Interactions between working memory and language in young children with specific language impairment (SLI)

Interactive virtual reality training to improve socio-emotional functioning in adolescents with developmental language disorders: A feasibility study

Methods to effectively improve socio-emotional functioning by adolescents with developmental language disorders (DLD) are scarce. Current methods to improve socio-emotional functioning in adolescents with other neurobiological disorders seem less suitable, as these methods are highly language based. This study therefore examined the feasibility of the virtual reality (VR) training for socio-emotional skills: 'InterAction'. The aims of the present study were to (1) examine whether interactive VR is a feasible training method for adolescents with DLD; (2) investigate adolescents' appreciation of the VR training; (3) examine whether the virtual reality training facilitates the participants' sense of presence during social practice situations in an interactive digital world; and (4) explore whether adolescents socio-emotional skills improved during the six-session training. A sample of nine adolescents (13-16 years) with DLD reported on their presence in VR contexts and their appreciation toward the VR training. They also completed weekly self-reports on their socio-emotional functioning. Results indicated that 'InterAction' was a feasible method to practice socio-emotional functioning with adolescents with DLD. Adolescents highly appreciated the VR training. In addition, adolescents rated the sense of presence as high in the VR training. The individual trajectories showed that improvements in the trained skills varied both between and within participants. The results were also not uniform between the specific skills trained. The findings suggest that interactive virtual reality training may be a promising tool for improving socio-emotional functioning in adolescents with DLD. Future studies should examine the positive indications of this study in a larger sample.

Acquisition of Mandarin long passives by children with developmental language disorder

This study investigated the comprehension and production of long passives (i.e. bei-constructions with an overt agent) in Mandarin-speaking children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Seventeen preschool children with DLD (1 female; mean age: 61 months old) and 23 typically developing (TD) children (6 females; mean age: 62 months old) participated in a sentence-picture matching task (for comprehension) and an elicited production task. Their nonverbal working memory (NVWM) was measured with the fourth edition of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Results showed that children with DLD were less accurate and more likely to choose the picture with reversed thematic roles than their TD peers on passives in the sentence-picture matching task; in the elicited production task, they produced fewer target responses than TD children in passives. For NVWM, although that of the DLD group was lower than that of TD children, most children in the DLD group were within the average range. Furthermore, their performance on passives in the comprehension and production tasks was significantly correlated with their NVWM, which adds to the body of work suggesting links between complex syntax and working memory. However, the fact that NVWM could be preserved in the face of difficulties with passives suggests that this link may be due to NVWM enhancing performance during tasks with a high visual component, while it may not be underlyingly responsible for syntactic impairments in children with DLD.

The use of referring expressions in Mandarin-speaking children with and without developmental language disorder

This study investigated the use of referring expressions in Mandarin-speaking children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). The data consist of narratives elicited from 18 children with DLD and 18 typically-developing (TD) children matched on chronological age. Participants' referring expressions were analysed in terms of referential form, function, and adequacy. The overall results of form - function mappings showed that the two groups of children were quite similar in their referential choices, indicating that both groups were sensitive to function constraints and listener needs. On the other hand, children with DLD were less successful than TD children in producing adequate subsequent mentions, suggesting that referential adequacy would be useful for identifying areas of difficulty children with DLD would have in referencing.

Nonverbal Executive Functioning in Relation to Vocabulary and Morphosyntax in Preschool Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder

PURPOSE

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is characterized by persistent and unexplained difficulties in language development. Accumulating evidence shows that children with DLD also present with deficits in other cognitive domains, such as executive functioning (EF). There is an ongoing debate on whether exclusively verbal EF abilities are impaired in children with DLD or whether nonverbal EF is also impaired, and whether these EF impairments are related to their language difficulties. The aims of this study were to (a) compare nonverbal performance of preschoolers with DLD and typically developing (TD) peers, (b) examine how nonverbal EF and language abilities are related, and (c) investigate whether a diagnosis of DLD moderates the relationship between EF and language abilities.

METHOD

A total of 143 children (nDLD = 65, nTD = 78) participated. All children were between 3 and 6.5 years old and were monolingual Dutch. We assessed nonverbal EF with a visual selective attention task, a visuospatial short-term and working memory task, and a task gauging broad EF abilities. Vocabulary and morphosyntax were each measured with two standardized language tests. We created latent variables for EF, vocabulary, and morphosyntax.

