should be tested further in larger group studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Nicholas
- Speech-Language Pathology Program, School of Education, Nevada State University, Henderson
| | - Tobie Grierson
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, California State University, East Bay, Hayward
| | - Priscilla Helen
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, California State University, East Bay, Hayward
| | - Chelsea Miller
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, California State University, East Bay, Hayward
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Preza T, Hadley PA. Parent Responsivity, Language Input, and the Development of Simple Sentences. JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2024; 51:91-117. [PMID: 36278543 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000922000459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This study explored responsive and linguistic parent input features during parent-child interactions and investigated how four input categories related to children's production of diverse, simple sentences. Of primary interest was parent use of responsive, simple declarative input sentences. Responsive and linguistic features of parent input to 20 typically developing toddlers at 1;9 were coded during play in a laboratory playroom, then classified into four input categories: responsive, declarative, responsive declarative, and neither responsive nor simple declarative. The percentage of each input category was related to child sentence diversity at 2;6 using Spearman correlations. Parent use of responsive declarative and declarative utterances were both rare. Responsive input was positively correlated with child sentence diversity, and the neither category was negatively correlated with child sentence diversity. The findings provide new support for the importance of balanced conversational turns. Implications for defining both how input is delivered and its linguistic content are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Preza
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, USA
| | - Pamela A Hadley
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, USA
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Liu HM, Tsao FM, Lin CY, Rost G, Guo LY. Noun and Verb Lexicons Differentially Predict Later Grammatical Development in Mandarin-Speaking Children With and Without Late Language Emergence. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:3940-3953. [PMID: 37616222 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-22-00528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The current investigation evaluated the extent to which early noun, verb, and adjective lexicon sizes predicted later grammatical outcomes in Mandarin-speaking children with and without late language emergence (LLE) using a parent report. METHOD In Study 1, the parents of 24 Mandarin-speaking children with typical language filled out the toddler version of Mandarin-Chinese Communicative Development Inventory-Taiwan (MCDI-T) when these children were 24 and 36 months old. In Study 2, the parents of 23 children with LLE completed the same form when these children were 24, 36, and 48 months old. Noun, verb, and adjective lexicon sizes and grammatical complexity scores were computed from the MCDI-T form for each child. RESULTS Study 1 showed that verb lexicon size, but not noun or adjective lexicon size, at 24 months predicted grammatical complexity scores at 36 months for children with typical language. Study 2 revealed that noun lexicon size, but not verb or adjective lexicon size, at 24 months predicted grammatical complexity scores at 36 months for children with LLE. Noun lexicon size at 36 months was also the only significant predictor for grammatical complexity scores at 48 months in children with LLE. CONCLUSIONS Noun and verb lexicon size differentially predicted later grammatical outcomes in young Mandarin-speaking children with and without LLE. The finding suggested that children with LLE may have approached grammatical learning differently from their typical peers due to the small verb lexicon size in the early phase of language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huei-Mei Liu
- Department of Special Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei
- Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei
| | - Feng-Ming Tsao
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei
| | - Chun-Yi Lin
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Gwyneth Rost
- Department of Communication Disorders, University of Massachusetts Amherst
| | - Ling-Yu Guo
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, University at Buffalo, NY
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Guo LY, Weiler B. Effect of Predicate Types on the Production of Copula " Is" in 2-Year-Old Children Who Speak General American English. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:1792-1801. [PMID: 37120862 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-22-00479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Prior work has shown that subject types affected the production of copula BE in young children who spoke General American English (GAE). However, the role of predicate types on the production of copula BE remains unclear. This study examined how predicate types affected the production of copula "is" in young GAE-speaking children. METHOD Seventeen 2-year-old children with typical language development who spoke GAE were included in this study. Children's production rate of copula "is" in sentences with nominal (e.g., The dog is a king ), permanent-adjectival (e.g., The dog is white ), temporary-adjectival (e.g., The dog is very hot ), or locative (e.g., The dog is outside ) predicates was examined using an elicited repetition task. RESULTS Two-year-old children who spoke GAE were more likely to repeat copula "is" correctly with nominal, permanent-adjectival, and temporary-adjectival predicates than with locative predicates after sentence length was controlled. There were no other significant differences between predicate types. CONCLUSIONS Overall, locative predicates are the least facilitative for the production of copula "is" as compared to other predicate types. Predicate types, especially locative predicates, should be considered when the clinician creates sentences to evaluate the production of copula BE and to provide intervention for GAE-speaking children. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22630726.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Yu Guo
- Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, University at Buffalo, NY
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Asia University, Taichung City, Taiwan
| | - Brian Weiler
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green
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De Anda S, Cycyk LM, Durán L, Biancarosa G, McIntyre LL. Sentence Diversity in Spanish-English Bilingual Toddlers. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2023; 32:576-591. [PMID: 36780320 PMCID: PMC10171847 DOI: 10.1044/2022_ajslp-22-00149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE There remain few available tools to assess language development in Spanish-English dual language learner (DLL) toddlers in the United States. Of interest is the development of early sentences as children move from producing single words to producing multiword utterances. This study is the first to extend sentence diversity to the context of Spanish-English DLLs by describing development from 24 to 30 months of age in children with and without language delays (LDs). METHOD Spontaneous language samples were collected from Spanish-dominant DLL children and their mothers as they were observed during a free-play interaction. Existing sentence diversity protocols were adapted for the DLL context to describe children's flexibility in combining subjects and verbs to form utterances in Spanish and English. RESULTS Children maintained an accurate separation in their grammars for subject-verb combinations in Spanish versus English. There was an overwhelming preference for Spanish subject-verb combinations with null subjects. The emergence of sentence diversity distinguished children with and without early LD unlike the emergence of word combinations. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with prior research, findings showed that DLLs did not confuse grammatical structures across languages. Instead, they showed a differential pattern of results in each language, such that the strongest grammatical skills were evinced first in the dominant language. Sentence diversity shows promise for assessment and progress monitoring in Spanish-English DLLs in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie De Anda
- Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene
| | - Lauren M. Cycyk
- Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene
| | - Lillian Durán
- Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene
| | - Gina Biancarosa
- Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene
| | - Laura Lee McIntyre
- Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene
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Clark-Whitney E, Klein CB, Hadley PA, Lord C, Kim SH. Caregiver Language Input Supports Sentence Diversity in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:1465-1477. [PMID: 35230878 PMCID: PMC9499362 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-21-00458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Sentence diversity is a measure of early language development that has yet to be applied to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary aim of this study was to identify whether children with ASD show change in sentence diversity over 6 months of treatment with Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI). The secondary aim was to examine possible predictors of changes in children's sentence diversity, including caregiver use of NDBI strategies, naturally occurring instances of caregiver Toy Talk, and child characteristics. METHOD Fifty children with ASD (ages 2-4 years) and their caregivers, who were receiving NDBI, engaged in two 10-min video-recorded play interactions, 6 months apart. Child speech was transcribed and coded for sentence diversity. Caregiver input was transcribed and coded for naturally occurring Toy Talk. Zero-inflated negative binomial mixed models were used to explore predictors of change in child sentence diversity. RESULTS Children's sentence diversity improved over time. Changes in caregiver NDBI strategy use and caregiver baseline Toy Talk were significant predictors of changes in sentence diversity, as were baseline age, nonverbal ratio IQ, and child sex. Additionally, a significant interaction of caregiver baseline Toy Talk and change in caregiver NDBI strategies emerged; the effect of caregiver baseline Toy Talk on children's sentence diversity change was stronger when NDBI strategy use improved. CONCLUSIONS Sentence diversity is a developmentally sensitive measure of language development in ASD. NDBI strategies that facilitate reciprocal social communication, combined with input composed of declarative sentences with noun or third-person pronoun subjects, may provide optimal support for children's sentence development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elysha Clark-Whitney
- Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Claire Brito Klein
- Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | | | - Catherine Lord
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles
| | - So Hyun Kim
- Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
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Krok W, Norton ES, Buchheit MK, Harriott E, Wakschlag L, Hadley PA. Using Animated Action Scenes to Remotely Assess Sentence Diversity in Toddlers. TOPICS IN LANGUAGE DISORDERS 2022; 42:156-172. [PMID: 36060270 PMCID: PMC9432823 DOI: 10.1097/tld.0000000000000280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Although language samples are child-friendly and well-suited for obtaining global measures of language production, structured protocols have the potential to elicit many different exemplars of language structures in a shorter amount of time. We created a structured elicitation protocol, the Sentence Diversity Priming Task (SDPT), to efficiently assess sentence diversity in toddlers via video chat platforms. Sentence diversity is operationalized as the number of different subject–verb combinations in active declarative sentences. The task is presented as an animated picture book, with parents serving as the child's primary partner during administration. In this article, we provide the rationale for assessing sentence diversity, describe the task, and present preliminary analyses of compliance and developmental associations for 32 typically developing toddlers, 30–35 months old, with average language abilities. The preliminary findings suggest that the SDPT is an engaging task that holds toddlers' attention, reveals robust individual differences in their ability to produce sentences, is positively correlated with parent-reported language measures, and has the potential for assessing children's language growth over time. Finally, recommendations and tips for developing and remotely administering the protocol are provided, with an emphasis on encouraging parent involvement and increasing toddler compliance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Windi Krok
- Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Elizabeth S. Norton
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Mary Kate Buchheit
- Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Emily Harriott
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lauren Wakschlag
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Pamela A. Hadley
- Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
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Rice ML. Advances in Specific Language Impairment Research and Intervention: An Overview of Five Research Symposium Papers. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2020; 63:3219-3223. [PMID: 33064602 PMCID: PMC8062119 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This article provides an overview of five papers appearing together on the topic of "Advances in Specific Language Impairment Research and Intervention," which was the 2019 program in an ongoing series of research symposia presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Method The article provides a historical context for the set of papers, then a short summation of each paper's content, followed by the identification of overarching themes and working conclusions. Results Each paper provides summations of empirical results, and some papers provide new empirical evidence. Conclusion The papers collectively highlight six points: (a) Children with specific language impairment (SLI) are likely to be unidentified among their age peers. (b) There is great need for better identification of children with SLI across developmental levels. (c) Progress is evident toward a better understanding of causal pathways, as examined across different research designs involving comparison of children with typical language acquisition to children with SLI and other possibly co-occurring atypical conditions. (d) Measuring multiple dimensions of language brings enhanced informativeness, with differing outcomes for differing dimensions. (e) Replicated research findings require precision of methods in order to reduce unexplained error variance especially when defining groups. (f) Accurate identification of children with SLI is the first step toward a sound treatment plan for SLI and reading disorders as well. Presentation Video https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13063721.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mabel L. Rice
- Child Language Doctoral Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence
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