SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Language Disorders”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 955 records · Page 53Linked to original sources

PubMed1995

Genetic basis of specific language impairment: evidence from a twin study.

Concordance rates were compared for 63 monozygotic (MZ) and 27 dizygotic (DZ) same-sex twin pairs, aged seven years and over, selected because at least one twin met diagnostic criteria for specific speech or language impairment. There was significant heritability for developmental speech and language disorder, defined according to DSM-II-R criteria. When the definition of the phenotype was broadened to include those with a past history of disorder and those with a less pronounced discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal ability, concordance for MZ twins was close to 100 per cent, and that for DZ twins approximately 50 per cent. There was also close similarity between concordant twins for type of disorder. There is good evidence that genetic factors play a role in the aetiology of speech and language impairment; twin data may help us arrive at a clearer conception of the phenotype as well as quantifying the extent of the genetic contribution.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Children's language learning: an interactionist perspective.

This review of children's language learning considers historical accounts of acquisition and individual variation, recent advances in methods for studying language learning, research on genetic and environmental input that have contributed to the interactionist perspective, and the relevance of cross-disciplinary work on language disorders and the biology of learning to future theories. It concludes that the study of children's language development is converging on an interactionist perspective of how children learn to talk, incorporating the contributions of both nature and nurture to emergent, functional language systems. Language learning is viewed as an integration of learning in multiple domains.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Dementia. Language and previous intelligence. Review].

Language disorders in patients diagnosed of dementia have been studied by different authors, especially in the last years. Alzheimer type dementia (ATD) causes the greatest damage in language, which is showed in the beginning as an nominal aphasia. Afterwards, ATD patients present a transcortical sensitive aphasia and finally suffer with a complete dumbness or global aphasia. In subcortical dementia (SDC) language functions are relatively kept whereas in vascular dementia (VD) this disorders have a pattern which could be compared with the one that is presented in the pure motor aphasia. In ATD verbal capacities are not disturbed in the same way. Thus, several tests as reading and vocabulary test in a loud voice are relatively resistant to mental damage process and this has been related to previous intellectual level of demented patients. Moreover, this tests are very useful in diagnosis of small dementia.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed1986

The topical relationship among adjacent utterances in productively delayed children's language addressed to their mothers.

Topic continuing and nontopic continuing utterances produced by three productively language-disordered preschoolers were examined. All children were intellectually, normal, exhibited multiple articulation errors, and produced utterances characteristic of children in Brown Stage I. Each child and mother participated in a videotaped 40-min free play activity. Communicative behavior emitted by mothers and children was transcribed using procedures described by Bloom, Rocissano, and Hood (1976). Subsequently, all intelligible child utterances produced adjacent to a maternal utterance were coded as imitative (maintained topic but added no new information), contingent (maintained topic and added new information), and noncontingent (changed topic). Results suggested that these productively disordered children produced a proportion of adjacent utterances comparable to proportions previously reported for children with normal production language skills (Bloom, Rocissano, and Hood, 1976). Further analysis suggested that these productively delayed children relied on an imitation strategy to continue conversational exchanges. Results are discussed in terms of intervention procedures suitable for children displaying conversational deficits, particularly the impact of phonological delay on conversational exchanges.

Child↗

PubMed1995

The responsibilities of speech-language pathologists toward children with ADHD.

The speech-language pathologist has the skills needed to be an active participant in both the diagnostic and intervention phases of the treatment of children with ADHD. Many of the behaviors that define ADHD are directly linked to communication. Westby and Cutler (1994) assert that "the strong association between language disorders and ADHD suggests the possibility of a common antecedent to both disorders, perhaps a temperamental or neurological characteristic linked to deficits in behavioral regulation" (p. 61). Although the speech-language pathologist may not have the security of standardized test scores to support his or her diagnosis, behaviors that cannot be tested (e.g., pragmatics and social interactions) may be keys to a child's classroom difficulties. As discussed, many of the criteria found in the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ADHD are characteristics of pragmatic skills. Supported by Barkley's (1993) new theory of ADHD which is based on poor response inhibition or inability to delay responses, the speech-language pathologist can be an important resource to both the teacher and parents by helping them understand the behaviors exhibited by an ADHD child. The impulsivity that is so disruptive in the classroom is directly linked to the inability to delay responses. It is agreed that continued research into the behavioral characteristics associated with ADHD as well as their long-term implications for learning is needed. ADHD is a multifaceted developmental disorder. There is no known cure for ADHD, and we are dependent on early diagnosis and ongoing intervention to reduce its lifelong effects. Effective treatment must be multi-modal and involve the coordination of a professional team as well as the child's family. It is vital that we help children with ADHD develop positive self-esteem, effective social skills, and good pragmatic language skills that will eventually have a positive impact on their functioning in all aspects of their interactions with their environment. If this is accomplished, the effects of ADHD will be minimized. The speech-language pathologist needs to take a leadership role in this process.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

PubMed1996

[Focal hypersynchronous activity in the EEG of children with specific developmental deficits: is there a clinical relevance?].

