scholarly journals Diagnostic Accuracy of the Photographic Expressive Persian Grammar Test to Identify 4-6 Years Old Children With Developmental Language Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-354
Author(s):  
Toktam Maleki ShahMahmood ◽  
◽  
Zahra Ghayoumi-Anaraki ◽  
Abbas Ebadi ◽  
Fatemeh Haresabadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Clinical Judgment ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Accurate Diagnosis ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Objectives: Accurate diagnosis of Persian children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is regarded as a challenge for Speech and Language Pathologists (SLPs) in Iran because of the lack of formal linguistic tests that can reliably distinguish language-impaired children from Typically-Developing (TD) children. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of the photographic expressive Persian Grammar Test (PEGT). Methods: The participants were forty 4-6 years old monolingual Persian speakers who were categorized into two groups of DLD (n=20) and TD (n=20) children based on the MLU (mean length of utterance) scores as the reference standard and clinical judgment of an experienced speech-language pathologist. PEGT was administered to all participants, and the results were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test and Rock Chart (ROC) to estimate the ability of the PEGT to differentiate between children with DLD and TD and to determine its sensitivity, specificity, and the optimal cutoff point. Results: The results revealed that children with DLD performed significantly lower than their TD peers in the PEGT (P<0.05). Both sensitivity and specificity measures of PEGT were estimated as 100% at the optimal cut-off point of 12.5. Discussion: The data provide empirical support for the use of the PEGT for accurate diagnosis of preschool children with DLD from their TD peers.

Considering the Language Disorder Label Debate From a School Speech-Language Pathology Lens

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. Murza ◽  
Barbara J. Ehren
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist ◽  
School Based ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Education Act

Purpose The purpose of this article is to situate the recent language disorder label debate within a school's perspective. As described in two recent The ASHA Leader articles, there is international momentum to change specific language impairment to developmental language disorder . Proponents of this change cite increased public awareness and research funding as part of the rationale. However, it is unclear whether this label debate is worthwhile or even practical for the school-based speech-language pathologist (SLP). A discussion of the benefits and challenges to a shift in language disorder labels is provided. Conclusions Although there are important arguments for consistency in labeling childhood language disorder, the reality of a label change in U.S. schools is hard to imagine. School-based services are driven by eligibility through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which has its own set of labels. There are myriad reasons why advocating for the developmental language disorder label may not be the best use of SLPs' time, perhaps the most important of which is that school SLPs have other urgent priorities.

Elicitor Effects on the Language Obtained from Young Language-Impaired Children

1978 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley B. Olswang ◽  
Robert L. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Setting ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Semantic Categories ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist ◽  
Evaluation Procedures ◽  
Grammatical Morphemes ◽  
Language Evaluations ◽  
Expressive Language Development ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Impaired Children

Language samples are typically obtained during speech and language evaluations by the speech-language pathologist to assess the level of expressive language development of young children. These samples are assumed to be accurate representations of the children’s language skills. This study examines the effects of the elicitor on the language obtained from three- to six-year-old language-impaired children in a clinical setting. A corpus of nonimitated utterances was collected in 25 min from each of the nine subjects under two conditions: mother as elicitor and clinician as elicitor. The corpus of language collected under each condition was examined using the following measures: (1) numeric-number of utterances; (2) lexical-vocabulary type-token ratio: (3) grammatic-mean length of utterance, (4) percentage of one-morpheme utterances, (5) percentage of two-morpheme utterances, (6) percentage of three- or more morpheme utterances, (7) proportion of grammatical morphemes per utterance (8) semantic-percentage occurrence of semantic categories, and (9) type-token ratio for each of the 13 semantic categories. The data analysis revealed that the elicitor affected the number of utterances collected in a specific time period, but neither the lexical, grammatic, nor semantic aspects of the utterances were affected. The results state practical implications for evaluation procedures used in a clinical setting.

scholarly journals The Effects of Frequency and Predictability on Repetition in Children With Developmental Language Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1165-1180
Author(s):  
Justin B. Kueser ◽  
Laurence B. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Language Production ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
High Predictability ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Repetition Task