RESULTS

Analyses showed that children with DLD were outperformed by their TD peers on all nonverbal EF tasks. Nonverbal EF abilities were related to morphosyntactic abilities in both groups, whereas a relationship between vocabulary and EF skills was found in the TD group only. These relationships were not significantly moderated by a diagnosis of DLD.

CONCLUSIONS

We found evidence for nonverbal EF impairments in preschool children with DLD. Moreover, nonverbal EF and morphosyntactic abilities were significantly related in these children. These findings may have implications for intervention and support the improvement of prognostic accuracy.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24121287.

The Perfect Match! A Review and Tutorial on Issues Related to Matching Groups in Investigations of Children with Neurodevelopmental Conditions

Research concerned with children and young people who have neurodevelopmental disabilities (ND) in relation to early language acquisition usually involves comparisons with matched group(s) of typically developing individuals. In these studies, several important and complex issues need to be addressed. Three major issues are related to: (1) the choice of a variables on which to carry out group matching; (2) recruiting children into the study; and (3) the statistical analysis of the data. To assist future research on this topic, we discuss each of these three issues and provide recommendations about what we believe to be the best course of action. To provide a comprehensive review of the methodological issues, we draw on research beyond the topic of early language acquisition. Our overall aim is to contribute to research that considers questions about delay or differences in development patterns of development and about identifying potentially causal variables.

Specific Language Impairment and Executive Functions in School-Age Children: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examines the relationship between specific language impairment (SLI) and executive functions (EFs) in school-age children. The study investigates the impact of SLI on EF in comparison to children who develop normally. A total of 2,658 articles from three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Virtual Health Library) were assessed for inclusion. Ultimately, 22 articles were selected for analysis, which contained information on both SLI and EF. The findings indicate that children diagnosed with SLI exhibit deficits, low performance, and, in some cases, significant deterioration in the development of EF when compared to typically developing children in 62%-91% of cases as early as three to four years of age; the most commonly found alterations were in working memory (including phonological, auditory, and visual/verbal memory), followed by deficits in attention, processing speed, inhibition, planning, cognitive flexibility, and internalized speech. We also discuss the close relationship and importance between language and EF in SLI children.

Receptive vocabulary, memory span, and speech articulation in Pakistani children with developmental language disorders

This study aimed to find the association of receptive vocabulary in the development of speech and language among school-going children (4-13 years) with language disorders. On the basis of non-verbal receptive vocabulary and percentage correct consonants (PCC) scores, children from public schools in Punjab, Pakistan with speech and language issues were separated into three groups; Speech sound disordered (SSD, N = 15), Language Impaired (LI) comorbid with SSD (N = 42) and typically developed (TD, N = 15). Urdu version of Peabody picture vocabulary test, fourth edition (U-PPVT-4), Digit memory test (DMT), and Test for assessment of articulation and phonology in Urdu (TAAPU) were used to assess non-verbal receptive vocabulary, Short-term memory (STM), Working memory (WM), and SSD. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to find the association of receptive vocabulary with other measures used. Receptive vocabulary, STM, WM, omission, substitution, and PCC scores were significantly different (p < 0.01) when compared among LI+SSD, SSD, and TD groups. Regression analysis showed that receptive vocabulary was significantly associated with STM and WM in the LI+SSD group. A positive correlation was found between the U-PPVT-4 standard score with STM and WM for LI+SSD and SSD groups. Our findings in Urdu-speaking children suggested that STM and WM were less developed in children with speech and language impairments. Moreover, children with speech and language deficits not only had weaker receptive vocabulary but also attention should be given to improving STM and WM that contribute to LI.

Intelligence profiles and adaptive behaviors of high-functioning autism spectrum disorder and developmental speech and language disorders

OBJECTIVE

The present study was aimed at investigating the intelligence profiles and adaptive behaviors of children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) and developmental speech and language disorders (DSLDs). We compared the similarities and differences of cognitive capabilities and adaptive functions and explored their correlations in the HFASD and DSLDs groups.

