Typical pattern of the Kaufman-Assessment Battery in children with developmental language disorder

Procedural visual learning in children with specific language impairment

PURPOSE

According to the procedural deficit hypothesis (PDH), difficulties in the procedural learning (PL) system may contribute to the language difficulties observed in children with specific language impairment (SLI).

METHOD

Fifteen children with SLI and their typically developing (TD) peers were compared on visual PL tasks-specifically, deterministic serial reaction time (SRT) tasks. In the first experiment, children with SLI and their TD peers performed the classical SRT task using a keyboard as response mode. In the second experiment, they performed the same SRT task but gave their responses through a touchscreen (instead of a keyboard) to reduce the motor and cognitive demands of the task.

RESULTS

Although in Experiment 1, children with SLI demonstrated learning, they were slower and made more errors than did their TD peers. Nevertheless, these relative weaknesses disappeared when the nature of the response mode changed ( Experiment 2).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, the authors report that children with SLI may exhibit sequential learning. Moreover, the generally slower reaction times observed in previous deterministic SRT studies may be explained by the response mode used. Thus, our findings are not consistent with the predictions of the PDH, and these findings suggest that language impairments in SLI are not sustained by poor procedural learning abilities.

Neuropsychological, behavioral, and adaptive functioning of Swiss children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome

This study collected data about developmental problems in a cohort of children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. In 2003, in Switzerland, 11 children with this disease were registered. Nine of them gave their informed consent to participate in the study and were examined. Clinical assessments were conducted, including examinations of neuropsychological, behavioral, and adaptive functions using Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children, Child Behavior Checklist, and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. The mean age (+/- standard deviation) was 7.5 +/- 2.5 years. The cognitive tests showed problems in working memory functions with a near-to-normal full-range intelligence quotient (87.4 +/- 23.3). The children showed normal values (t-values < 67) on problem scales of behavior, although 5 of the 9 children showed elevated values on the attention and on the social interaction problem scales. Adaptive function problems were identified in communication and daily living skills.

Events at early development: are they associated with early word production and neurodevelopmental abilities at the preschool age?

BACKGROUND

Obstetrical and neonatal complications and/or an adverse parenting environment are risk factors for language impairment, but little is known about their effects on early word production (late talking).

AIMS

To determine obstetrical and neonatal risk factors in children with delayed word production; to assess the influence of the parenting environment on word production; to determine whether the toddler's vocabulary competence is related to his/her social competence; to document the neurodevelopmental outcome at the late preschool age.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective follow-up study. Based on word production at 18 months, children were retrospectively classified into consistent or transient late talkers and controls.

SUBJECTS

Full-term infants, N=30 (mean GA 40.3+/-1.1 weeks, mean birth weight 3577+/-267 g) were assessed at 18 and 24 months; and 5 years and 7 months.

METHODS

Austrian Communicative Development Inventories; Bayley Scales of Infant Development; Griffiths Developmental Scales.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children; Touwen's neurological examination.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Lower Apgar scores and the need for neonatal intensive care were associated with delayed word production. The parents' educational and vocational levels were lower in late talkers. Early vocabulary competence correlated with social competence. With regard to the prediction of lexical and cognitive outcomes, late talkers did not differ from controls. Minor neurological dysfunctions (MND) were seen in nearly half of the late talkers and indicate the necessity to follow these children into school age, when MND might become more obvious and literacy can be assessed.

Diagnostik und Differenzierung sprachentwicklungsgest�rter Kinder?

BACKGROUND

Specific language impairment (SLI) is defined as a developmental disorder in which language comprehension and the child's ability to use expressive spoken language is markedly below the appropriate level for his or her mental age. The intelligence of SLI children is in the normal range, while their language abilities are impaired. "Normal intelligence", the defining feature of SLI is questioned in this study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Using IDIS (an inventory of diagnostic information in language impairment), we examined 138 children aged 5 and 6 years with severe language impairment; 108 SLI and 30 LI children. Various indicators of speech and language such as articulation, the ability to discriminate sounds, lexicon, grammar and pragmatic abilities but also auditory and visual perception, auditory and visual memory, fine and gross motor function were assessed.

RESULTS

The performance of the SLI children was significantly higher in most of the tests than that of the LI children. Factor analysis showed that the two groups also differed in the structure of performance. Auditory short-term memory was reduced in most children irrespective of intelligence.

CONCLUSIONS

We propose the retention of the differentiation of subgroups of developmental speech and language disorders depending on the level of intelligence.