Purpose Studies have shown that children with typical development (TD) respond to frequency and predictability when repeating nonidiomatic multiword sequences (e.g., go wash your hands ). We extended these findings by explicitly examining the interaction between frequency and predictability in a repetition task for children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and children with TD. Method We created 48 four-word phrases, manipulating two factors: the frequency of occurrence of the entire four-word phrase (e.g., look in the mirror vs. look in the basket ) and the predictability of the fourth word in the phrase given the preceding three words (e.g., corn on the ___ vs. look in the ___ ). These phrases were presented in a repetition task to 17 children with DLD ( M age = 58.89 months), 19 same-age children with TD ( M age = 59.79 months), and 17 younger children with TD matched to the DLD group on nonword repetition and mean length of utterance ( M age = 38.94 months). Children's repetitions were judged for the presence or absence of word and morphological errors. Only the first three words of the sequence were scored (e.g., look in the ). Results We found a main effect of sequence frequency, with high-frequency sequences being repeated more accurately than low-frequency sequences, modulated by a significant interaction with predictability, where the effect of sequence frequency was larger for sequences with high-predictability contexts than for sequences with low-predictability contexts. We also found a significant effect of group, with children with DLD demonstrating poorer overall performance, particularly when compared to the same-age group with TD. Conclusions Frequency and predictability are strong predictors of language production in children with TD. These factors also have effects for children with DLD, raising important clinical questions about the design of facilitative contexts for the teaching of difficult linguistic forms.

scholarly journals Identifying Developmental Language Disorder in Vietnamese Children

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1452-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giang T. Pham ◽  
Sonja Pruitt-Lord ◽  
Catherine E. Snow ◽  
Yen Hoang Thi Nguyen ◽  
Ben Phạm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Disorder ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Clinical Markers ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Language Sampling ◽  
Language Measures ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Purpose Developmental language disorder (DLD), defined by low language performance despite otherwise normal development, can negatively impact children's social and academic outcomes. This study is the 1st to examine DLD in Vietnamese. To lay the foundation, we identified cases of DLD in Vietnam and explored language-specific characteristics of the disorder. Method Teacher ratings of 1,250 kindergarteners living in Hanoi, Vietnam, were used to recruit children with and without risk for DLD. One hundred four children completed direct measures of vocabulary and language sampling, and their parents completed in-depth surveys. We examined convergence and divergence across tasks to identify measures that could serve as reliable indicators of risk. Then, we compared performance on direct language measures across ability levels. Results There were positive associations between teacher and parent report and between report and direct language measures. Three groups were identified based on convergence across measures: DLD, some risk for DLD, and no risk. The DLD group performed lowest on measures of receptive and expressive vocabulary, mean length of utterance, and grammaticality. Although children with DLD exhibited a greater number of errors, the types of errors found were similar across DLD and No Risk groups. Conclusions Similar to rates found globally, 7% of the kindergarten population in Vietnam exhibited risk for DLD. Results highlight the importance of parent and teacher report and the value of multiple measures to identify DLD. We discuss potential clinical markers for DLD in the Vietnamese language and outline future directions.

scholarly journals Comparing Tense and Agreement Productivity in Boys With Fragile X Syndrome, Children With Developmental Language Disorder, and Children With Typical Development

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1181-1194
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Hilvert ◽  
Jill Hoover ◽  
Audra Sterling ◽  
Susen Schroeder
Keyword(s):  
Fragile X Syndrome ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Fragile X ◽  
Past Tense ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Complicated Pattern ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Purpose This study compared and characterized the tense and agreement productivity of boys with fragile X syndrome (FXS), children with developmental language disorder (DLD), and children with typical development (TD) matched on mean length of utterance. Method Twenty-two boys with FXS ( M age = 12.22 years), 19 children with DLD ( M age = 4.81 years), and 20 children with TD ( M age = 3.23 years) produced language samples that were coded for their productive use of five tense markers (i.e., third-person singular, past tense –ed , copula BE , auxiliary BE , and auxiliary DO ) using the tense and agreement productivity score. Children also completed norm-referenced cognitive and linguistic assessments. Results Children with DLD generally used tense and agreement markers less productively than children with TD, particularly third-person singular and auxiliary BE . However, boys with FXS demonstrated a more complicated pattern of productivity, where they were similar to children with DLD and TD, depending on the tense marker examined. Results revealed that children with DLD and TD showed a specific developmental sequence of the individual tense markers that aligns with patterns documented by previous studies, whereas boys with FXS demonstrated a more even profile of productivity. Conclusions These findings help to further clarify areas of overlap and discrepancy in tense and agreement productivity among boys with FXS and children with DLD. Additional clinical implications of these results are discussed.

The language phenotype of a small geographically isolated Russian-speaking population: Implications for genetic and clinical studies of developmental language disorder

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 971-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
NATALIA RAKHLIN ◽  
SERGEY A. KORNILOV ◽  
DEAN PALEJEV ◽  
ROMAN A. KOPOSOV ◽  
JOSEPH T. CHANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Heterogeneous Structure ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

ABSTRACTThis article describes the results of an epidemiological study of developmental language disorder (DLD) in an isolated rural Russian population. We report an atypically high prevalence of DLD across all age groups when contrasted with a comparison population. The results are corroborated by a set of comparisons of school-aged children from the target population with their age peers and mean length of utterance matches from the comparison population. We also investigate the relationship between nonverbal cognition, verbal working memory, and expressive language performance in the population, and find statistically significant but small effect sizes. Finally, we describe the complex and heterogeneous structure of the phenotype in the population along with patterns of its vertical transmission on the basis of the exemplar pedigrees, and discuss the implications of our findings for genetic and clinical studies of DLD.