METHODS

128 patients with HFASD, 111 patients with DSLDs and 114 typically developing (TD) children were enrolled into our study. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) and Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-II (ABAS-II) were respectively applied to evaluate intelligence profiles and adaptive behaviors. Intelligence quotient (IQ) scores and adaptive functioning scores among the HFASD, DSLDs and TD groups were compared through one-way ANOVA. Pearson correlation coefficient was applied to examine the relationships between WISC indices and ABAS domains.

RESULTS

Outcomes showed significantly poorer intelligence profiles and adaptive behaviors in HFASD and DSLDs groups. Both children with HFASD and DSLDs demonstrated impairments in verbal comprehension and executive functions. Processing speed and working memory were the predominant defects of children with HFASD and DSLDs in the field of executive functions, respectively. Whereas perceptual reasoning was a relative strength for them. Children with DSLDs had balanced scores of all the domains in ABAS-II; nevertheless, HFASD individuals demonstrated striking impairments in Social domain. Correlation analysis showed IQs of children with HFASD were positively correlated with all the domains and General Adaptive Composite (GAC) of ABAS-II. Additionally, IQs were positively correlated with Conceptual domain and GAC for children with DSLDs. Compared with DSLDs group, intelligence displayed stronger correlations with adaptive behaviors in HFASD group.

CONCLUSION

Our study expanded insights regarding intelligence profiles and adaptive behaviors of children with HFASD and DSLDs. Moreover, this study made breakthroughs in discovering positive correlations between IQs and adaptive functions in the two neurodevelopmental disorders.

Executive Function, Working Memory, and Verbal Fluency in Relation to Non-Verbal Intelligence in Greek-Speaking School-Age Children with Developmental Language Disorder

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is often associated with impairments in working memory (WM), executive functions (EF), and verbal fluency. Moreover, increasing evidence shows poorer performance of children with DLD on non-verbal intelligence tests relative to their typically developing (TD) peers. Yet, the degree and generality of relevant difficulties remain unclear. The present study aimed at investigating WM capacity, key EFs and verbal fluency in relation to non-verbal intelligence in Greek-speaking school-age children with DLD, compared to TD peers (8–9 years). To our knowledge, the present study is the first to attempt a systematic relevant assessment with Greek-speaking school-age children, complementing previous studies mostly involving English-speaking participants. The results showed that children with DLD scored lower than TD peers on the non-verbal intelligence measure. Groups did not differ in the inhibition measures obtained (tapping resistance to either distractor or proactive interference), but children with DLD were outperformed by TD peers in the WM capacity, updating, monitoring (mixing cost), and verbal fluency (phonological and semantic) measures. The effects showed limited (in the case of backward digit recall) or no dependence on non-verbal intelligence. Findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications as well as in relation to future lines of research.

Attentional shifting in children with developmental language disorder: A meta-analysis

PURPOSE

A meta-analysis investigating attentional shifting in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) was conducted. Task type, participant age, and dependent variable metric were examined as significant moderators.

METHOD

A systematic literature review identified 20 studies that met the following inclusionary criteria:(a) were published between 1994-2018; (b) included children with DLD aged 3;00 to 17;11 years; and (c) used behavioral performance-based measures of attentional shifting.

RESULTS

Children with DLD performed poorer than age-matched peers with typically developing language (TL) by 0.42 SD across attentional shifting studies. Moderator analyses showed an effect of task type, as children with DLD performed comparatively poorer on set-shifting (g = -.52) but not alternating tasks (g = -.18). Neither age nor dependent variable used to measure attentional shifting were significant moderators.

DISCUSSION

Children with DLD exhibit deficits in attentional shifting relative to same-age peers. Results of moderator analyses reveal that deficits were found on set-shifting but not alternating tasks and that these deficits remained consistent whether researchers measure accuracy or response time switch costs to ascertain attentional shifting ability. In addition, moderator analysis results suggest that attentional shifting deficits are consistent in preschool-age and school-age children with DLD.

