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Whitworth A. Elizabeth Usher memorial lecture. Models, mind maps, and metacognition: How theory is the true hero. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2024:1-13. [PMID: 38982689 DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2024.2369146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Within the educational context of identifying the critical ingredients of an effective speech-language pathologist, this paper highlights the centrality of theory in underpinning every level of our practice. A spotlight is placed on us knowing how language and communication work, what makes our interventions work, how we can make the most difference through our choices in therapy, and what makes both us and our clients respond. So, what are the critical ingredients of an effective speech-language pathologist, of an effective therapy, of an effective therapeutic alliance, and why is this so important? While there are many foundational and guiding habits upon which new graduates, early career, and experienced clinicians shape their practice, no one habit is regarded as more important than us exploring the theoretical underpinnings of what we are doing and why. To underscore the role of theory in our everyday practice, a discourse level intervention for people with aphasia is used as an exemplar to track the complex contribution of different theories to a single intervention. Discourse level interventions are relatively new on the scene in the area of acquired language disorders. Child language interventions, on the other hand, have frequently revolved around the story, aiming to bridge the oral-literate divide through the development of narrative structure. This paper will aim to weave its own story around discourse level interventions, combining the narrative genre with the everyday genres used by adults in conversation. I will highlight how this approach taps into lexical theories, sentence processing theories, discourse organisation, and the cognitive underpinnings of language, and closely examine how this multilayering of language in context may hold some of the answers to questions around generalisation, impact, and making the greatest difference to individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Whitworth
- Speech Pathology, School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Australia
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Ní Chéileachair F, Chondrogianni V, Sorace A, Paradis J, DE Aguiar V. Developmental language disorder in sequential bilinguals: Characterising word properties in spontaneous speech. JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2023; 50:954-980. [PMID: 35470790 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000922000241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The current study sought to investigate whether word properties can facilitate the identification of developmental language disorder (DLD) in sequential bilinguals by analyzing properties in nouns and verbs in L2 spontaneous speech as potential DLD markers. Measures of semantic (imageability, concreteness), lexical (frequency, age of acquisition) and phonological (phonological neighbourhood, word length) properties were computed for nouns and verbs produced by 15 sequential bilinguals (5;7) with DLD and 15 age-matched controls with diverse L1 backgrounds. Linear mixed modelling revealed a significant interaction of group and word category on phonological neighbourhood values but no differences across imageability, concreteness, frequency, age of acquisition, and word length measures in spontaneous speech. Outcomes suggest that group-level differences may not be apparent at the word-level, due to the heterogeneous nature of DLD and potential similarities in production during early L2 acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vasiliki Chondrogianni
- School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Antonella Sorace
- School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Johanne Paradis
- Faculty of Arts, Linguistics Department, The University of Alberta, Canada
| | - Vânia DE Aguiar
- Faculty of Arts: Neurolinguistics, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands
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Scheffer A, Keij B, Hakvoort B, Ottow E, Gerrits E, Wijnen F. Disentangling the Grammar of 3- to 6-Year-Old Dutch Children With a Developmental Language Disorder. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:4250-4267. [PMID: 36327540 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-21-00598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Children with a developmental language disorder (DLD) are often delayed in their grammatical development. This is suggested to be the most important characteristic and clinical marker of DLD. However, it is unknown if this assumption is valid for young children, in the earliest stages of grammatical development. For this reason, this study investigates the complexity, diversity, and accuracy of the grammatical repertoires of 3- to 6-year-old Dutch children with DLD, in comparison to that of typically developing (TD) children matched on grammatical level. METHOD Language samples of 59 children (29 children with DLD and 30 TD children) were analyzed using multiple measures of grammatical complexity, diversity, and accuracy. The TD children and children with DLD were language-matched on their grammatical development using the levels of the Dutch version of the Language Assessment, Remediation, and Screening Procedure, the Taal Analyse Remediëring en Screening Procedure (TARSP; Schlichting, 2017). Thus, the children with DLD were significantly older than the TD children (respectively DLD age range: 2;7-5;4 [years;months], M age = 4;1; and TD age range: 2;0-3;9, M age = 2;9). RESULTS The results show that children with DLD are comparable to language-matched TD children in their grammatical accuracy and diversity, but that they produce less complex utterances. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that children with DLD lag behind in their grammatical complexity as compared to language-matched TD children. The results also suggest that grammatical TARSP level is not sufficiently informative for selecting treatment goals. Instead, the results underline the importance of conducting language sample analyses, with special reference to the complexity of the utterances of a child with DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouk Scheffer
- Royal Dutch Auris Group, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Esther Ottow
