Chapter 11: Language Disorders Part 1 Flashcards
Why is it important to study special populations
- they can help answer fundamental questions about the underlying abilities that contribute to language acquisition in general
- can lead to improved programs for facilitating language development in those populations
What question does studying deaf children help us answer
- Does language depend on the auditory-vocal channel
What question does studying blind children help us answer
- How do differences in input influence language development
What question does studying children with Intellectual Disabilities help us answer
- to what extent does language depend on general cognitive abilities
What are the problems with language development
- language development doesn’t always look like a straightforward line
- various conditions may impact language acquisition
- sometimes we don’t know the reason for a chid’s language difficulties
What is a language delay
- suggests that the problem is that the child’s language development lags behind that of other children
What does a language disorder imply about a child
- implies that the problem is a condition that the person has
- it is qualitatively different
What is a language impairment
- results that the problem impairs/ interferes with the person’s ability to communicate and function
What are the signs of a language delay/impairment from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
- doesn’t smile or interact with others (birth-3 months)
- Doesn’t babble (4-7 months)
- makes few sounds (7-12 months)
- does not use gestures (7-12 months)
- doesn’t understand what others say (7- 2 years, example, understanding directions)
- says only a few words (12-18 months)
- does not put words together to make sentences (1 1/2 - 3 years)
- has trouble playing and talking with other children (2-3 years)
- has trouble with early reading and writing skills ex: may not show interest in books or drawing (2 1/2- 3 years)
What is a language disorder/ impairment
- an impairment in comprehension and/or the use of spoken, written and or other symbol systems
- the disorder may involve language form, content and use
- the problem can be spoken, written or other symbol system
What is ‘Form’ in language
- essentially phonology, morphology and syntax (grammar of language)
What is the ‘content’ of language
- essentially semantics and world knowledge (vocab)
What is Use
- the employment of form and content, as well as knowledge of the rules of cooperative verbal interactions (turn taking) to fulfill communicative goals (pragmatics)
How do we determine impairment
TWO CRITERIA MUST BE MET
- the child must have a problem that affects functioning , there must be an adaptive dysfunction
- the child must have a problem relative to a comparison group, must score lower on a standardized norm -referenced test
- a child must have a disorder by both criteria in order to be considered to have a language disorder or impairment
What is Expressive language impairments
(understand language, cant express language aka thoughts into words is hard)
- able to acquire knowledge of language receptively but has difficulty with expression
- recognition is generally easier than recall
- when listening the child must simply recognize language
- when speaking they must recall words and produce the sounds and utterances
What are Receptive Language impairments
- the child can express themselves when in control of the topic but has difficulty understanding others
- they learn language but still have difficulty understanding language
- most cases: language abilities are not really that good if you look at them in depth
(less common)
What does it look like when a child has both expressive and receptive language impairments
- if a child does not understand language they will usually also have difficulty in producing language
- if they cant understand language that wont learn it and wont be able to use it
What other disorders can a language impairment co-occur with
- intellectual disabilities
- autism spectrum
- hearing impairment
- ADHD
What are specific language impairments (SLI)
- a language impairment thats occurs without any other diagnosed disorders
- applies to children who do not have impairments related to hearing, oral structure or function, or general intelligence (only language disorder)
How many children have an SLI
- about 7%
How should we treat SLI children in academic settings
- treat them as normal children who happen t have low language levels
What are Late Talkers
- children who have age-appropriate cognitive and social development but do not have 50 words in their vocab and not combining words by age 2
What is the difference between children with SLI and late talkers
- at age 2 it is not yet possible to tell
- ## late talking is generally the first indication the child may have a SLI
Statistics of Late talking children and language impairments
- 45-60% of late talkers turnout to develop normally, typically outgrow by 4
- children who continue to have problems are very likely to have had early language delays in comprehension and expression
Children with SLI symptoms
- more likely to make speech production errors or omit words in longer more grammatically complex sentences
- omit more morphemes and use less complex syntax at beginning of sentences
- poor at learning new words when presented at a fast rate
What is the connection between Processing and Working Memory
- working memory seems to be part of the problem in processing
- WM allows you to keep something in memory while u process it
- working memory seems to be limited in children with SLI
Can SLI be cured? How can we help SLI children
- language therapy can help but doesnt fix
- can improve but will face new problems
- school challenges increase, they will have more problems
- in many parts of canada sli children do not directly receive services after early grades