Tapping versus Saying: Effects of Age, Recoding, and Visual Search on Phonological Span

In contrast to traditional word spans with verbal recall, recently developed automated tasks employ a visuospatial response format (RF). This RF involves additional cognitive processes such as recoding and visual search, which develop across childhood. The aim of the present study was to extend previous findings on age-dependent RF effects, examining the role of recoding and visual search as underlying mechanisms. Groups of primary school children, secondary school children, and adults performed analogous word spans with visuospatial and verbal RF. Additionally, two tasks assessing recoding and visual search skills were conducted. Results show that primary school children performed poorer under visuospatial than verbal RF, whereas secondary school children and adults showed no performance differences. The analyses further suggest that search skills contribute to age-differential RF effects. Recoding seems less decisive, but its role could not be conclusively clarified. Developmental mechanisms and the necessity to disentangle the role of recoding from search are discussed.

Syntactic Gender Agreement Processing on Direct-Object Clitics by Spanish-Speaking Children with Developmental Language Disorder: Evidence from ERP

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have a psycholinguistic profile evincing multiple syntactic processing impairments. Spanish-speaking children with DLD struggle with gender agreement on clitics; however, the existing evidence comes from offline, elicitation tasks. In the current study, we sought to determine whether converging evidence of this deficit can be found. In particular, we use the real-time processing technique of event-related brain potentials (ERP) with direct-object clitic pronouns in Spanish-speaking children with DLD. Our participants include 15 six-year-old Mexican Spanish-speaking children with DLD and 19 typically developing, age-matched (TD) children. Auditory sentences that matched or did not match the gender features of antecedents represented in pictures were employed as stimuli in a visual–auditory gender agreement task. Gender-agreement violations were associated with an enhanced anterior negativity between 250 and 500 ms post-target onset in the TD children group. In contrast, children with DLD showed no such effect. This absence of the left anterior negativity (LAN) effect suggests weaker lexical representation of morphosyntactic gender features and/or non-adult-like morphosyntactic gender feature checking for the DLD children. We discuss the relevance of these findings for theoretical accounts of DLD. Our findings may contribute to a better understanding of syntactic agreement processing and language disorders.

Working, Declarative, and Procedural Memory in Children With Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose Previous research into the working, declarative, and procedural memory systems in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) has yielded inconsistent results. The purpose of this research was to profile these memory systems in children with DLD and their typically developing peers. Method One hundred four 5- to 8-year-old children participated in the study. Fifty had DLD, and 54 were typically developing. Aspects of the working memory system (verbal short-term memory, verbal working memory, and visual-spatial short-term memory) were assessed using a nonword repetition test and subtests from the Working Memory Test Battery for Children. Verbal and visual-spatial declarative memory were measured using the Children's Memory Scale, and an audiovisual serial reaction time task was used to evaluate procedural memory. Results The children with DLD demonstrated significant impairments in verbal short-term and working memory, visual-spatial short-term memory, verbal declarative memory, and procedural memory. However, verbal declarative memory and procedural memory were no longer impaired after controlling for working memory and nonverbal IQ. Declarative memory for visual-spatial information was unimpaired. Conclusions These findings indicate that children with DLD have deficits in the working memory system. While verbal declarative memory and procedural memory also appear to be impaired, these deficits could largely be accounted for by working memory skills. The results have implications for our understanding of the cognitive processes underlying language impairment in the DLD population; however, further investigation of the relationships between the memory systems is required using tasks that measure learning over long-term intervals. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13250180.

Identifying features of apps to support using evidence-based language intervention with children

This study investigated the features of apps that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) deem to be beneficial for language intervention with children. The study employed an explanatory, sequential mixed-method approach. A self-developed online survey was distributed to SLPs (n = 338) who use apps. This was followed by a semi-structured interview with some participants (n = 16) in order to obtain further insights from the survey. The findings indicated that SLPs view apps as an engaging and motivating tool for therapy to facilitate their intervention goals. Specific content and design features of apps may support effective language intervention. However, these features need to be carefully evaluated in terms of the underlying principles of language intervention, multimedia learning, and learning. In addition, features of apps that may impede effective intervention must also be considered. The findings from the study highlight the need for SLPs to engage more deeply with the theory underlying multimedia learning and identify the active ingredients used in treatment. This information can be used to contribute to evidence-based practice when using apps for intervention. A feature-matching checklist was developed in order to guide SLPs in selecting apps based on the features of the app to facilitate language intervention.