An exploratory study of verbal interaction between children with different profiles of DLD and their classroom teachers in educational dialogues

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-201
Author(s):  
Barbro Bruce ◽  
Kristina Hansson
Keyword(s):  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Interactive Behavior ◽  
Language Difficulties ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Children with a history of developmental language disorder (DLD) entering school are a challenge for classroom teachers. Teachers are often not very familiar with DLD, and language difficulties in school age children are often not obvious in context-supported everyday language. However, their language is still vulnerable. The teachers’ way of talking with four children with DLD, two with predominantly production difficulties and stronger language comprehension and two with language comprehension difficulties were studied in two types of context, differing in their degree of structure. Variables for a quantitative analysis were number of words per minute and mean length of utterance (MLU) in words for both teachers and children, and the number of questions asked by the teacher. A qualitative analysis focused on identifying typical characteristics depending on context and the child’s type of difficulties. In both contexts the teachers talked more than the children, but the difference was smaller in the less structured context, mainly because the children talked more. The two children with predominantly production difficulties seemed to take advantage of the opportunities to take initiatives offered in the less structured context. The children with comprehension difficulties function better in the more structured context, where their comprehension difficulties were less obvious. Studies with more rigorous design analysing more aspects of teacher’s interactive behavior in different contexts and with children with different linguistic profiles are needed to provide teachers with information to raise their awareness of how to provide support adapted to the linguistic profiles of children with DLD.

scholarly journals Nonword Repetition Performance of Arabic-Speaking Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder: A Study on Diagnostic Accuracy

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Juhayna Taha ◽  
Vesna Stojanovik ◽  
Emma Pagnamenta
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Cutoff Score ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Palestinian Arabic ◽  
Arabic Speaking

Purpose This study evaluates the effectiveness of a nonword repetition (NWR) task in discriminating between Palestinian Arabic–speaking children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and age-matched typically developing (TD) children. Method Participants were 30 children with DLD aged between 4;0 and 6;10 (years;months) and 60 TD children aged between 4;0 and 6;8 matched on chronological age. The Arabic version of a Quasi-Universal NWR task was administered. The task comprises 30 nonwords that vary in length, presence of consonant clusters (CCs) and wordlikeness ratings. Responses were scored using an item-level scoring method to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the task. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted to determine the best cutoff point with the highest sensitivity and specificity values, and likelihood ratios were calculated. Results Children with DLD scored significantly lower on the NWR task than their age-matched TD peers. Only the DLD group was influenced by the phonological complexity of the nonwords, with nonwords with two CC being more difficult than nonwords with no or only one CC. For both groups, three-syllable nonwords were repeated less accurately than two- and one-syllable nonwords. Also, high word-like nonwords were repeated more accurately than nonwords with low wordlikeness ratings. The best cutoff score had sensitivity and specificity of 93% and highly informative likelihood ratios. Conclusions NWR was an area of difficulty for Palestinian Arabic–speaking children with DLD. NWR showed excellent discriminatory power in differentiating Arabic-speaking children diagnosed with DLD from their age-matched TD peers. NWR appears to hold promise for clinical use as it is a useful indicator of DLD in Arabic. These results need to be further validated using population-based studies. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14880360

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.

scholarly journals Tzanakis Score vs Alvarado in Acute Appendicitis

2010 ◽  
Vol 49 (178) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Sigdel ◽  
PJ Lakhey ◽  
PR Misra
Keyword(s):  
Acute Appendicitis ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Randomized Study ◽  
Final Diagnosis ◽  
Accurate Diagnosis ◽  
Negative Appendectomy ◽  
Alvarado Score ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Time Of Admission

INTRODUCTION:  Acute appendicitis is a common surgical emergency. Accurate diagnosis and timely intervention reduces mortality and morbidity. This study compared the efficacy of Tzanakis and Alvarado score in diagnosis of acute appendicitis. METHODS: A prospective, non randomized study was conducted in 100 consecutive patients who had undergone emergency appendectomy from May 2008 to October 2008. Tzanakis and Alvarado scores were obtained at the time of admission. Final diagnosis of acute appendicitis was based on histological findings. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity and overall diagnostic accuracy of Tzanakis score was 91.48% and 66.66% and 90% respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and overall diagnostic accuracy of Alvarado score was 81.91% and 66.66% and 81% respectively. Negative appendectomy rate was 6%. CONCLUSIONS: Tzanakis score is an effective modality to establish the accurate diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Keywords: acute appendicities, Tzanakis score, Alvarado Score.

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