scholarly journals Early Phonological Predictors of Toddler Language Outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 442-453
Author(s):  
Kayla Gerhold ◽  
Catherine Torrington Eaton ◽  
Rochelle S. Newman ◽  
Nan Bernstein Ratner
Keyword(s):  
Language Skills ◽  
Expressive Language ◽  
Syllable Structure ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Phonological Development ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Structure Patterns

<b><i>Purpose:</i></b> Several studies have explored relationships between children’s early phonological development and later language performance. This literature has included a more recent focus on the potential for early phonological profiles to predict later language outcomes. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The present study longitudinally examined the nature of phonetic inventories and syllable structure patterns of 48 typically developing children at 7, 11, and 18 months, and related them to expressive language outcomes at 2 years of age. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Findings provide evidence that as early as 11 months, phonetic inventory and mean syllable structure level are related to 24-month expressive language outcomes, including mean length of utterance and vocabulary diversity in spontaneous language samples, and parent-reported vocabulary scores. Consonant inventories in particular differed at 11 and 18 months for 2-year-olds with lower versus higher language skills. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Limited inventories and syllable repertoires may add to risk profiles for later language delays.

scholarly journals The Association between Difficulties with Speech Fluency and Language Skills in a National Age Cohort of Children with Down Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 704
Author(s):  
Kari-Anne B. Næss ◽  
Egil Nygaard ◽  
Hilde Hofslundsengen ◽  
J. Scott Yaruss
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Speech Fluency ◽  
Age Cohort ◽  
Student’S T

The present study (a) addressed difficulties in speech fluency in children with Down syndrome and typically developing children at a similar non-verbal level and (b) examined the association between difficulties with speech fluency and language skills in children with Down syndrome. Data from a cross-sectional parent survey that included questions about children’s difficulties with speech fluency, as well as clinical tests from a national age cohort of 43 six-year-olds with Down syndrome and 57 young typically developing children, were collected. Fisher’s exact test, Student’s t-test, linear regression, and density ellipse scatter plots were used for analysis. There was a significantly higher occurrence of parent-reported difficulties with speech fluency in the children with Down syndrome. Higher language scores were significantly associated with a lower degree of difficulties; this association was strongest for vocabulary and phonological skills. Although difficulties with speech fluency were not reported for all children with Down syndrome, a substantially higher occurrence of such difficulties was reported compared to that for typically developing children. The significant association between difficulties with speech fluency and the level of language functioning suggests that speech fluency and language skills should be taken into consideration when planning treatment for children with Down syndrome.

scholarly journals Late-talking toddlers: MLU and IPSyn outcomes at 3;0 and 4;0

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 643-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
LESLIE RESCORLA ◽  
KATHERINE DAHLSGAARD ◽  
JULIE ROBERTS
Keyword(s):  
Expressive Language ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Late Talkers ◽  
Nonverbal Ability ◽  
Standard Deviations ◽  
Predictive Relationship

Expressive language outcomes measured by MLU and the Index of Productive Syntax (IPSyn) at ages 3;0 and 4;0 were investigated in 34 late talkers with normal receptive language identified between 2;0 to 2;7 and 16 typically developing comparison children matched on age, SES, and nonverbal ability. Late talkers made greater gains than comparison children between 3;0 and 4;0 in both MLU and IPSyn raw score. However, when age-standardized z-scores were analysed, the late talkers were about 2·5 standard deviations below comparison children on both measures at both ages. At 3;0, 41% of the late talkers had MLUs above the 10th percentile based on Scarborough's (1990) benchmark sample; by 4;0, 71% did so. Using the IPSyn, a more stringent measure, 34% scored above the 10th percentile at 3;0 and only 29% did so at 4;0. MLU was significantly correlated with the IPSyn at both ages for the late talkers, but only at 3;0 for the comparison children. A converging set of regression analyses indicated no group differences in the predictive relationship between MLU and IPSyn, suggesting that the late talkers were delayed on both measures but not deviant in their development.