Focal hypersynchronous activity in children with specific developmental deficits: Are there any clinical implications? To determine the frequency of focal hypersynchronous activity (HSA) in the EEGs of a child and adolescent psychiatry client population we evaluated 762 patients between 3 and 15 years old. Children with neurological problems, including epilepsy, craniocerebral trauma and psychotic disorders, and children on medication were excluded, as well as those with general developmental delays or abnormal EEG findings (except focal HSA). We then compared our data with those of two epidemiological investigations, in which 1.9% and 2.4%, respectively, of the children without psychiatric problems were found to have focal HSA. The children in our study with dyslexia or disorders of motor function had significantly higher rates of HSA. The boys with psychiatric findings (except those with speech and language disorders) appeared to have a higher rate of HSA. These findings support the hypothesis that focal HSA is probably an expression of a cerebral dysfunction of genetic origin. The symptomatology seems to depend on the moment of manifestation and the localization.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Neurophysiological indices of language impairment in children.

Recent investigations of children with specific language impairment (SLI) have found deviant anatomical asymmetry of the perisylvian cortex. These studies argue that this deviant anatomical asymmetry is linked to the language disorders of SLI children. To date no studies have examined whether deviant functional asymmetry underlies the processing of spoken language in these children. In the current study, brain-electrical activity was recorded from 31 scalp sites while children with SLI listened to auditorally presented stories and two different nonsense contexts. Electrical activity was time-locked to the grammatical word "the" in these contexts. The SLI children showed reversed asymmetry compared to control children from 200 ms to 400 ms in processing "the" in all contexts. More specifically, they showed depressed processing at the left temporal scalp site (T7) and enhanced processing at the right temporal site (T8). The second spatial derivative (the Laplacian) of the voltage activity was calculated to remove constant voltage potential and uniform changes in voltage potential across the scalp. The Laplacian analysis indicated that the sources of the positive electrical activity seen at the temporal electrode sites T7 and T8 are the lateral surfaces of the temporal cortices. A comparison of the scalp topography of the voltage potentials and Laplacian also suggests that children with SLI lack some contribution from a deep neural generator, possibly in the hippocampus or basal ganglia. This investigation is the first to demonstrate a direct link between deviant neurophysiological asymmetry and the processing of spoken language in children with SLI.

Brain Mapping↗

PubMed2001

Technetium-99m ECD single photon emission computed tomography in brain trauma: comparison of early scintigraphic findings with long-term neuropsychological outcome.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of early brain scintigraphy in head injury in relation to long-term neuropsychological behavior. Twenty-four patients underwent technetium-99m (Tc-99m) ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) within 1 month of the trauma. Scintigraphic abnormalities were evaluated both visually and semiquantitatively using the brain-to-cerebellum ratio method. The clinical neuropsychological investigation was conducted to evaluate abnormalities related to motor deficit, frontal behavior, and memory and language disorders. All patients had abnormalities on SPECT scan. One year after trauma, 14 patients (58%) had neuropsychological sequelae. The brain-to-cerebellum ratios in the left basal ganglia and brain stem were significantly decreased in patients with memory disorders (P = .03 and P = .02, respectively). Moreover, SPECT visual analysis indicated that low uptake in the basal ganglia, thalamus, and brain stem was associated with subsequent motor deficit, frontal behavior, and language and memory disorders. The authors conclude that brain SPECT can be valuable in predicting the neuropsychological behavior of survivors of severe head injury.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

[Language in autistic disorders].

Autism is a developmental disorder affecting social relationships, communication and flexibility of thought. These three basic aspects of autism may present in many different forms and degrees. Therefore autism should be considered to be a spectrum of autistic disorders rather than a single strictly defined condition. The spectrum of autistic disorders extends from intelligent individuals with acceptable social integration, to severely retarded patients with scarcely any social interaction. Language is almost always affected either in its formal aspects or in its usage. Autistic linguistic disorders form a specific language disorder (developmental dysphasia) and a pragmatic disorder linked both to the primary language problem and to the social cognitive deficit. We discuss the different linguistic syndromes observed in autistic patients with special emphasis on the semantic-pragmatic disorder.

Asperger Syndrome↗

PubMed2002

[Transient cognitive disorder from sub clinical paroxysmal EEG activity].

