scholarly journals From temporal processing to developmental language disorders: mind the gap

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1634) ◽  
pp. 20130090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athanassios Protopapas
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Processing ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Homogeneous Groups ◽  
Temporal Sampling ◽  
Performance Domains ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

The ‘rapid temporal processing’ and the ‘temporal sampling framework’ hypotheses have been proposed to account for the deficits in language and literacy development seen in specific language impairment and dyslexia. This paper reviews these hypotheses and concludes that the proposed causal chains between the presumed auditory processing deficits and the observed behavioural manifestation of the disorders are vague and not well established empirically. Several problems and limitations are identified. Most data concern correlations between distantly related tasks, and there is considerable heterogeneity and variability in performance as well as concerns about reliability and validity. Little attention is paid to the distinction between ostensibly perceptual and metalinguistic tasks or between implicit and explicit modes of performance, yet measures are assumed to be pure indicators of underlying processes or representations. The possibility that diagnostic categories do not refer to causally and behaviourally homogeneous groups needs to be taken seriously, taking into account genetic and neurodevelopmental studies to construct multiple-risk models. To make progress in the field, cognitive models of each task must be specified, including performance domains that are predicted to be deficient versus intact, testing multiple indicators of latent constructs and demonstrating construct reliability and validity.

Assessment of cortical auditory evoked potentials in children with specific language impairment

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Włodarczyk ◽  
Agata Szkiełkowska ◽  
Adam Pilka ◽  
Henryk Skarżyński
Keyword(s):  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Auditory Evoked Potentials ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Therapeutic Success ◽  
Specific Language

The proper course of speech development heavily influences the cognitive and personal development of children. It is a condition for achieving preschool and school successes – it facilitates socializing and expressing feelings and needs. Impairment of language and its development in children represents a major diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for physicians and therapists. Early diagnosis of coexisting deficits and starting the therapy influence the therapeutic success. One of the basic diagnostic tests for children suffering from specific language impairment (SLI) is audiometry, thus far referred to as a hearing test. Auditory processing is just as important as a proper hearing threshold. Therefore, diagnosis of central auditory disorder may be a valuable supplementation of diagnosis of language impairment. Early diagnosis and implementation of appropriate treatment may contribute to an effective language therapy.

scholarly journals Perception of Small Frequency Differences in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder or Specific Language Impairment

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (06) ◽  
pp. 489-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Rota-Donahue ◽  
Richard G. Schwartz ◽  
Valerie Shafer ◽  
Elyse S. Sussman
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Frequency Discrimination ◽  
Auditory Processing Disorder ◽  
Sensitivity Index ◽  
Small Frequency ◽  
Discrimination Ability ◽  
Frequency Changes

Background: Frequency discrimination is often impaired in children developing language atypically. However, findings in the detection of small frequency changes in these children are conflicting. Previous studies on children’s auditory perceptual abilities usually involved establishing differential sensitivity thresholds in sample populations who were not tested for auditory deficits. To date, there are no data comparing suprathreshold frequency discrimination ability in children tested for both auditory processing and language skills. Purpose: : This study examined the perception of small frequency differences (Δf) in children with auditory processing disorder (APD) and/or specific language impairment (SLI). The aim was to determine whether children with APD and children with SLI showed differences in their behavioral responses to frequency changes. Results were expected to identify different degrees of impairment and shed some light on the auditory perceptual overlap between pediatric APD and SLI. Research Design: An experimental group design using a two-alternative forced-choice procedure was used to determine frequency discrimination ability for three magnitudes of Δf from the 1000-Hz base frequency. Study Sample: Thirty children between 10 years of age and 12 years, 11 months of age: 17 children with APD and/or SLI, and 13 typically developing (TD) peers participated. The clinical groups included four children with APD only, four children with SLI only, and nine children with both APD and SLI. Data Collection and Analysis: Behavioral data collected using headphone delivery were analyzed using the sensitivity index d′, calculated for three Δf was 2%, 5%, and 15% of the base frequency or 20, 50, and 150 Hz. Correlations between the dependent variable d′ and the independent variables measuring auditory processing and language skills were also obtained. A stepwise regression analysis was then performed. Results: TD children and children with APD and/or SLI differed in the detection of small-tone Δf. In addition, APD or SLI status affected behavioral results differently. Comparisons between auditory processing test scores or language test scores and the sensitivity index d′ showed different strengths of correlation based on the magnitudes of the Δf. Auditory processing scores showed stronger correlation to the sensitivity index d′ for the small Δf, while language scores showed stronger correlation to the sensitivity index d′ for the large Δf. Conclusion: Although children with APD and/or SLI have difficulty with behavioral frequency discrimination, this difficulty may stem from two different levels: a basic auditory level for children with APD and a higher language processing level for children with SLI; the frequency discrimination performance seemed to be affected by the labeling demands of the same versus different frequency discrimination task for the children with SLI.

scholarly journals The Development of Language-Specific and Language-Independent Talker Processing

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 913-925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susannah V. Levi ◽  
Richard G. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Language Impairments ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Development Of Language ◽  
Perceptual Abilities

Purpose In this study, the authors aimed to investigate how differences in language ability relate to differences in processing talker information in the native language and an unfamiliar language by comparing performance for different ages and for groups with impaired language. Method Three groups of native English listeners with typical language development (TLD; ages 7–9, ages 10–12, adults) and 2 groups with specific language impairment (SLI; ages 7–9, ages 10–12) participated in the study. Listeners heard pairs of words in both English and German (unfamiliar language) and were asked to determine whether the words were produced by the same or different talkers. Results In English, talker discrimination improved with age. In German, performance improved with age for the school-age children but was worse for adult listeners. No differences were found between TLD and SLI children. Conclusion These results show that as listeners' language skills develop, there is a trade-off between more general perceptual abilities useful for processing talker information in any language and those that are relevant to their everyday language experiences and, thus, tied to the phonology. The lack of differences between the children with and without language impairments suggests that general auditory processing may be intact in at least some children with SLI.

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 Spectral vs. temporal auditory processing in specific language impairment: A developmental ERP study

2009 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 107-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Čeponienė ◽  
A. Cummings ◽  
B. Wulfeck ◽  
A. Ballantyne ◽  
J. Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Specific Language

Auditory Temporal Resolution in Specifically Language-Impaired and Age-Matched Children

1996 ◽  
Vol 83 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1171-1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny R. Helzer ◽  
Craig A. Champlin ◽  
Ronald B. Gillam
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Masking Condition ◽  
Threshold Criterion ◽  
Temporal Aspects ◽  
Auditory Temporal Resolution

Recently there has been renewed interest in the auditory processing capabilities of children with specific language impairment. In this study, eight children with specific language impairment and eight nonimpaired, age-matched peers completed a task to assess temporal resolution abilities. Children were asked to detect a tone in three masking conditions wherein the masker contained silent gaps of 0 msec., 40 msec., or 64 msec. in duration. Thresholds were measured in each masking condition at 500 Hz and 2000 Hz. Across the groups, thresholds decreased (improved) significantly as a function of increases in the duration of the gaps. Children in the two groups exhibited remarkably similar thresholds for the three masking conditions. However, children with specific language impairment required a significantly greater number of ascending trials to achieve the threshold criterion than did age-matched children. Results suggest that language-impaired children perceive temporal aspects of acoustic stimuli as well as their normally developing peers. Attentional mechanisms may play an important role in the difficulties they exhibit in auditory processing.

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