Funciones Ejecutivas en Estudiantes con Trastorno Específico del Lenguaje al Comienzo de la Escolarización Básica

Las funciones ejecutivas (FE) constituyen un conjunto de habilidades implicadas en el control y regulación del funcionamiento cognitivo. La relación entre FE y desarrollo del lenguaje es especialmente relevante en la conceptualización de los trastornos lingüísticos. El objetivo del estudio consistía en explorar el uso diferencial de FE en dos grupos: Desarrollo Lingüístico Típico (DLT) y Trastorno Específico del Lenguaje (TEL). Participaron 44 estudiantes (56,82% niños), 22 DLT y 22 TEL, con edades entre 6,00–6,92 años (M=6.17, DT=.19). El factor diagnóstico previo mostró efectos significativos en atención ejecutiva (p<.001, η2 parcial =.77), memoria de trabajo (p<.001, η2 parcial =.67), flexibilidad cognitiva (p<.01, η2 parcial =.15), y planificación (p<.001, η2 parcial =.63). En todos los casos, salvo en flexibilidad cognitiva, el tamaño del efecto fue fuerte. Los resultados avalarían la tesis de no especificidad en TEL y la posible presencia de disfunciones cognitivas generales que subyacen al trastorno

The Relationship Between Word Learning and Executive Function in Preschoolers With and Without Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between executive functioning and word learning among preschoolers with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). Method Forty-one preschool-age children with DLD were matched to typically developing children on age and sex. Participants were exposed to 10 novel pseudowords, half of which referred to familiar objects and half of which referred to unfamiliar objects. Their ability to produce, recognize, and comprehend the novel words was tested, and they completed executive function tasks measuring sustained selective attention, short-term memory, working memory, inhibition, and shifting. Results Preschoolers with DLD performed worse compared to typically developing peers on all measures of executive function and novel word learning. Both groups showed a relative weakness in producing pseudowords that corresponded with familiar objects versus pseudowords for unknown objects. Executive function accounted for statistically significant variance in word learning beyond group membership, with inhibition as a significant predictor of all word learning outcomes and short-term memory as a significant predictor of novel word comprehension. Executive function explained significant variance in novel word production and recognition even after accounting for variance explained by group differences in IQ and receptive vocabulary. Conclusion Findings replicate previous research reporting deficits in word learning and executive function in children with DLD, indicate that preschoolers are disadvantaged in learning new words for familiar objects, and support a relationship between executive function and word learning for children with and without DLD. Future research should examine the directionality of the relationship between these variables.

Language and Inhibition: Predictive Relationships in Children With Language Impairment Relative to Typically Developing Peers

Background This study examined predictive relationships between two indices of language-receptive vocabulary and morphological comprehension-and inhibition in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Methods Participants included 30 children with SLI and 41 TD age-matched peers (8-12 years). At two time points separated by 1 year, we assessed receptive vocabulary and morphological comprehension via standardized language measures and inhibition via a Flanker task. We used Bayesian model averaging and Bayesian regression analytical techniques. Results Findings indicated predictive relationships between language indices and inhibition reaction time (RT), but not between language indices and inhibition accuracy. For the SLI group, Year 1 inhibition RT predicted Year 2 morphological comprehension. For the TD group, Year 1 morphological comprehension predicted Year 2 inhibition RT. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence of a predictive relationship between language and inhibition, but this relationship differed between children with SLI and those with typical development. Findings suggest that inhibition RT played a larger predictive role in later morphological comprehension in children with SLI relative to the other relationships examined. Targeting inhibition skills as a part of language intervention may improve subsequent morphological comprehension. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12014823.

Syntax and working memory in typically-developing children

A growing trend in developmental psycholinguistics is to relate linguistic development to the development of other cognitive systems. Jakubowicz (2005, 2011) in particular argued that the processing of a complex sentence requires considerable working memory (WM) resources and that these resources are limited in young children, which would explain their non-adult grammar. The present research aims to clarify the relationship between WM and complex syntax, in comprehension, repetition, and spontaneous production, in 48 typically-developing children aged 5 to 12. Our results demonstrate a strong age effect for all measures of WM and syntax. They also reveal strong correlations between scores on simple and complex spans and syntactic performance. Finally, we show the highly predictive value of WM capacities on the acquisition of syntactic skills in both comprehension and production. In particular, the complex-span task, measuring counting span, explains the largest part of the variance in the spontaneous production of embedded clauses.