Mean length of utterance among Mandarin-speaking children with and without DLD

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-179
Author(s):  
Shang-Yu Wu
Keyword(s):  
Language Disorders ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Developmental Language Disorders ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

This study explored the differences in mean length of utterance (MLU) and mean length of the five longest utterances (MLU5) between 5–6-year-old Mandarin-speaking children, and between typically developing children and children with developmental language disorders (DLD). Eighty-nine typically developing children and 35 children with a DLD participated in this study. The researchers collected, transcribed, and analysed language samples from these children. MLU and MLU5 were analysed and compared between the groups. The results showed that MLU and MLU5 were significantly higher for 6-year-olds than 5-year-olds. Also, both MLU measures were significantly lower for children with DLD than for typically developing children. The findings demonstrate that MLU and MLU5 can be used to evaluate language ability and to identify children with DLD among Mandarin-speaking children aged 5 and 6 years.

Verb inflections and noun phrase morphology in the spontaneous speech of Spanish-speaking children with specific language impairment

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
LISA M. BEDORE ◽  
LAURENCE B. LEONARD
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
General Linguistic ◽  
Verb Inflections ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Spanish-speaking preschoolers with specific language impairment (SLI) were compared to typically developing same-age peers (TD-A) and younger typically developing children matched for mean length of utterance (TD-MLU) in terms of their use of grammatical morphology in spontaneous speech. The children with SLI showed high levels of accuracy on present tense and past tense (preterite) verb inflections. However, their use of definite articles and direct object clitics was significantly more problematic than for either the TD-MLU or the TD-A children. Substitutions and omissions were observed, especially in contexts requiring plural articles and clitics. Many of the details of the observed Spanish SLI profile were predicted by Wexler's (Extended) Unique Checking Constraint (EUCC) proposal. Remaining details in the data could be accommodated by making additional assumptions within the same general linguistic framework as the EUCC. Some of the differences between the findings from Spanish and those from previous studies on related languages such as Italian suggest the need for clinical assessment and intervention procedures that are shaped as much by language-specific details as by the language's typology.

Dative prepositions in children with specific language impairment

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
BERNARD GRELA ◽  
LULA RASHITI ◽  
MONICA SOARES
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Word Selection ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Omission Errors ◽  
Selection Of

The purpose of this study was to evaluate children with specific language impairment (SLI) and their proficiency with the use of prepositions. Ten children with SLI were compared to 10 younger, normally developing children matched for mean length of utterance and 10 children matched for age. Each child was asked to produce 24 sentences containing locative (in, on) and dative (to) prepositions. Responses were coded for omission or word selection errors for the target prepositions. It was hypothesized that children with SLI would make more errors than the typically developing children. Omission errors would support a difficulty with syntax because of the role prepositions play in case marking. Word selection errors would support a deficit in the area of semantics. The results confirmed that children with SLI made more errors than the control group. The children with SLI made more errors in the selection of dative prepositions, indicating a difficulty linking the semantics of prepositions and verbs.

Contextual effects on the conversations of mothers and their children with language impairment

2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
MELANIE STICH ◽  
LUIGI GIROLAMETTO ◽  
CARLA J. JOHNSON ◽  
PATRICIA L. CLEAVE ◽  
XI CHEN
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Expressive Language ◽  
Contextual Effects ◽  
Book Reading ◽  
Language Tests ◽  
Play Interactions ◽  
Toy Play ◽  
Maternal Interaction ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

ABSTRACTTwenty-four mothers and their preschool children with language impairment participated in two 12-min sessions of toy play and book reading that were transcribed to yield maternal mean length of utterance in morphemes (MLU-m), type token ratio (TTR), and maternal interaction style (directive vs. responsive). Maternal MLU-m was significantly longer during book reading than during toy play, whereas TTR was similar across contexts. In contrast, children's MLU-m was similar across contexts, whereas TTR was higher during book reading. Mothers used an eliciting style characterized by more commands and questions during toy play than during book reading. Only maternal MLU-m predicted children's expressive language skills (i.e., a composite score of two standardized language tests). The implications include sampling both book reading and play interactions because they provide differential opportunities for conversation and language productivity.