INTRODUCTION: Transient cognitive disorder (TCD) defines the existence of a decrease in reaction time that coincides with an epileptiform EEG discharge, without any simultaneous manifestation of a classical epileptic seizure. Aims. To analyse the relation between episodes of TCD and the neurolopsychological manifestations in infancy that condition a high percentage of neuropaediatric visits to the surgery. At the same time we analyse the relation between the interictal paroxysmal disorders of patients with childhood benign partial idiopathic epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BIE CS) and the neurolopsychological manifestations that are frequently detected in such patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two groups of patients were studied. Group A: 23 children who sought medical attention because of different neurolopsychological disorders (language retardation, hyperactivity, lack of attention, retarded academic achievement, behavioural disorders, bad social interaction); gender: 16 males and 7 females; age interval: from 2 years and 10 months to 11 years and 1 month (average age: 6 years and 8 months). Group B: 10 patients who were BIE CS carriers, two of which evolved toward atypical BIE; gender: 5 males and 5 females; age interval: from 3 years and 3 months to 9 years and 9 months (average age: 7 years and 4 months). Both groups were submitted to a clinical examination protocol involving neurological, EEG, child psychiatric and psychological aspects. RESULTS: In group A, sub clinical paroxysmal EEG discharges were seen in three cases, two of which corresponded to a lack of attention disorder with hyperactivity, and the third had a generalised growth disorder. In group B we detected a high percentage of perceptive and psychomotor disorders, without the existence of differences between those who displayed an irritative focus in the right or in the left hemisphere, although the alteration in the level of language was greater in the latter. Likewise, in a large percentage of cases (80%) the evaluation of the level of personality revealed obvious anxiety traits, which were related with suffering from seizures. CONCLUSIONS: Sufficient evidence has been found to demonstrate the existence of the possible relation between different neuropsychological disorders and epileptic EEG discharges, although revealing it in daily clinical practice requires a thorough diagnostic protocol and an accurate neuropsychological examination under video EEG monitoring, the positive results of which are considered to be decisive in evaluating the possibility of pharmacological treatment.

Child↗

PubMed1988

Autistic spectrum disorders: clinical presentation in preschool children.

It is well recognized that children with "autistic features" constitute a very heterogeneous population. There is a growing consensus that the core symptoms seen in autism include deficits in: (1) social/affective/behavioral functions, (2) developmental language disorders with concomitant deficits in interpersonal communication, and (3) play/preferred activities/preoccupations which have a repetitive or stereotypic quality. The definition of the boundaries of "autism" as opposed to other related pervasive developmental disorders is widely debated among clinicians and research investigators alike. In the present paper, it is argued that autism is a cover term for a spectrum disorder with similarities and differences in the clinical presentation of preschool children. A model for subtyping the autistic spectrum disorders is suggested.

Ammonia↗

PubMed1979

Thought, language, and communication disorders. II. Diagnostic significance.

This investigation evaluates the frequency of various subtypes of thought, language, and communication disorders in 113 patients with diagnoses of mania, depression, and schizophrenia. It indicates that some types of thought disorder considered important occur so infrequently as to be of little diagnostic value, such as neologisms or blocking. The traditional concept of thought disorder, which emphasizes associative loosening, is also of little value, since associative loosening occurs frequently in mania as well as in schizophrenia. This investigation demonstrates that associative loosening can no longer be considered pathognomonic of schizophrenia. On the other hand, an approach that defines various subtypes of thought disorder and uses a concept of negative-vs-positive thought disorder does often permit a distinction between mania and schizophrenia. It is recommended that the practice of referring globally to "thought disorder," as if it were homogeneous, be avoided in the future and instead that the specific subtypes occurring in particular patients be noted in both clinical practice and research.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Predicting poor-communication status in preschool children using risk factors present at birth.

The speech and language status of 662 children between the ages of 30 months and 5 years was determined through the use of parent report information. Twelve of these children were reported by their parents to have been diagnosed as having a speech-language disorder, and 50 of these children were found to be at or below the 10th percentile in language development for children of their age. Information about family background and birth history obtained when these children were born was evaluated with respect to its power to predict speech-language status in these preschool children. A set of risk criteria was found to accurately predict 55% of those children with poor communication skills and 76% of those with normal communication development. This prediction was improved by the addition of data about the child's birth order. These results suggest that programs of preschool identification should consider the inclusion of a registry of children who are at risk for a communication disorder.

Birth Order↗

PubMed2001

[Assessment of the Dichotic Listening Test by Feldmann in children with developmental reading and spelling disorders].

