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Theoretical perspectives on language and communication problems in mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

We argue that researchers interested in language and communication problems in mental retardation or any other developmental disorder should view such problems as emerging within the broader context of the behavioral profile, or phenotype, associated with a particular genetic condition. This will require understanding the direct and indirect effects of genes on the development of language and communication and thereby an understanding of the complex relations that exist between language and other dimensions of psychological and behavioral functioning as well as an understanding of the environments in which the developing person acts and is acted upon. We believe that the dominant model for understanding language and communication problems--the nativist approach, which emphasizes the child's innate capacity for acquiring language and characterizes language as consisting of a set of context-free deterministic rules that operate on abstract representations--is inconsistent with an emphasis on indirect genetic effects. We review recent evidence that undermines the nativist approach--evidence concerning the initial state of the language-learning child, the role of environmental input, the competence-performance distinction, and modularity. In place of nativism, we argue for Emergentism, which is a model in which language is seen to emerge from the interaction between the child's biological abilities to map statistical properties of the language input into a distributed representation and the characteristics of the language learning environment and for the purpose of engaging in real-time, meaningful language use.

Child↗

Expressive language development of children exposed to cocaine prenatally: literature review and report of a prospective cohort study.

It was hypothesized that prenatal exposure to cocaine and other substances would be related to delayed expressive language development. Speech and language data were available for 458 6-year olds (204 were exposed to cocaine). No significant univariate or multivariate differences by cocaine exposure group were observed. Classification and regression tree modeling was then used to identify language variable composites predictive of cocaine exposure status. Meaningful cut points for two language measures were identified and validated. Children with a type token ratio of less than 0.42 and with fewer than 97 word types were classified into a low language group. Low language children (n = 57) were more likely to be cocaine exposed (63.1%), with cocaine-exposed children 2.4 times more likely to be in the low language group compared with control children after adjustment for covariates. Prenatal cigarette, but not alcohol exposure, was also significantly related to expressive language delays.

Child↗

Hearing and language development in high risk and normal infants.

In the present study a group of 147 infants who are at risk for a loss are contrasted with 49 normal infants on an audiological screening battery, which is used to assess auditory and language variables. A descriptive comparison between expected and actual performance levels was made for both groups in regards to their respective receptive and expressive language, auditory localization, and speech detection threshold scores. In general the normal infants were found to perform at or above the expected performance level, whereas the high risk infants seemed to perform at or slightly below expectation. The interrelationships of these language and auditory variables along with age and birth weight were also calculated separately for each group. The direction and significance of these intercorrelations were the same for both groups with the exception of the birth weight correlations. These findings and their implications are discussed.

Attention↗

Neologisms and idiosyncratic language in autistic speakers.

Language samples from matched groups of 80 autistic, mentally handicapped, and normally developing children were coded for the presence of neologisms and/or idiosyncratic language use. Cognitive, social, or linguistic factors that might account for these errors were identified and assessed. More autistic subjects used neologisms and idiosyncratic language than age- and language skill-matched control groups. No single factor or combination of factors was responsible for this difference. Across diagnostic groups, similar patterns of error were noted, except that the autistic subjects were more likely to use words inappropriately that had no phonological or semantic similarity to the intended English word. For the autistic groups, the frequency of idiosyncratic language increased with language complexity. In contrast, such errors decreased with language skill in the mentally handicapped group. Theoretical implications for determining the nature and source of the language disorder associated with autism are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Outcomes of severe disorders of language acquisition.

Data on speech, language, performance IQ, school placement, and behavior are presented on 18 subjects diagnosed in childhood as "aphasic" and followed through adolescence. Results reveal that slow but steady growth in language is made, with expressive skills showing somewhat more rapid progress than comprehension. Performance IQ is highly correlated with language skills in later childhood and, along with receptive skill, is a good predictor of school placement. The diagnostic and prognostic implications of this information are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Conversational skills of individuals with fragile-X syndrome: a comparison with autism and Down syndrome.

The conversational skills of 18 individuals with fragile-X syndrome (FXS) were compared with those of two other matched groups with autism and Down syndrome. The FXS group used more eliciting forms in conversation than those with Down syndrome, and also used partial self-repetition more often than the other two groups. The Down syndrome group had more speech dysfluencies than those with autism, but not more than those with FXS. The autistic group used more inappropriate phrases. Qualitative analysis of behavioral phenotype may reveal differences in communicative organization among subgroups whose retardation is based on different genotypes. In addition, analysis of verbal strategies during conversation suggests important differences between individuals with FXS and autism.

Adolescent↗

The association of reading disability, behavioral disorders, and language impairment among second-grade children.