Working Memory Profiles of Children With Dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder, or Both

Purpose Compared to children with typical development, children with dyslexia, developmental language disorder (DLD), or both often demonstrate working memory deficits. It is unclear how pervasive the deficits are or whether the deficits align with diagnostic category. The purpose of this study was to determine whether different working memory profiles would emerge on a comprehensive battery of central executive, phonological, visuospatial, and binding working memory tasks and whether these profiles were associated with group membership. Method Three hundred two 2nd graders with typical development, dyslexia, DLD, or dyslexia/DLD completed 13 tasks from the Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children-Working Memory ( Gray, Alt, Hogan, Green, & Cowan, n.d. ) that assessed central executive, phonological, and visuospatial/attention components of working memory. Results Latent class analyses yielded 4 distinct latent classes: low overall (21%), average with high number updating (30%), average with low number updating (12%), and high overall (37%). Children from each disability group and children from the typically developing group were present in each class. Discussion Findings highlight the importance of knowing an individual child's working memory profile because working memory profiles are not synonymous with learning disabilities diagnosis. Thus, working memory assessments could contribute important information about children's cognitive function over and above typical psychoeducational measures.

Effects of Signs on Word Learning by Children With Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose This study investigated the effects of signs on word learning by children with developmental language disorder (DLD), in comparison with typically developing (TD) children, and the relation between a possible sign effect and children's linguistic and cognitive abilities. Method Nine- to 11-year-old children with DLD ( n = 40) and TD children ( n = 26) participated in a word learning experiment. Half of the spoken pseudowords were taught with a pseudosign with learning outcomes being assessed in accuracy and speed. To investigate whether sign effects would hold for children with varying linguistic and cognitive abilities, we measured children's linguistic (vocabulary, syntax) and cognitive (divided attention, working memory [WM], lexical access) skills. Results The children with DLD showed a positive sign effect in both accuracy and speed. For the TD children, there was no effect of signs on word learning. Principal component analyses of the linguistic and cognitive measures evidenced a 4-component solution (language skills, visual WM, verbal WM, and executive attention). Repeated-measures analyses of covariance with the component scores as covariates yielded no significant interactions with the linguistic and cognitive components. Conclusions Our results suggest that children with DLD benefit from signs for word learning, regardless of their linguistic and cognitive abilities. This implies that using sign-supported speech as a means to improve the vocabulary skills of children with DLD is effective, even still at the age of 9-11 years.

Fast mapping short and long words: Examining the influence of phonological short-term memory and receptive vocabulary in children with developmental language disorder

PURPOSE

To investigate factors that influence word learning in children with developmental language disorder (DLD).

METHOD

The participants were 23 children with DLD and 26 typically developing (TD) children, aged five. Participants completed a fast mapping task (assessed using a production measure), as well as tests of nonword repetition and receptive vocabulary. We explored the effect of word length on nonword repetition and fast mapping abilities while controlling for receptive vocabulary skills.

RESULTS

The results indicate that children with DLD demonstrate significant difficulties accurately repeating nonwords of all lengths relative to their TD peers. Children with DLD also exhibited significant difficulties with fast mapping, especially when learning longer novel words.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that children with DLD demonstrate an impaired capacity to encode phonological information; however, this differentially impacts their nonword repetition and fast mapping abilities. TD children may more effectively take advantage of receptive vocabulary to support performance on these tasks.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Readers will understand how phonological short-term memory and receptive vocabulary contribute to fast mapping in children with DLD and in TD children.

Developmental Associations Between Working Memory and Language in Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Longitudinal Study

PURPOSE

This longitudinal study examined differences in the development of working memory (WM) between children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Further, it explored to what extent language at ages 7-8 years could be predicted by measures of language and/or WM at ages 4-5 years.

METHOD

Thirty children with SLI and 33 TD children who were previously examined on measures of WM and language at ages 4-5 years (T1) were reexamined at ages 7-8 years (T2).

RESULTS

The developmental course of WM was mostly similar for the two groups; only the development of the verbal storage component differed. At T1, children with SLI performed significantly below their TD peers on all components of WM (verbal storage, verbal central executive [CE], visuospatial storage, and visuospatial CE), whereas at T2, the differences for the visuospatial components were no longer significant when age and intelligence were taken into account. Hierarchical regression showed language and verbal CE at T1 to be significant predictors of language at T2, with no differences in the developmental associations between language and WM for the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest that particularly verbal CE is of importance for the acquisition of linguistic skills.