- Royal Dutch Auris Group, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ellen Gerrits
- Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
- Research Center for Healthy and Sustainable Living, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Frank Wijnen
- Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
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Méndez LI, Simon-Cereijido G. A View of the Lexical-Grammatical Link in Young Latinos With Specific Language Impairment Using Language-Specific and Conceptual Measures. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:1775-1786. [PMID: 31112438 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-l-18-0315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This study investigated the nature of the association of lexical-grammatical abilities within and across languages in Latino dual language learners (DLLs) with specific language impairment (SLI) using language-specific and bilingual measures. Method Seventy-four Spanish/English-speaking preschoolers with SLI from preschools serving low-income households participated in the study. Participants had stronger skills in Spanish (first language [L1]) and were in the initial stages of learning English (second language [L2]). The children's lexical, semantic, and grammar abilities were assessed using normative and researcher-developed tools in English and Spanish. Hierarchical linear regressions of cross-sectional data were conducted using measures of sentence repetition tasks, language-specific vocabulary, and conceptual bilingual lexical and semantic abilities in Spanish and English. Results Results indicate that language-specific vocabulary abilities support the development of grammar in L1 and L2 in this population. L1 vocabulary also contributes to L2 grammar above and beyond the contribution of L2 vocabulary skills. However, the cross-linguistic association between vocabulary in L2 and grammar skills in the stronger or more proficient language (L1) is not observed. In addition, conceptual vocabulary significantly supported grammar in L2, whereas bilingual semantic skills supported L1 grammar. Conclusions Our findings reveal that the same language-specific vocabulary abilities drive grammar development in L1 and L2 in DLLs with SLI. In the early stages of L2 acquisition, vocabulary skills in L1 also seem to contribute to grammar skills in L2 in this population. Thus, it is critical to support vocabulary development in both L1 and L2 in DLLs with SLI, particularly in the beginning stages of L2 acquisition. Clinical and educational implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía I Méndez
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of North Carolina-Greensboro
| | - Gabriela Simon-Cereijido
- Department of Communication Disorders, Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services, California State University, Los Angeles
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Royle P, St-Denis A, Mazzocca P, Marquis A. Insensitivity to verb conjugation patterns in French children with SLI. CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS 2017; 32:128-147. [PMID: 28590146 DOI: 10.1080/02699206.2017.1328706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Specific language impairment (SLI) is characterised by persistent difficulties that affect language abilities in otherwise normally developing children (Leonard, 2014). It remains challenging to identify young children affected by SLI in French. We tested oral production of the passé composé tense in 19 children in kindergarten and first grade with SLI aged from 5;6 to 7;4 years. All children were schooled in a French environment, but with different linguistic backgrounds. We used an Android application, Jeu de verbes (Marquis et al., 2012), with six verbs in each of four past participle categories (ending in -é, -i, -u, and other irregulars). We compared their results and error types to those of control children (from Marquis, 2012-2014) matched for gender, age, languages spoken at home, and parental education. Results show that children with SLI do not master the passé composé in the same way as typical French children do, at later ages than previously shown in the literature. This task shows potential for oral language screening in French-speaking children in kindergarten and first grade, independently of language background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phaedra Royle
- a École d'orthophonie et d'audiologie , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Canada
- b Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music , Montréal , Canada
- c International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research , Montréal , Canada
| | - Ariane St-Denis
- a École d'orthophonie et d'audiologie , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Canada
| | | | - Alexandra Marquis
- e Department of Linguistics , United Arab Emirates University , Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates
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Uljarević M, Katsos N, Hudry K, Gibson JL. Practitioner Review: Multilingualism and neurodevelopmental disorders - an overview of recent research and discussion of clinical implications. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2016; 57:1205-1217. [PMID: 27443172 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Language and communication skills are essential aspects of child development, which are often disrupted in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Cutting edge research in psycholinguistics suggests that multilingualism has potential to influence social, linguistic and cognitive development. Thus, multilingualism has implications for clinical assessment, diagnostic formulation, intervention and support offered to families. We present a systematic review and synthesis of the effects of multilingualism for children with neurodevelopmental disorders and discuss clinical implications. METHODS We conducted systematic searches for studies on multilingualism in neurodevelopmental disorders. Keywords for neurodevelopmental disorders were based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition categories as follows; Intellectual Disabilities, Communication Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Specific Learning Disorder, Motor Disorders, Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders. We included only studies based on empirical research and published in peer-reviewed journals. RESULTS Fifty studies met inclusion criteria. Thirty-eight studies explored multilingualism in Communication Disorders, 10 in ASD and two in Intellectual Disability. No studies on