The Search for Common Ground

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 891-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Kohnert ◽  
Jennifer Windsor
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Visual Detection ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Response Latencies ◽  
English Only ◽  
Primary Language Impairment ◽  
The Difference

Below-average performance on some nonlinguistic tasks often is considered a potential correlate of primary language impairment (LI). If nonlinguistic cognitive processing truly is deficient in children with LI, then measures may be identified that distinguish language learners at risk for LI that are independent of the number and type of languages learned. This study focuses on within- and across-stask performance on 4 basic nonlinguistic processing tasks. The aim was to systematically investigate areas of potential overlap and divergence among 3 groups of linguistically diverse children: English-only speakers with LI, typically developing English-only speakers (EO), and typically developing bilingual Spanish—English speakers (BI). The performance of the 100 8–13-year-old children who took part in J. Windsor and K. Kohnert’s (2004) study was analyzed. Experimental tasks were simple and choice versions of auditory- and visual-detection tasks. Each task included 4 levels of motor difficulty: responfficient or faulty language-processing skills). ding with the preferred and nonpreferred hand and foot. Analyses revealed no significant differences among groups in simple auditory detection. The EO group was significantly faster than the LI group in each of the other 3 tasks. While the same pattern was evident for the BI group, the difference was significant only in choice visual detection. Overall patterns of response latency within and across tasks were qualitatively similar across the 3 groups. Development, indexed here by chronological age, played a significant role in predicting response latencies for children in all 3 groups.

The Search for Common Ground

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 877-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Windsor ◽  
Kathryn Kohnert
Keyword(s):  
Word Recognition ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
English Only ◽  
Lower Accuracy ◽  
Primary Language Impairment

This study examines lexical performance by 3 groups of linguistically diverse school-age learners: English-only speakers with primary language impairment (LI), typical English-only speakers (EO), and typical bilingual Spanish-English speakers (BI). The accuracy and response time (RT) of 100 8- to 13-year-old children in word recognition and picture-naming tasks were analyzed. Within each task, stimulus difficulty was manipulated to include very easy stimuli (words that were high frequency/had an early age of acquisition in English) and more difficult stimuli (words of low frequency/late age of acquisition [AOA]). There was no difference among groups in real-word recognition accuracy or RT; all 3 groups showed lower accuracy with low-frequency words. In picture naming, all 3 groups showed a longer RT for words with a late AOA, although AOA had a disproportionate negative impact on BI performance. The EO group was faster and more accurate than both LI and BI groups in conditions with later acquired stimuli. Results are discussed in terms of quantitative differences separating EO children from the other 2 groups and qualitative similarities linking monolingual children with and without LI.

Crossing borders: Recognition of Spanish words by English-speaking children with and without language impairment

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
KATHRYN KOHNERT ◽  
JENNIFER WINDSOR ◽  
RUTH MILLER
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Spoken Word Recognition ◽  
Spoken Word ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Primary Language ◽  
Objective Method ◽  
Only Children ◽  
English Only ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Primary Language Impairment

We introduce an objective method for classifying phonological overlap between Spanish and English translation equivalents. This method then is exploited to examine spoken word recognition using stimuli with graded levels of phonological overlap. Performance by typical English-only speaking (EO) children and English-only children with primary language impairment (LI) is compared to a control group of bilingual Spanish–English peers (BI). Response time and accuracy separated groups, with the BI group outperforming the EO group, who in turn outperformed the LI group. Children with more severe LI are slower than those with mild LI, and LI severity is significantly correlated with speed. The two groups of monolingual children and the LI subgroups respond in a qualitatively similar way to decreasing phonological overlap.

scholarly journals Auditory Processing in Specific Language Impairment (SLI): Relations With the Perception of Lexical and Phrasal Stress

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 1292-1305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Richards ◽  
Usha Goswami
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Rise Time ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Amplitude Envelope ◽  
Stress Perception ◽  
Specific Language