Children with language impairment (LI) have been shown to be at risk for reading disability (RD) and behavior disorder (BD). Previous research has not determined the specific pattern of these conditions associated with LI. This study sought to determine if the behavior disorder and reading problems represented different outcomes or if these conditions occurred together when found with LI. A group of 581 second-grade children, including 164 children with LI, were examined for spoken language, reading, and behavior disorder. The data for each of these areas were examined as dimensional traits and as clinical categorical traits. Reading and spoken language were found to be strongly correlated (r = .68); RD was found in 52 % of the children with LI and in only 9 % of the controls. Scores of parent ratings for BD were also significantly correlated with spoken language scores (r = .29). Clinical levels of BD were found in 29% of the children with LI and 19% of the controls. An examination of the co-occurrence of clinical levels of BD, RD, and LI showed BD in children with LI to be conditioned by the child's reading status. The data indicated that whereas RD was directly associated with BD, the association of LI with BD required the mediation of RD.

Child↗

Conversational analyses of males with fragile X, Down syndrome, and autism: comparison of the emergence of deviant language.

Deviant, repetitive language of 33 males (9 with Down syndrome, 12 with fragile X (fra[X]) syndrome, and 12 with autism) was analyzed within three conversational contexts: direct responses, initiation of new material, and topic maintenance. Results indicated that males with fra(X) manifest deviant, repetitive language that is distinct from males with either Down syndrome or autism. Thus, the deviant repetitive language of males with fra(X) cannot be accounted for by either their level of adaptive functioning or autistic-like behaviors per se. Possible explanations for this etiologically specific language deviance were discussed.

Adolescent↗

[Language development in children with cleft palate].

Children with cleft palate often suffer from hearing and speech and language problems. Detailed knowledge about the long-term outcome of various therapeutic strategies including velopharyngoplasty or speech therapy seems mandatory to design an efficient rehabilitation plan for affected children. In this follow-up study 417 children with cleft palate (excluding isolated cleft lip) were examined in an interdisciplinary approach by maxillofacial surgeons, orthodontists, otolaryngologists, audiologists and speech and language pathologists. We found that 92% of the children had speech or language disorders. 80% of those children frequently had mild or severe conductive hearing loss, with or without clinical signs of otitis media with effusion. In 58 children (14%) with rhinolalia aperta not being improved by speech therapy for at least 1 year, velopharyngoplasty with a cranially based pharyngeal flap was performed. Language skills did not correlate with the type of cleft palate, but with the frequency and degree of hearing loss. Using this interdisciplinary approach for early detection and therapy of disorders related to cleft palate, only 49% of affected children had to undergo speech and language therapy. Based on the results of this follow-up study presented here we propose that otologic examination, such a thorough audiometric testing, and a detailed speech and language evaluation are important cornerstones in the rehabilitation management of children with cleft palate.

Adolescent↗

Speech and language disorders in children and adolescents with schizophrenia.

This study examines communication characteristics and specific language deficits in 47 children and adolescents diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia using DSM-III-R criteria. All had been referred for speech and language services because of apparent communication problems. Standardized tests and formal measures were used to identify impairment in discrete areas of communication, including pragmatics, receptive and expressive vocabulary and syntax, abstract language, auditory processing, and speech production. Results showed that these discrete areas were variably involved, with pragmatics, prosody, auditory processing, and abstract language having the greatest involvement. The communication deficits identified in the early-onset group closely resembled the phenomenology reported in studies of the communication characteristics of adults with schizophrenia. This comparison thus lends further support to the presence of the same disorder as seen in adults. The roles of gender, mental retardation, and seizure disorders are also discussed as additional risk factors in the development of communication problems and schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗

Handedness and sex of children with developmental language disorders.

The handedness and sex of 4- and 5-year-old children with developmental language disorders were studied through a comparison of language disordered children and a normal control group and through a comparison of six linguistically homogeneous subgroups of language disordered children. Differences between the handedness of a generalized language disordered group and a normal control group were not found, possibly due to the multiple etiologies of developmental language disorders. Children with severe language disorders, however, were non-right-handed more often than children with mild language disorders. Furthermore, certain types of linguistic deficits were associated with non-right-handedness, whereas age and cognitive abilities were not. Males were more often language disordered than females; however, sex ratios did not significantly differ among the subgroups, possibly due to the small number of language disordered females in this study. Implications for cerebral laterality in developmental language disorders are discussed.

Child, Preschool↗

Psycholinguistic aspects of learning disorders: identification and assessment.

This article examines in detail the relationship between language and learning disorders in children of school age and the behavioral characteristics of children with language and learning disabilities. Guidelines are offered for screening for identification of language disorders and for differential diagnosis.

Child↗