multilingualism in Specific Learning Disorder or Motor Disorders were identified. Studies which found a disadvantage for multilingual children with neurodevelopmental disorders were rare, and there appears little reason to assume that multilingualism has negative effects on various aspects of functioning across a range of conditions. In fact, when considering only those studies which have compared a multilingual group with developmental disorders to a monolingual group with similar disorders, the findings consistently show no adverse effects on language development or other aspects of functioning. In the case of ASD, a positive effect on communication and social functioning has been observed. CONCLUSIONS There is little evidence to support the widely held view that multilingual exposure is detrimental to the linguistic or social development of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, we also note that the available pool of studies is small and the number of methodologically high quality studies is relatively low. We discuss implications of multilingualism for clinical management of neurodevelopmental disorders, and discuss possible directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Uljarević
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia. .,Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
| | - Napoleon Katsos
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kristelle Hudry
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Jenny L Gibson
- The Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Krok WC, Leonard LB. Past Tense Production in Children With and Without Specific Language Impairment Across Germanic Languages: A Meta-Analysis. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2015; 58:1326-40. [PMID: 26049065 PMCID: PMC4765199 DOI: 10.1044/2015_jslhr-l-14-0348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Revised: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study examined the extent to which children with specific language impairment (SLI) across Germanic languages differ from their typically developing (TD) peers in the use of past tense morphology. METHOD A systematic literature search identified empirical studies examining regular and/or irregular past tense production by English and non-English Germanic-speaking children with SLI and their TD peers. Data from qualifying studies were extracted and converted to Hedges's g effect sizes. RESULTS Seventeen English and 8 non-English Germanic studies met inclusionary criteria. Comparing children with SLI and their TD age-matched (TDA) peers resulted in large combined effect sizes for English and non-English Germanic regular and irregular past tense production. Comparisons between children with SLI and their TD younger (TDY) peers also revealed large combined effect sizes for English and non-English Germanic regular past tense production. Effect sizes for studies comparing SLI and TDY irregular past tense production were large for non-English Germanic-speaking children and moderate for English-speaking children. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that children with SLI across Germanic languages do indeed have more difficulty marking verbs for past tense than TDA and TDY peers. The findings suggest that the potential value of past tense production as a clinical marker of SLI may well extend beyond English.
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Gillam RB, Peña ED, Bedore LM, Bohman TM, Mendez-Perez A. Identification of specific language impairment in bilingual children: I. Assessment in English. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2013. [PMID: 23882008 DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2013/12-0056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study was designed to derive cut scores for English testing for use in identifying specific language impairment (SLI) in bilingual children who were learning English as a second language. METHOD In a 1-gate design, 167 children received comprehensive language assessments in English and Spanish during their first-grade year. The reference standard was identification by a team of expert bilingual speech-language pathologists. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses were used to identify the optimal prediction model for SLI. RESULTS The original, English EpiSLI criteria (Tomblin, Records, & Zhang, 1996) yielded a sensitivity of .95 and a specificity of .45 (LR+ = 1.73, LR- = 0.11, and AUC = .79) for our bilinguals. Revised cutoff scores yielded a sensitivity of .86 and a specificity of .68 (LR+ = 2.67, LR- = 0.21, and AUC = .77). An optimal prediction model yielded a sensitivity of .81 and a specificity of .81 (LR+ = 4.37, LR- = 0.23 and AUC = .85). CONCLUSION The results of English testing could be used to make a reasonably accurate diagnostic decision for bilingual children who had attended public school for at least 1 year and were using English at least 30% of the time.
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Gillam RB, Peña ED, Bedore LM, Bohman TM, Mendez-Perez A. Identification of specific language impairment in bilingual children: I. Assessment in English. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2013; 56:1813-23. [PMID: 23882008 PMCID: PMC5902172 DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2013/12-0056)] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study was designed to derive cut scores for English testing for use in identifying specific language impairment (SLI) in bilingual children who were learning English as a second language. METHOD In a 1-gate design, 167 children received comprehensive language assessments in English and Spanish during their first-grade year. The reference standard was identification by a team of expert bilingual speech-language pathologists. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses were used to identify the optimal prediction model for SLI. RESULTS The original, English EpiSLI criteria (Tomblin, Records, & Zhang, 1996) yielded a sensitivity of .95 and a specificity of .45 (LR+ = 1.73, LR- = 0.11, and AUC = .79) for our bilinguals. Revised cutoff scores yielded a sensitivity of .86 and a specificity of .68 (LR+ = 2.67, LR- = 0.21, and AUC = .77). An optimal prediction model yielded a sensitivity of .81 and a specificity of .81 (LR+ = 4.37, LR- = 0.23 and AUC = .85). CONCLUSION The results of English testing could be used to make a reasonably accurate diagnostic decision for bilingual children who had attended public school for at least 1 year and were using English at least 30% of the time.
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