The role of nonverbal working memory in morphosyntactic processing by children with specific language impairment and autism spectrum disorders

BACKGROUND

Both children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and children with specific language impairment (SLI) have been shown to have difficulties with grammatical processing. A comparison of these two populations with neurodevelopmental disorders was undertaken to examine similarities and differences in the mechanisms that may underlie grammatical processing. Research has shown that working memory (WM) is recruited during grammatical processing. The goal of this study was to examine morphosyntactic processing on a grammatical judgment task in children who varied in clinical diagnosis and language abilities and to assess the extent to which performance is predicted by nonverbal working memory (WM). Two theoretical perspectives were evaluated relative to performance on the grammatical judgment task-the "working memory" account and the "wrap-up" account. These accounts make contrasting predictions about the detection of grammatical errors occurring early versus late in the sentence.

METHODS

Participants were 84 school-age children with SLI (n = 21), ASD (n = 27), and typical development (TD, n = 36). Performance was analyzed based on diagnostic group as well as language status (normal language, NL, n = 54, and language impairment, LI, n = 30). A grammatical judgment task was used in which the position of the error in the sentence (early versus late) was manipulated. A visual WM task (N-back) was administered and the ability of WM to predict morphosyntactic processing was assessed.

RESULTS

Groups differed significantly in their sensitivity to grammatical errors (TD > SLI and NL > LI) but did not differ in nonverbal WM. Overall, children in all groups were more sensitive and quicker at detecting errors occurring late in the sentence than early in the sentence. Nonverbal WM predicted morphosyntactic processing across groups, but the specific profile of association between WM and early versus late error detection was reversed for children with and without language impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings primarily support a "wrap up" account whereby the accumulating sentence context for errors positioned late in the sentence (rather than early) appeared to facilitate morphosyntactic processing. Although none of the groups displayed deficits in visual WM, individual differences in these nonverbal WM resources predicted proficiency in morphosyntactic processing.

Picture naming in typically developing and language-impaired children: the role of sustained attention

BACKGROUND

Children with specific language impairment (SLI) have problems not only with language performance but also with sustained attention, which is the ability to maintain alertness over an extended period of time. Although there is consensus that this ability is impaired with respect to processing stimuli in the auditory perceptual modality, conflicting evidence exists concerning the visual modality.

AIMS

To address the outstanding issue whether the impairment in sustained attention is limited to the auditory domain, or if it is domain-general. Furthermore, to test whether children's sustained attention ability relates to their word-production skills.

METHODS & PROCEDURES

Groups of 7-9 year olds with SLI (N = 28) and typically developing (TD) children (N = 22) performed a picture-naming task and two sustained attention tasks, namely auditory and visual continuous performance tasks (CPTs).

OUTCOMES & RESULTS

Children with SLI performed worse than TD children on picture naming and on both the auditory and visual CPTs. Moreover, performance on both the CPTs correlated with picture-naming latencies across developmental groups.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS

These results provide evidence for a deficit in both auditory and visual sustained attention in children with SLI. Moreover, the study indicates there is a relationship between domain-general sustained attention and picture-naming performance in both TD and language-impaired children. Future studies should establish whether this relationship is causal. If attention influences language, training of sustained attention may improve language production in children from both developmental groups.

Executive functioning in preschoolers with specific language impairment

The pathogenesis of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is still largely beyond our understanding. In this review, a neuropsychological perspective on language impairments in SLI is taken, focusing specifically on executive functioning (EF) in preschoolers (age range: 2.6-6.1 years) with SLI. Based on the studies described in this review, it can be concluded that similar to school-aged children with SLI, preschoolers with SLI show difficulties in working memory, inhibition and shifting, as revealed by both performance based measures and behavioral ratings. It seems plausible that a complex, reciprocal relationship exists between language and EF throughout development. Future research is needed to examine if, and if yes how, language and EF interact in SLI. Broad neuropsychological assessment in which both language and EF are taken into account may contribute to early detection of SLI. This in turn can lead to early and tailored treatment of children with (suspected) SLI aimed not only at stimulating language development but also at strengthening EF.