Subgrouping children with familial phonologic disorders

Familial aggregation of speech and language disorders was examined as a basis of subgrouping children with phonologic disorders. Fifty-nine children with phonologic disorders were subgrouped according to whether or not other nuclear family members reported a history of speech/language disorders. Thirty-four subjects (58%) reported at least one other nuclear family member affected and 25 subjects (42%) reported no other nuclear family members affected. Groups were compared on measures of articulation, phonology, language, and oral motor skills to determine if the familial phonologic subgroup presented a unique profile of speech and language deficits. Significant group differences were not observed. However, children with positive nuclear family histories tended to perform more poorly than children without histories on all tasks, although not reaching significance. Although all parents were considered to have achieved normal adult articulation, parents of children with positive family histories also tended to perform more poorly than parents of children with negative histories. Results suggested that poorer oral motor coordination and productive phonology may distinguish individuals with familial phonologic disorders from individuals with phonologic disorders of unknown origin.     

The prevalence of language delay in a population of three-year-old children and its association with general retardation

Using a simple assessment of language and a behaviour screening questionnaire, a one-in-four random sample of a total population of three-year-olds was screened for the presence of language delay and behaviour problems. A full psycho-developmental assessment was carried out in children with suspected language delay or a behaviour problem, and in a group of control children, and the sensitivity and specificity of the language screening-test was examined. The results showed the importance of investigating language delay in relation to nonverbal abilities. Of those children with a language age less than two-thirds of their chronological age, 37 per cent also had similarly delayed non-verbal mental abilities. 50 per cent of the children with a language age of less than 30 months were generally retarded in their non-verbal abilities. The estimated prevalence of delayed language development is 31 per 1000, of specific language delay 5-7per 1000, and of severe retardation 4-2 per 1000. Boys were most likely than girls to have language and general developmental delay.     

Infants' early ability to segment the conversational speech signal predicts later language development: A retrospective analysis.

Two studies examined relationships between infants' early speech processing performance and later language and cognitive outcomes. Study 1 found that performance on speech segmentation tasks before 12 months of age related to expressive vocabulary at 24 months. However, performance on other tasks was not related to 2-year vocabulary. Study 2 assessed linguistic and cognitive skills at 4-6 years of age for children who had participated in segmentation studies as infants. Children who had been able to segment words from fluent speech scored higher on language measures, but not general IQ, as preschoolers. Results suggest that speech segmentation ability is an important prerequisite for successful language development, and they offer potential for developing measures to detect language impairment at an earlier age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Speech and language outcomes in preschool-aged survivors of neonatal intensive care

This paper reports on the second stage of a longitudinal follow-up of the speech and language outcomes in a cohort of children who required neonatal intensive care. From 3 years of age, when the first stage was completed, to preschool age, the rate for major overall communication problems rose from 13% to 17%. However, when children with frank neurological or intellectual problems were excluded, this figure dropped to 8%. The impact of perinatal, medical and environmental variables on speech and language outcomes was again investigated. Differences were found between those that were important at 3 years of age and those that were important at preschool age. New variables emerged as contributing to language expression, including gender and the perinatal variables, gestational age and respiratory distress syndrome. Maternal education level was even more important to language comprehension at preschool age than at 3 years of age. Factors that might explain improvement, or lack of improvement, in speech and language skills are discussed.     

Speech and language skills in children who required neonatal intensive care. I. Spontaneous speech at 6.5 years of age

Spontaneous speech at age 6.5 years was studied separately in a follow-up of speech and language skills in a regional cohort of 284 children requiring neonatal intensive care and in 40 controls. Eight aspects of spontaneous speech were evaluated in a conversation: A1, information; A2, speech motor function; A3, sound pattern; A4, word finding; A5, word selection; A6, grammar; A7, interaction; and A8, motivation. The children were grouped by gestational age. Most children had well developed spontaneous speech. The different groups showed very few differences in types of deviations in spontaneous speech. All groups differed from the controls in speech motor function and formal language (A2-A6), but only one child, born at <32 weeks, had a pronounced deviation in one of these aspects. Obvious deviations in one or more aspects of spontaneous speech were more common among children born at 28-31 weeks and in those born fullterm (> or =37 weeks) than among extremely preterm children born at 23-27 weeks.     