In Germany the dD by Feldmann is a frequently used test in child assessment. Unknown, however, is the validity of the dD in the assessment of children with specific developmental language disorders. The dD by Feldmann are pairs of three-syllable content words which are presented dichotically. In this controlled cross-sectional study 65 children took the dichotic listening test by Feldmann (dD). The experimental group comprised 34 children with developmental reading and spelling disorders. The control group comprised 31 children with normal reading and spelling development. Age and nonverbal IQ were matched in both groups. The mean age was 9.8 years (range 7 - 11 years). The dichotic listening performance of right and left ear was registered separately. Twenty word pairs were presented dichotically at a constant amplitude of 65 dB. Memorisation of word pairs was tested under free recall conditions. A score of 100 % can be attained, if all word pairs are repeated correctly. Results demonstrated that no child attained a score of 100 %. As expected, the children with the developmental reading and spelling disorders attained significantly lower scores than the children in the control group (42.4 % versus 64 %). The reason for the lower results in the experimental group was left ear dichotic listening performance. There were no significant differences in right dichotic listening performance. Raw score overlaps occurred to some extent in both groups, but scores of 30 % or less were only observed in the experimental group. Scores correlated significantly with age, but not with nonverbal IQ. However, dD performance significantly correlated with several measures of phonological and syntactic language development as well as with auditory working memory. Based on these results it is our opinion that performance scores of the dD by Feldmann should be interpreted cautiously until validation studies have been carried out.

Agraphia↗

PubMed2005

A note on aphasia in bilingual patients: Pitres' and Ribot's laws.

Johann Gesner in 1770 probably provided the first description of dissociation in reading ability in different languages in a bilingual patient, who after brain damage was able to read Latin but not German. Clinical studies have since shown that bilingual 'aphasics' do not necessarily manifest the same language disorders with the same degree of severity in both languages. Superficially, different case findings indicate instances of shared and divergent representation of components of language in the bilingual brain. This paper considers a selection of many empirical studies, which have failed to reconcile the parallel recovery of language in many reported bilingual aphasiacs and the differential recovery in others. It reviews Pitres' rule (recovery of the most used acquired language) and Ribot's law (recovery of the native language) that are important concepts during recovery and rehabilitation of bilingual aphasiacs.

Aphasia↗

PubMed2006

Global aphasia due to left thalamic hemorrhage.

Global aphasia is an acquired language disorder characterized by severe impairments in all modalities of language. The specific sites of injury commonly include Wernike's and Broca's areas and result from large strokes--particularly those involving the internal carotid or middle cerebral arteries. Rarely, deep subcortical lesions may cause global aphasia. We present three cases with global aphasia due to a more rare cause: left thalamic hemorrhage. Their common feature was the large size of the hemorrhage and its extension to the third ventricule. HMPAO-SPECT in one of the cases revealed ipsilateral subcortical, frontotemporal cortical and right frontal cortical hypoperfusion. Left thalamic hemorrhage should be considered in the differential diagnosis of global aphasia.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Semantic dementia, a many-worded disorder].

INTRODUCTION: Semantic dementia is a progressive, relatively selective disorder affecting the semantic system with involvement of the verbal and non-verbal functions. The clinical picture is well characterised despite the confusion that may be generated by the different ways of classifying it. AIM. To determine the clinical, neurolinguistic, imaging and pathological features of this progressive language disorder. DEVELOPMENT: Evaluation of language reveals above all the existence of semantic paraphasias, disorders affecting the comprehension of isolated words and surface dyslexia. Flow of speech, complex syntactic comprehension and grammar are preserved. Both episodic and autobiographic memory are close to normality. Both the clinical signs and symptoms and imaging studies agree on the fact that the most heavily affected area is the anteroinferomedial region of the temporal lobe on a bilateral scale but with predominance of the left-hand side. Pathologically, in most cases positive intraneuronal ubiquitin inclusions are observed like those described in motor neuron diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Semantic dementia constitutes a diagnosis challenge, mainly from the neuropsychological point of view. Further advances towards reaching a diagnosis would allow us to determine which area is mainly affected and, in the future, to find an effective treatment for this progressive, degenerative disorder.

Aged↗

PubMed1997

Epidemiological and offspring analyses of developmental speech disorders using data from the Colorado Adoption Project.

Although the adoption design is the most powerful method to disentangle nature and nurture, it has not been applied previously to developmental speech or language disorders. The present study examined the speech outcomes of 156 adopted and nonadopted children at varying risk for speech disorders based upon self-reported parental speech history. The sample consisted of four groups: (a) 16 adopted children with an affected biological parent; (b) 19 adopted children with an affected adoptive parent; (c) 31 nonadopted children with an affected natural parent; and (d) 90 low-risk adopted and nonadopted children with no parental speech disorder history. Results revealed that 25% of the children with a genetic background of speech disorder displayed questionable speech, language, or fluency skills at age 7, in comparison to 9% of the children with no known genetic history. Logistic regression analyses indicated that positive biological parental background was the best predictor of offspring affected status. The child's Full-Scale IQ and the HOME Scale of family environment were not significantly associated with speech outcome. These results provide additional evidence that genetic factors contribute importantly to the vertical transmission of some developmental speech disorders of unknown origin.

Adolescent↗