What are the isssues related to characterization of SLI in children?
- Specific language Impairment (SLI): a language impairment with the apparent absence of other clearly identifiable problems
- Don’t learn language easily
- Exclusionary criteria:
- Language Score – 1.25 SD or lower (corresponding to a SS of 81 or lower on a test with mean of 100)
- Nonverbal IQ of 85 or higher (IQ within normal limits)
- Normal hearing
- No oral structural or oral motor abnormalities
- No evidence of neurological disorder
- Within normal social abilities
Are there subgroups of children w/SLI?
What are the classification?
Yes,
Classifications:
(1) comprehension and expressive;
(2) expressive difficulties only;
(3) comprehension difficulties only
Additional problems ID’ed with phonological system, socialization, gesturing (for symbolic play and/or communication purposes)
What are the possible causal factors and potential clinical markers of SLI?
- Neurological
- Language knowledge and access to language knowledge
- Cognitive deficits
- Information-processing deficits
- The language-learning environment
- Genetic/Familial bases
Expand on Neuroligical deficits of SLI?
- No conclusions, but may be some differences in brain morphology of the left and right perisylvian areas.
- Neurological soft signs (i.e., issues with chewing, sucking, swallowing; drooling; oral/motor weakness; clumsiness/’accident prone’; increased co-occurrence of ADHD, phonological awareness deficits, reading, & writing problems)
Expand on the Language knowledege and access to language knowledge of SLI?
Able to process and acquire part of requisite language info, but have trouble getting to it and bringing it forward to use it consistently – or acquire incomplete knowledge of language rule
Splinter skill
Look at the quality and quantity of skills
Expand on the possible Cognitive deficits of SLI?
May be in symbolic play, hypothesis formation, representational thought
Expand on the possible Information-processing deficits of SLI.
Speed of processing and ability to hold in memory. Fast mapping abilities may be comprimised
Expand on the possible deficits of language-learning environment in SLI.
Discussion of various factors that may be different for different families (abuse, neglect, hunger, ELL)
Not the cause of SLI but play a part in recovery
Expand on the possible deficits of the Genetics/ Familial bases of SLI.
- Language impairment has a tendency to run in families**genetic & environment interaction – likely!
- Gene locus identified in families with a history of sever speech & language impairment.
- Child with SLI more likely to have family member with a language impairment.
What is the relationship between language problems in the preschool years and later academic difficulties?
- Morphology: Children will use very few and very simple verbs; more nouns. By age eight, typically developing children should make very few to no errors with verb tense. If children demonstrate morphology difficulties at age four, problems will likely continue. {‘Morphosyntactic’ features of language are the primary deficit for children with SLI}
- Semantics: Children will have (still by age 4) a low level of vocabulary and trouble learning new words.
- Syntax: Children will have simple sentences and shorter MLUs.
What are some Syntax and Morphology problems with children with SLI?
- Problems with syntax and morphology (‘morphosyntax’)
- Problems using grammar correctly.
- A tendency to omit plural /s/
- Problems following grammatical rules.
What are some Semantic problems associated with SLI?
- Toddlers: more nouns than verbs, 17 words by 24 months (expressive vocabulary) as compared to 128-193 for children developing typically.
- Preschoolers: need to hear a new word twice as many times for comprehension and use it twice as many times before it becomes a permanent part of their vocabulary (Gray, 2003).
- Word finding problems
- Learn incomplete, partial meanings of words
- Seldom have only a semantic problem (residual phonological and syntax problems seen in most cases).
What are some phonoligical problem in children with SLI?
- Toddlers
- Difficult to understand
- Phonological problems are more easily resolved than language problems
- More quickly acquire new single words, words that start with consonants already mastered (consistent with children developing typically).
Expand Pragmatics and Discouse:SLI
Function & Intentions:
- Fewer occurrences of communicative initiations
- Fewer uses of the following functions:
- declarative and imperative
- statement functions, involving naming
- descriptive
- acknowledging
- joint attention or comment
Conversation and Discourse
They initiate conversation at the wrong time
Less responsive to peers’ attempts to initiate conversation
Problems with turntaking & interrupting
Problems with changing topics abruptly
Eye contact degree may signal amount of comprehension
Rarely use revisions involving substitutions of one syntactic or semantic element
Problems conveying both uninformative and informative elements of messages
Evidence of some ability to modify messages on basis of conversational partner’s age
Narratives of SLI define and expand
- Narrative skills are a strong predicting factor for later school success.
- Children with SLI produce narratives that contain less information, they are less skilled at signaling old and new information, and they have difficulty with certain abstract, temporal, and deictic words (i.e., words that have changing referents depending on who in a communicative dyad is speaking).
Children with SLI( School age)
- Semantics (decreased vocabulary- types of words and number in total vocab.)
- Narratives (stories not as complex)
- Written language (not as complex)
- Social issues (peer groups, conversation initiation, maintenance, repairs, etc.)
Etiological Categories of children with learning disabilities?
- Dyslexia-Impairment in reading, decoding and comprehension
- Reading is most often impaired among basic skills affected in children with learning disabilities
- Slow Learner-Learning disabilities should not be confused with either low achievement or underachievement
- Identified by means of an ability-achievement discrepancy method
- ADHD-Children who are hyperactive have difficulty in directing and sustaining attention, therefore often impairing ability to learn
- Difficult to differentiate from SLI or learning deficits – need to observe children in multiple settings
- Phonological Processing Disorder/ DAS-Refers to someone whose ability to process phonological information is impaired, leading to problems in reading, spelling, word retrieval, etc.
- Central Auditory Processing Disorder-Often children have case histories that show they have been identified as learning disabled or display a pattern of performance in school that is similar to other children with learning disabilities
- Minimal Brain dysfunction-Brain injury can be diagnosed from behavioral issues such as perceptual and conceptual problems
What is the difference between oral and written language?
Written(formality)
- written more formal,
- visual & auditory
- structuring, anamorphic
Oral
- gestures
- body language
perception repair
ALSO….
- Context exists when speaking, not so for writing.
- Can use gestures & nonlinguistics when speaking, not so in written language.
- When writing, references are anaphoric. Have to have connection to earlier reference.
- When speaking we can repeat, rephrase, repair, pause. Use extra verbalizations such as “ummm”, etc.
- Written language is more formal in style and vocabulary.
- Children may be more used to “computer writing and symbols”
What are Sematics problems with LD children?
Word meanings and word retrieval
Underdeveloped lexical systems;
Word retrieval – either during naming tasks or spontaneous speech
What are Grammar problems with LD children?
Reduced MLU
- slower and with no rapid burst of growth
What are Narrative problems with LD children?
:Shorter, fewer complete episodes
Both comprehension and production are impaired
Less amount of information when retelling
Greater rate of communication breakdowns
Problems with inferential reasoning
What are Pragmatic problems with LD children?
Topic management and conversationalr repair
Describe the academic, social, and vocation implications of unresolved language disorders in adolescents?
Academic: Language and reading are the base for education; with problems in these areas, students will struggle academically, fail, and/or drop out.
Social: Will have a hard time communicating with peers. Extremely difficult to talk to opposite sex.
Vocational: Will have only minimal education; thus, difficulties finding a job. Often remain unemployed or in low-paying jobs
What is the age range of adolescents with LD?
12-14