Speech perception, vocabulary, and the development of reading skills in english among Korean- and English-speaking children.

This study examined the roles of speech perception and phonological processing in reading and spelling acquisition for native and nonnative speakers of English in the 1st grade. The performance of 50 children (23 native English speakers and 27 native Korean speakers) was examined on tasks assessing reading and spelling, phonological processing, speech perception, and receptive vocabulary at the start and end of the school year. Korean-speaking children outperformed native English speakers on each of the literacy measures at the start and end of 1st grade, despite differences in their initial phonological representations and processing skills. Furthermore, speech perception and phonological processing were important contributors to early literacy skills, independent of oral language skills, for children from both language groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The morbid anatomy of the human genome: chromosomal location of mutations causing disease (update 1 December 1993)

Bound-morphine skills of school-age, language-impaired (LI) children were explored with three tasks designed to assess multiple dimensions of this component of language. Ten English-speaking, school-age LI children (Mean age: 10:3) and ten children with normal language (Mean age: 9:9) served as subjects. A two-way analysis of variance revealed significant group differences. Fisher a priori testing documented significant group differences for a measure of English bound-morpheme skill levels, a measure of ability to generalize English bound-morphemes to novel words, and a measure of ability to learn novel bound-morphemes attached to novel words. The findings indicate that core features of developmental language impairment in preschool children--poor ability to learn, to use, and to generalize bound-morphemes--are also present in school-age, LI children.     

Speech and language development of children born at < or = 32 weeks' gestation: a 5-year prospective follow-up study

Speech and language comprehension and production were assessed at the age of 5 years in a cohort of children born preterm at < or = 32 weeks' gestational age (N=55) in comparison with children born at term and of similar age, sex, and social backgrounds. Data both including and excluding major neurological disabilities are presented. Mean performance for the entire group of preterm children was significantly lower than for the controls on most of the measures including the composite IQ scores. When the nine children who had major neurological disabilities were excluded from the preterm group, statistically significant differences were found on four of the total 12 speech and language measures. Intellectually normal preterm children without major neurological disability were slower than the controls on rapid word retrieval. In addition, difficulties in comprehending relative concepts were typical for the preterm children. The results suggest 'subtle dysnomia', which is indicative of later reading problems. On global verbal measures and on the basic speech and language aspects the study groups did not differ. Specific language impairment, defined as a discrepancy of > 1SD between Performance IQ and Verbal IQ scores, showed a tendency to be more common in the control group. Within both the study groups, the boys showed a tendency for a greater discrepancy between their Performance and Verbal IQ scores.     

Verbal interaction in families of normal and expressive-language-delayed children.

Developmental expressive language disorder (ELD) is a condition characterized by a delay in the development of expressive language compared with receptive language and IQ. Conditions that might contribute to the origins or maintenance of ELD are poorly understood. Unusual verbal interactions between parents and ELD children might be implicated in the origins of ELD or might represent parental reactivity to the child's limited expressive skills. We compared verbal interactions in the homes of 28-month-old ELD children, and 17-month-old normal children matched on expressive ability with the ELD children. We analyzed frequencies of major pragmatic categories of parent and child verbal behavior as well as sequential relations involving those categories. Pragmatic interactions in the ELD families were substantially similar to those in the families of the normal younger children and different from those in the older normal children. A measure of the structural complexity of maternal speech (MLU) did not differ across the groups. These results indicate that pragmatic language interactions in the families of ELD children are determined largely by the children's level of expressive ability rather than by their age or receptive abilities. In this regard, the child directed speech of parents of ELD children cannot be considered deviant and cannot be implicated in the etiology of ELD. The sensitivity of parents to their child's level of expressive ability suggests the need for refinement in current hypotheses concerning child directed speech. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive, behavioral, and family factors in the differentiation of depressive and anxiety disorders during childhood.