Purpose We investigated whether impaired acoustic processing is a factor in developmental language disorders. The amplitude envelope of the speech signal is known to be important in language processing. We examined whether impaired perception of amplitude envelope rise time is related to impaired perception of lexical and phrasal stress in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Method Twenty-two children aged between 8 and 12 years participated in this study. Twelve had SLI; 10 were typically developing controls. All children completed psychoacoustic tasks measuring rise time, intensity, frequency, and duration discrimination. They also completed 2 linguistic stress tasks measuring lexical and phrasal stress perception. Results The SLI group scored significantly below the typically developing controls on both stress perception tasks. Performance on stress tasks correlated with individual differences in auditory sensitivity. Rise time and frequency thresholds accounted for the most unique variance. Digit Span also contributed to task success for the SLI group. Conclusions The SLI group had difficulties with both acoustic and stress perception tasks. Our data suggest that poor sensitivity to amplitude rise time and sound frequency significantly contributes to the stress perception skills of children with SLI. Other cognitive factors such as phonological memory are also implicated.

scholarly journals Pragmatic Language Processing in the Adolescent Brain

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salomi S. Asaridou ◽  
Ö. Ece Demir-Lira ◽  
Julia Uddén ◽  
Susan Goldin-Meadow ◽  
Steven L. Small
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Pragmatic Language ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Preceding Question

Adolescence is a developmental period in which social interactions become increasingly important. Successful social interactions rely heavily on pragmatic competence, the appropriate use of language in different social contexts, a skill that is still developing in adolescence. In the present study, we used fMRI to characterize the brain networks underlying pragmatic language processing in typically developing adolescents. We used an indirect speech paradigm whereby participants were presented with question/answer dialogues in which the meaning of the answer had to be inferred from the context, in this case the preceding question. Participants were presented with three types of answers: (1) direct replies, i.e., simple answers to open-ended questions, (2) indirect informative replies, i.e., answers in which the speaker’s intention was to add more information to a yes/no question, and (3) indirect affective replies, i.e., answers in which the speaker’s intention was to express polite refusals, negative opinions or to save face in response to an emotionally charged question. We found that indirect affective replies elicited the strongest response in brain areas associated with language comprehension (superior temporal gyri), theory of mind (medial prefrontal cortex, temporo-parietal junction, and precuneus), and attention/working memory (inferior frontal gyri). The increased activation to indirect affective as opposed to indirect informative and direct replies potentially reflects the high salience of opinions and perspectives of others in adolescence. Our results add to previous findings on socio-cognitive processing in adolescents and extend them to pragmatic language comprehension.

scholarly journals Interactions between bilingual effects and language impairment: Exploring grammatical markers in Spanish-speaking bilingual children

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 1147-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNY P. CASTILLA-EARLS ◽  
MARÍA ADELAIDA RESTREPO ◽  
ANA TERESA PÉREZ-LEROUX ◽  
SHELLEY GRAY ◽  
PAUL HOLMES ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
English Language ◽  
Direct Object ◽  
Clinical Markers ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Patterns Of Use ◽  
Primary Language Impairment ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Object Pronouns

ABSTRACTThis study examines the interaction between language impairment and different levels of bilingual proficiency. Specifically, we explore the potential of articles and direct object pronouns as clinical markers of primary language impairment (PLI) in bilingual Spanish-speaking children. The study compared children with PLI and typically developing (TD) children matched on age, English language proficiency, and mother's education level. Two types of bilinguals were targeted: Spanish-dominant children with intermediate English proficiency (asymmetrical bilinguals), and near-balanced bilinguals. We measured children's accuracy in the use of direct object pronouns and articles with an elicited language task. Results from this preliminary study suggest language proficiency affects the patterns of use of direct object pronouns and articles. Across language proficiency groups, we find marked differences between TD and PLI, in the use of both direct object pronouns and articles. However, the magnitude of the difference diminishes in balanced bilinguals. Articles appear more stable in these bilinguals and, therefore, seem to have a greater potential to discriminate between TD bilinguals from those with PLI. Future studies using discriminant analyses are needed to assess the clinical impact of these findings.

