Verbal Working Memory but Not Attention Is Related to Language Proficiency: Evidence from Multilingual Speakers

Speech and language skills in a case of Watson syndrome

Watson syndrome is a rare genetic condition partly characterised by developmental delays and learning difficulties. A profile of speech and language skills associated with this developmental syndrome is yet to be described in the literature. In order to address this gap, this study presents the case of an 18-year-old man with Watson syndrome and reports both standardised and naturalistic assessments of speech, language, oro-motor skills, and semantic and phonemic fluency. Analyses included norm-referencing, discrepancy comparison, phonological process analysis, and acoustic analyses of voice and conversational fluency. The participant's semantic fluency approximated to the 84th percentile and the vocabulary, voice, and receptive language measures were within standard normative range. In contrast, expressive language difficulties and articulatory difficulties associated with impaired oro-motor skills were apparent. Specific tongue-motor difficulty impeded oral diadochokinesis, with gliding, stopping, and cluster reduction among the phonological processes observed to mitigate oro-motor difficulties. Language scores were lowest on tasks of working memory, syntax, and pragmatics, however neither syntax nor pragmatics presented increased difficulty in naturalistic conversation, indicating an influence of reduced working memory on language performance. The absence of explicit cognitive or communicative difficulty suggests specific speech and language difficulties. To conclude, the findings are discussed from both clinical and theoretical perspectives. Watson syndrome and the aetiology of communication difficulties are suggested as directions for future research, to validate these findings and diversify understanding of inclusive communication approaches.

Working Memory-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation: Spoken Language of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

This research examined the effect of the Working Memory-based Cognitive Rehabilitation (WMCR) intervention on the spoken language development of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. In this clinical trial study, 28 DHH children aged between 5 and 6 years were selected by random sampling method. The participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in the WMCR intervention involving 11 sessions. All participants were assessed pre-and postintervention. Data were collected by the Newsha Development Scale and analyzed through MANCOVA. The results revealed a significant difference between the scores of the receptive and expressive language of the experimental group that were exposed to the WMCR intervention compared with the control group. The receptive and expressive language skills of the experimental group indicated a significant improvement after the intervention. Therefore, the WMCR intervention is an effective method that affects the spoken language skills of DHH children. These findings have critical implications for teachers, parents, and therapists in supporting DHH young children to develop their language skills.