Contribution of cognitive, behavioral, and family environment variables to the differentiation of depressive and anxiety disorders in children was explored. 59 children from Grades 4–7 (14 diagnosed with a depressive disorder, 16 diagnosed with depressive and anxiety disorders, 11 diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and 18 nondisturbed controls) completed measures of the depressive cognitive triad, depressive cognitions, social skills, family environment, and maladaptive family messages. Results of a stepwise discriminant function analysis indicated that 2 discriminant functions composed of 7 variables from the cognitive, behavioral, and family environment domains accounted for 91% of the between-groups variance. Results suggest that depressive disorders can be distinguished from anxiety disorders on the basis of ratings of cognition, social skills, and family environment. Implications for existing research and a model of depression during childhood are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consent: between legality and legitimacy or between "formal" and "informed" consent

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the conversational skills of preschool and school-age children with cleft lip and palate. DESIGN: The children were audio- and videotaped during interactions with an unfamiliar adult. In addition, standardized measures of speech and language were administered, and ratings of resonance were obtained. Comparisons were made between the children with cleft lip and palate and their same-age peers on measures of conversational participation and a standardized test of pragmatic skills. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 20 children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (10 preschoolers and 10 school-age children) recruited from the Craniofacial Team at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland (OH) and 20 noncleft peers matched for gender, age, and socioeconomic status. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Separate comparisons were made for the preschool children with cleft lip and palate and their noncleft peers, and the school-age children with cleft lip and palate and their noncleft peers on eight measures of conversational assertiveness/responsiveness and the standardized tests of pragmatics. Next, each child with cleft lip and palate was classified for level of conversational participation. RESULTS: Paired t tests revealed no significant differences between the preschool and school-age children with cleft lip and palate and their noncleft peers in level of conversational participation. However, individual child comparisons revealed less assertive profiles of conversational participation for 50% of the preschool and 20% of the school-age children with cleft lip and palate. CONCLUSIONS: Children with cleft lip and palate may show a less assertive style of conversational participation, at least during the preschool years. Therefore, craniofacial team evaluations should include examination of conversational competency, particularly for children who are demonstrating difficulty with other aspects of speech, language, or social development.     

Implant cochléaire et développement des échanges conversationnels.

Most researches conducted in the field of postimplant assessment have focused on the restoration of perceptual capabilities and the development of verbal language. In contrast, only very few studies have examined the impact of a cochlear implantation on children's overall development and, in particular, on their conversational language abilities. However, some previous works on the preverbal development revealed the recurrent difficulties experienced by deaf children in acquiring knowledge of social rules and social skills relative to speech activities. In children with profound bilateral deafness, a conventional hearing aid is not enough to provide sufficiently relevant information for a satisfactory development of oral communication. In such situations, the most suitable way of improving hearing is the use of a cochlear implant. The authors therefore hypothesized that access to oral perception will not only improve implanted children's social skills, but will also increase their rate of participation and the use of verbal language in their interaction with a familiar adult (mother or father). Their communication skills profile would resemble that of younger normal hearing children. Using conversational samples from a video-filming protocol at specific intervals, the authors monitored the development of communication skills in a group of 20 prelingually, profoundly deaf children (mean age: 3.7 years). Results corroborated our hypothesis. They indicated that children using cochlear implants increased their overall performance in communication skills, quantitatively and qualitatively speaking, even at the first year postimplantation stage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hearing capacity and speech production in 417 children with facial cleft abnormalities

Children with cleft palates often suffer from chronic conductive hearing losses, delayed language acquisition and speech disorders. This study presents results of speech and language outcomes in relation to hearing function and types of palatal malformations found. 417 children with cleft palates were examined during followup evaluations that extended over several years. Disorders were studied as they affected the ears, nose and throat, audiometry and speech and language pathology. Children with isolated cleft lips were excluded. Among the total group, 8% had normal speech and language development while 92% had speech or language disorders. 80% of these latter children had hearing problems that predominantly consisted of fluctuating conductive hearing losses caused by otitis media with effusion. 5% had sensorineural hearing losses. Fifty-eight children (14%) with rhinolalia aperta were not improved by speech therapy and required velopharyngoplasties, using a cranial-based pharyngeal flap. Language skills did not depend on the type of cleft palate presents but on the frequency and amount of hearing loss found. Otomicroscopy and audiometric follow-ups with insertions of ventilation tubes were considered to be most important for language development in those children with repeated middle ear infections. Speech or language therapy was necessary in 49% of the children.     

Development of phonological sensitivity in 2- to 5-year-old children.