scholarly journals Revisiting the Influences of Bilingualism and Developmental Language Disorder on Children's Nonverbal Processing Speed

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Kerry Danahy Ebert
Keyword(s):  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Detection ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Cognitive Effects ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
English Only ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

Purpose This study examined the influences of bilingualism and developmental language disorder (DLD) on nonverbal processing speed. DLD is associated with slower processing speed, but the extent to which slowing extends to bilingual populations is not established. The possible presence of bilingual cognitive effects could also lead to faster processing speed among bilingual children. Method Participants included 108 children of ages 6–8 years, including 56 Spanish–English bilinguals (29 with DLD and 27 with typical development) and 52 English-only monolinguals (25 with DLD and 27 with typical development). Language testing (in both languages for bilingual children) was combined with parent and school report to classify children as having DLD or typical language development. Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were excluded from the sample. Reaction time from a choice visual detection task was used to index nonverbal processing speed. Results Children with DLD demonstrated slower processing speed than their typically developing peers, whereas bilingual children demonstrated faster processing speed than monolinguals. The effects of DLD and bilingualism did not interact. Conclusions This study replicates prior findings of slowed processing speed among children with DLD in both monolingual and bilingual children. Evidence of faster processing speed among bilingual children contributes to the complex literature surrounding the circumstances of bilingual cognitive effects. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.15138747

A Comparison of Early Literacy Skills in Children With Specific Language Impairment and Their Typically Developing Peers

1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna M. Boudreau ◽  
Natalie L. Hedberg
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Language Impairments ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Letter Names

Although children with language impairments often experience difficulties learning to read and write, very little research has examined early developing skills in this population. In this project, preschool children with specific language impairment and peers matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic status were compared on measures of language, processing, and print-related skills. Results revealed that the children with language impairments performed more poorly than typical peers on tasks measuring knowledge of rhyme, letter names, and concepts related to print. Despite poorer performance of the group with SLI on narrative measures of linguistic structure, recall of information, and total events included, no significant differences were observed on inclusion of components identified as critical to overall plot line. Findings suggest that difficulties extend across early developing skills known to be important for both decoding and comprehension.

Effects of divided input on bilingual children with language impairment

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth D Peña ◽  
Lisa M Bedore ◽  
Prarthana Shivabasappa ◽  
Luping Niu
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Primary Language Impairment ◽  
Language Measures ◽  
Main Effects

Aims and objectives: We compare the performance of 600 bilingual children with and without language impairment relative to their level of current English input and output (EIO). Children were tested in both Spanish and English on measures of morphosyntax and semantics. Our aim was to examine whether children’s language performance was differentially affected by the level of EIO and/or language ability. Methodology: Participants were drawn from three different studies of bilingual language impairment where children between the ages of 5 and 10 years were tested using a standardized test of morphosyntax and semantics in both languages. Standard scores were compared for each language in each domain. Data and analysis: Multivariate regression was used to compare main effects of ability (children with typical language development versus children with language impairment) and interactions with EIO. This analysis was followed by a comparison of EIO across the four language measures. Findings/conclusions: There were main effects of language impairment status and EIO. There were ability differences in slope for two measures (English semantics and Spanish morphosyntax), where children with language impairment had a flatter slope as related to EIO compared to children with typical development. For Spanish semantics and English morphosyntax, slopes relative to EIO were similar, although children with language impairment scored lower than those with typical development. Originality: We observed how children with and without language impairment performed on semantics and morphosyntax tasks relative to their EIO. Implications: The similar slopes across language measures of children with and without language impairment suggest that there is no disadvantage to divided input by ability. Where there were differences by ability, children with language impairment showed a flatter slope relative to their typically developing peers, suggesting that bilingual children with primary language impairment (PLI) may be somewhat advantaged relative to more monolingual children with PLI.

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