scholarly journals Latent Semantic Analysis Discriminates Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) from Children with Typical Language Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 683-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasmus Bååth ◽  
Sverker Sikström ◽  
Nelli Kalnak ◽  
Kristina Hansson ◽  
Birgitta Sahlén
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Latent Semantic Analysis ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder

Narrative Language Markers of Arabic Language Development and Impairment

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 3472-3487
Author(s):  
Natalia V. Rakhlin ◽  
Nan Li ◽  
Abdullah Aljughaiman ◽  
Elena L. Grigorenko
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Standardized Measures ◽  
Verb Agreement ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Specificity And Sensitivity ◽  
Omission Errors

Purpose We examined indices of narrative microstructure as metrics of language development and impairment in Arabic-speaking children. We examined their age sensitivity, correlations with standardized measures, and ability to differentiate children with average language and language impairment. Method We collected story narratives from 177 children (54.2% boys) between 3.08 and 10.92 years old ( M = 6.25, SD = 1.67) divided into six age bands. Each child also received standardized measures of spoken language (Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary, Sentence Imitation, and Pseudoword Repetition). Several narrative indices of microstructure were examined in each age band. Children were divided into (suspected) developmental language disorder and typical language groups using the standardized test scores and compared on the narrative indicators. Sensitivity and specificity of the narrative indicators that showed group differences were calculated. Results The measures that showed age sensitivity included subject omission error rate, number of object clitics, correct use of subject–verb agreement, and mean length of utterance in words. The developmental language disorder group scored higher on subject omission errors (Cohen's d = 0.55) and lower on correct use of subject–verb agreement (Cohen's d = 0.48) than the typical language group. The threshold for impaired performance with the highest combination of specificity and sensitivity was 35th percentile. Conclusions Several indices of narrative microstructure appear to be valid metrics for documenting language development in children acquiring Gulf Arabic. Subject omission errors and correct use of subject–verb agreement differentiate children with typical and atypical levels of language development.

Properties of Lexical Diversity in the Narratives of Children With Typical Language Development and Developmental Language Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1866-1882
Author(s):  
Monique Charest ◽  
Melissa J. Skoczylas ◽  
Phyllis Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Moving Average ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Sample Length ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Lexical Diversity ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Story Generation ◽  
Study Support

Purpose We examined four measures of lexical diversity in the narratives of children with typical language development (TLD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) that comprised the normative sample of the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument (Schneider et al., 2005). The purpose was to document the properties of each measure with respect to variations in utterance and sample length, developmental trends, and group differences. Method The sample consisted of 377 picture-elicited, story generation transcripts from children with TLD ( n = 300) and DLD ( n = 77) aged 4–9 years. We extracted the moving-average type–token ratio (MATTR) and the number of different words from the full sample, from samples equated for the number of utterances, and from samples equated for the total number of words. Results MATTR was the only measure to show no relationships to utterance or sample length. All measures showed significant positive growth with age and significant groupwise differences between children with TLD and DLD. However, the magnitude of age effects and differentiation between groups varied considerably across measures. Across measures, there were significant differences in the number of children with DLD who were identified with low lexical diversity relative to their same-age peers in the TLD group. Conclusion The results of this study support the view that different measures of lexical diversity may be appropriate for different clinical purposes. It is important for clinicians to understand how measures of lexical diversity function in order to make educated choices among measures and ensure appropriate interpretation.

scholarly journals Do Children With Developmental Language Disorder Activate Scene Knowledge to Guide Visual Attention? Effect of Object-Scene Inconsistencies on Gaze Allocation

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Helo ◽  
Ernesto Guerra ◽  
Carmen Julia Coloma ◽  
Paulina Aravena-Bravo ◽  
Pia Rämä
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Visual Experience ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Visual Exploration ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Linguistic Rules ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Do So

Our visual environment is highly predictable in terms of where and in which locations objects can be found. Based on visual experience, children extract rules about visual scene configurations, allowing them to generate scene knowledge. Similarly, children extract the linguistic rules from relatively predictable linguistic contexts. It has been proposed that the capacity of extracting rules from both domains might share some underlying cognitive mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated the link between language and scene knowledge development. To do so, we assessed whether preschool children (age range = 5;4–6;6) with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), who present several difficulties in the linguistic domain, are equally attracted to object-scene inconsistencies in a visual free-viewing task in comparison with age-matched children with Typical Language Development (TLD). All children explored visual scenes containing semantic (e.g., soap on a breakfast table), syntactic (e.g., bread on the chair back), or both inconsistencies (e.g., soap on the chair back). Since scene knowledge interacts with image properties (i.e., saliency) to guide gaze allocation during visual exploration from the early stages of development, we also included the objects’ saliency rank in the analysis. The results showed that children with DLD were less attracted to semantic and syntactic inconsistencies than children with TLD. In addition, saliency modulated syntactic effect only in the group of children with TLD. Our findings indicate that children with DLD do not activate scene knowledge to guide visual attention as efficiently as children with TLD, especially at the syntactic level, suggesting a link between scene knowledge and language development.

scholarly journals Validation of the Early Language Scale

2020 ◽  
Vol 180 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-71
Author(s):  
Margot I. Visser-Bochane ◽  
Cees P. van der Schans ◽  
Wim P. Krijnen ◽  
Sijmen A. Reijneveld ◽  
Margreet R. Luinge
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Children At Risk ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Valid Instrument ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Age Range