This study examined phonological sensitivity in 238 children from middle- to upper-income families and 118 children from lower-income families across different levels of linguistic complexity. Children ranged in age from 2 to 5 years. Overall, the results indicated that as children increased in age, phonological sensitivity both increased in absolute terms and became more stable. Significant social class differences in growth of phonological sensitivity were also obtained. Phonological sensitivity at different levels of linguistic complexity (e.g., syllables, phonemes) was substantially interrelated at each age and predicted word reading ability in older children independently of language skills and letter knowledge. These results indicate that phonological sensitivity can be assessed in young preschool children and that lower levels of phonological sensitivity may serve as developmental precursors to higher levels of phonological sensitivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linguistic environment of 1- to 2-year-old twins.

Investigated differences in the language learning environments of singletons and twins, with special reference to pragmatic factors that might be expected to differ in dyadic and triadic interactive situations. Six twin pairs and 12 singleton children (all firstborn) were observed in natural interactions with their mothers, once at 15 mo of age and again at 21 mo of age. Findings reveal that twins were lower than singletons on all measures of language development and that their language learning environments were significantly different. Although twin mothers spoke and interacted with their children as much as singleton mothers when twins were analyzed together, when analyzed as individuals, twin children received less speech directed specifically to them, participated in fewer and shorter episodes of joint attentional focus, and had fewer and shorter conversations with their mothers. Twin mothers were also more directive in their interactional styles. Correlational analyses indicated that variation of these language learning environment factors for the sample as a whole, and variation for some of these factors within the twin group itself, were related to early language growth. It is proposed that both the quantitative and qualitative differences observed in the language learning environments of singletons and twins derive from the nature of the triadic situation and that these differences have important effects on the child's early language development. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social interaction skills and theory of mind in young children.

Two studies explored relations between peer social skills and theory of mind in young children. In Study 1, a global teacher rating of social skills with peers, performance on a traditional false-belief task, a standardized assessment of auditory language comprehension, and a time sampling of amount of speech with peers were obtained. Positive, but moderate, zero-order correlations were observed between the false-belief measure and social skills, and false belief accounted for a significant amount of additional variance in social skills after covarying age and the 2 measures of language. Study 2 replicated the findings of Study 1 by using a larger sample and a standardized teacher questionnaire. The results are discussed with regard to the critical role of a mentalistic theory of behavior for human social interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Home alone and other inadequately supervised children

This study examined the relationship between a mother's motivation, capacities, and opportunities, and how much supervision her children received. Ninety-five mothers who adequately supervised their children were compared with a demographically comparable sample of 37 mothers who did not. Mothers who provided inadequate supervision were less motivated, had fewer problem-solving and social skills, and were more likely to move, be homeless, and have inadequate housing. No differences were found between the groups on perceived social support. Families with supervision problems tended to have an adult or child in the family with one or more problems. A discriminant analysis showed that less education and poorer problem-solving skills made the largest contribution to the function.     

The development of phonological awareness in preschool children.

A short-term longitudinal study was carried out on a group of 67 preschool children. At three points in time over a 12-month period, the children were given tests measuring their syllable, rime, and phoneme awareness, speech and language skills, and letter knowledge. In general, children's rime skills developed earlier than their phoneme skills. Structural equation models showed that articulatory skills and syllable and rime awareness predicted later phoneme awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting Academic Difficulties: Does a Complex, Multidimensional Model Outperform a Unidimensional Teacher Rating Scale?

The main objective of this study was to compare a multidimensional model (i.e., including social, cognitive, physical, behavioural, and language functioning) of academic readiness and a unidimensional teacher-rated screening questionnaire on the basis of accuracy in predicting future problems in children. The participants were 146 children (80 boys and 66 girls) living in disadvantaged communities in Ontario, Canada. Data were collected in junior kindergarten and at Grade 3. Constructs were assessed with multiple methods and multiple raters. Results for the multidimensional model indicated that social-behavioural functioning, and to a lesser extent, cognitive/language skills were most salient in differentiating between children with problems and those without. The multidimensional model had accuracy and sensitivity comparable to the unidimensional model, but the multidimensional model also had a high rate of false positives as indicated by poor specificity. Implications for identifying high-risk children are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)