Linking Infant-Directed Speech and Face Preferences to Language Outcomes in Infants at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 567-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Droucker ◽  
Suzanne Curtin ◽  
Athena Vouloumanos
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Group Membership ◽  
Risk Group ◽  
Expressive Language ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Infant Siblings ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Language Outcomes

Purpose In this study, the authors aimed to examine whether biases for infant-directed (ID) speech and faces differ between infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (SIBS-A) and infant siblings of typically developing children (SIBS-TD), and whether speech and face biases predict language outcomes and risk group membership. Method Thirty-six infants were tested at ages 6, 8, 12, and 18 months. Infants heard 2 ID and 2 adult-directed (AD) speech passages paired with either a checkerboard or a face. The authors assessed expressive language at 12 and 18 months and general functioning at 12 months using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (Mullen, 1995). Results Both infant groups preferred ID to AD speech and preferred faces to checkerboards. SIBS-TD demonstrated higher expressive language at 18 months than did SIBS-A, a finding that correlated with preferences for ID speech at 12 months. Although both groups looked longer to face stimuli than to the checkerboard, the magnitude of the preference was smaller in SIBS-A and predicted expressive vocabulary at 18 months in this group. Infants' preference for faces contributed to risk-group membership in a logistic regression analysis. Conclusion Infants at heightened risk of ASD differ from typically developing infants in their preferences for ID speech and faces, which may underlie deficits in later language development and social communication.

Lexical Diversity in the Spontaneous Speech of Children With Specific Language Impairment

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 927-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda J. Owen ◽  
Laurence B. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Developmental Differences ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Lexical Diversity ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

The lexical diversity of children with specific language impairment (SLI) (ages 3 years 7 months to 7 years 3 months) was compared to that of normally developing same-age peers and younger normally developing children matched according to mean length of utterance in words (MLUw). Lexical diversity was calculated from spontaneous speech samples using D, a measure that uses repeated calculations of type-token ratio (TTR) to estimate how TTR changes as the speech samples increase in size. When D computations were based on 250-word samples, developmental differences were apparent. For both children with SLI and typically developing children, older subgroups showed higher D scores than younger subgroups, and subgroups with higher MLUws showed higher D scores than subgroups with lower MLUws. Children with SLI did not differ from same-age peers. At lower MLUw levels, children with SLI showed higher D scores than younger typically developing children matched for MLUw. The developmental sensitivity of D notwithstanding, comparisons using 100-utterance samples, in which the number of lexical tokens varied as a function of the children's MLUws, and comparisons between 250- and 500-word samples revealed the possible influence of sample size on this measure. However, analysis of the effect sizes using smaller and larger samples revealed that D is not affected by sample size to the degree seen for more traditional measures of lexical diversity.

Is chronic otitis media associated with differences in parental input at 12 months of age? An analysis of joint attention and directives

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
KRISTINE M. YONT and ◽  
CATHERINE E. SNOW ◽  
LYNNE VERNON–FEAGANS
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Otitis Media ◽  
Joint Attention ◽  
Chronic Otitis Media ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Optimal Conditions ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Communication Development ◽  
Parental Input

A rather robust literature exists that views children's language development in the context of interactions with adults. This literature generally focuses on typically developing children and suggests that joint attention facilitates communication development whereas directives do not. In order to understand the crucial features of input supporting language acquisition, research must examine children in less than optimal conditions, including children with chronic otitis media (OM). Controversy exists regarding the outcomes of children with OM, and we argue that parental input is an important factor often neglected in research that may mediate language outcomes. The current study investigates whether parents interact differently with their 12-month-old children based upon children's OM status. The results indicate that parents of chronically affected children direct attention more often and engage in fewer joint attentional episodes than parents of nonchronically affected children. Findings suggest that chronic OM has a localized affect on attentional interactions, the forms of input consistently implicated in language acquisition. Thus, children with OM may receive less than optimal input than peers.

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