AbstractThe aim of this study was to assess the criterion validity of a new screening instrument, the Early Language Scale (ELS), for the identification of young children at risk for developmental language disorder (DLD), and to determine optimal age-adjusted cut-off scores. We recruited a community-based sample of 265 children aged 1 to 6 years of age. Parents of these children responded on the ELS, a 26-item “yes-no” questionnaire. The children were assessed with extended language tests (language comprehension, word production, sentence production, communication). A composite score out of these tests (two tests below – 1 SD or one below − 1.5 SD) was used as reference standard. We assessed the validity of the ELS, measured by sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and AUC. The optimal sensitivity/specificity age-dependent cut-off ELS score was at 15th percentile. Sensitivity and specificity were 0.62 and 0.93, respectively. Positive predictive value was moderate (0.53), negative predictive value was high (0.95), the positive likelihood ratio was 9.16, and negative likelihood ratio was 0.41. The area under the ROC curve was 0.88. The items covered the increasing language development for the ages from 1 to 6.Conclusion: The ELS is a valid instrument to identify children with DLD covering an age range of 1 to 6 years in community-based settings. What is Known:• Early identification and treatment of developmental language disorders can reduce negative effects on children’s emotional functioning, academic success, and social relationships.• Short, validated language screening instruments that cover the full age range of early childhood language development lack.What is New:• The 26-item Early Language Scale (ELS) is a valid instrument to identify children at risk for developmental language disorder in well-child care and early educational settings among Dutch children aged 1–6 years.

Reference to characters in narratives of Russian-Hebrew bilingual and Russian and Hebrew monolingual children with Developmental Language Disorder and typical language development

2020 ◽  
pp. 014272372096293
Author(s):  
Sveta Fichman ◽  
Joel Walters ◽  
Ravit Melamed ◽  
Carmit Altman
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Assessment Instrument ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Gender Assignment ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Russian Speakers ◽  
Definite Articles ◽  
Referential Expressions

This research analyzed adequacy of referential expressions in the narratives of bilingual and monolingual children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and typical language development (TLD), aiming to shed light on the relative contribution of morpho-syntactic, discourse-pragmatic, and semantic constraints. Narratives were collected from 51 children using a storytelling procedure ( MAIN – Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives). Participants were 18 bilingual Russian-Hebrew preschool children (8 with DLD), 17 monolingual Russian speakers (9 with DLD), and 16 monolingual Hebrew speakers (5 with DLD) aged 5;6–6;7. Referential expressions were coded for form (noun phrase [NP] or pronoun) and character function (Introduction or Maintenance). Analyses addressed the effects of proficiency group (TLD/DLD), language group (bilingual/monolingual), and language (Russian/Hebrew) on inadequate pronoun use and definiteness. Results demonstrated that children in all groups introduced characters using NPs. Children with DLD used more morpho-syntactically inadequate pronouns, such as incorrect gender, while both children with DLD and those with TLD used similar numbers of discourse-pragmatically inadequate pronouns. Bilinguals used more morpho-syntactically inadequate pronouns than monolinguals. In Hebrew, bilingual children with DLD omitted definite articles for character Maintenance more frequently than bilingual children with TLD and monolingual Hebrew-speaking children with DLD. Wrong gender assignment indicates that children with DLD have difficulties with morpho-syntactic constraints. Omission of definite articles for character Maintenance indicates a possibility of both morpho-syntactic and semantic difficulties that bilingual children with DLD acquiring Hebrew face. The results offer insight into the nature of the difficulty observed in bilingual children with DLD in using referential expressions.

scholarly journals Language development in rural and urban Russian-speaking children with and without developmental language disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey A. Kornilov ◽  
Tatiana V. Lebedeva ◽  
Marina A. Zhukova ◽  
Natalia A. Prikhoda ◽  
Irina V. Korotaeva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Rural And Urban

Nonword Repetition Skills in Gulf Arabic–Speaking Children With Developmental Language Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 3700-3713
Author(s):  
Saleh Shaalan
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Gulf Arabic ◽  
Arabic Speaking ◽  
Phonological Complexity

Purpose This study examined the performance of Gulf Arabic–speaking children with developmental language disorder (DLD) on a Gulf Arabic nonword repetition (GA-NWR) test and compared it to their age- and language-matched groups. We also investigated the role of syllable length, wordlikeness, and phonological complexity in light of NWR theories. Method A new GA-NWR test was conducted with three groups of Gulf Arabic–speaking children: school-age children with DLD, language-matched controls (LCs), and age-matched controls (ACs). The test consisted of two- and three-syllable words that either had no clusters, medial clusters, final clusters, or medial + final clusters. Results The GA-NWR distinguished between the performance of children with DLD and the LC and AC groups. Results showed significant syllable length, wordlikeness, and phonological complexity effects. Differences between the DLD and typically developing groups were seen in two- and three-syllable nonwords; however, when compared on nonwords with no clusters, children with DLD were not significantly different from the LC group. Conclusions The GA-NWR test differentiated between children with DLD and their ACs and LCs. Findings, therefore, support its clinical utility in this variety of Arabic. Results showed that phonological processing factors, such as phonological complexity, may have stronger effects when compared to syllable length effects. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12996812

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