Comparative analysis of the acquisition of syllabic structure and errors in preschool children with SLI

According to the “Implicit grammatical rule deficit hypothesis” (Crago & Gopnik, 1994) adapted by Fee (1995) to phonology, CV syllable structure is universal and complex syllable structures are reduced to CV. Syllabic structures and their simplification processes were analysed in a group of children with SLI (N=5) and compared with those found in two control groups, one matched by age (N=5), and the other by MLU-w (N=5). The children with SLI were slower to acquire syllabic structures than the Age Controls, and maintained simplification processes that were not seen in their age-matched counterparts. Language Level Controls and the children with SLI presented differences in the first acquired structure, the CV. However, syllabic simplifications do not appear to be unique to the SLI; even though simplifications persist for longer in these subjects than in Age Controls, their prevalence is similar to that found in the MLU-w controls. Our results do not support Fee’s hypothesis.La estructura silábica y sus procesos de simplificación son analizados en un grupo de niños con Trastorno Específico del Lenguaje (TEL) (N=5) y comparado con aquellos encontrados en dos grupos de control, uno emparejado por edad (N=5), y el otro por el nivel de lenguaje medido con la Longitud Media del Enunciado por palabras (LME-P) (N=5). Lo niños con TEL fueron más lentos al adquirir las sílabas que sus controles por edad y mantuvieron procesos de simplificación que ya no se observan en sus parejas por edad. Los controles por nivel de lenguaje y los niños con TEL muestran diferencias en la sílaba que primero se adquiere, la CV. Sin embargo, las simplificaciones silábicas no parecen ser exclusivas de los niños con TEL; aunque las simplificaciones persisten durante más tiempo en estos niños que en los controles de edad, su prevalencia es similar a la encontrada en los controles de LME-P. De acuerdo con la "Hipótesis del déficit en la regla gramatical implícita" (Crago y Gopnik, 1994) adaptado por Fee (1995) a la fonología, la estructura silábica CV es la estructura silábica universal y las otras estructuras silábicas son reducidas por lo niños a esta. Nuestros resultados, por tanto, no apoyan la hipótesis de Fee

Comparative analysis of the acquisition of syllabic structure and errors in preschool children with SLI

According to the “Implicit grammatical rule deficit hypothesis” (Crago & Gopnik, 1994) adapted by Fee (1995) to phonology, Consonant Vowel (CV) structure is universal and complex syllable structures are reduced to CV. Syllabic structures and their simplification processes were analysed in a group of children with SLI (N=5) and compared with those found in two control groups, one matched by age (N=5), and the other by MLU-w (N=5). The children with SLI were slower to acquire syllabic structures than the Age Controls, and maintained simplification processes that were not seen in their age-matched counterparts. Language Level Controls and the children with SLI presented differences in the first acquired structure, the CV. However, syllabic simplifications do not appear to be unique to the SLI; even though simplifications persist for longer in these subjects than in Age Controls, their prevalence is similar to that found in the MLU-w controls. Our results do not support Fee’s hypothesis

Valoración del componente articulatorio del bucle fonológico del habla interior mediante una técnica conductual

Se hace una breve revisión de diferentes modos y técnicas para evaluar el pensamiento verbal y el llamado componente articulatorio del bucle fonológico del habla interior. A continuación, se presenta un procedimiento de investigación que utiliza una técnica paradigmática de tres tareas: se trata de un paradigma conductual basado en el recitado de un texto previamente memorizado y ensayado bajo tres condiciones diferentes: tarea I, voz audible, tarea II, habla interior, tarea III, habla interior con la lengua atrapada entre los dientes. Las tres tareas fueron llevadas a cabo por 403 adultos recitando o leyendo el Padre Nuestro en castellano o en catalán. El tiempo empleado para recitar el texto se midió en segundos. El mayor tiempo medio correspondió a la tarea I (voz audible); el tiempo medio registrado para la tarea II (habla interior) fue menor; y, finalmente, el tiempo medio para la tarea III (habla interior con la lengua atrapada entre los dientes) también fue menor al tiempo registrado para la tarea I, pero mayor que para la tarea II. Las diferencias en los tiempos medios registrados para estas tres tareas fueron estadísticamente significativas para toda la muestra y en submuestras por idioma, castellano y catalán, así como por el método de recitado del texto, memorizado o leído. Sin embargo, se observan diferencias intragrupales en los patrones de comportamiento que permiten hacer interpretaciones acerca del nivel de desarrollo del componente articulatorio del bucle fonológico del habla interior de los sujetos.________________________________It is made a brief revision of the different ways and techniques to evaluate the verbal thought and the phonological loop of inner speech. Next, an investigation procedure is presented, based in the use of the three-task paradigm –a behavioural procedure based on subjects reciting a previously memorised and rehearsed text in three different tasks: task I, overt speech, task II, inner speech, task III, inner speech with tongue trapped between teeth. The three tasks were carried out by 403 adults, reciting or reading the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”) in Castilian or in Catalan language. The time taken to recite the prayer was measured in seconds. The highest mean time corresponded to task I (overt speech); the mean time recorded for task II (inner speech) was lower; and the mean time for task III (inner speech with tongue trapped between teeth) was also lower than that recorded for task I, but greater than the mean time for task II. The differences in the recorded mean times for these three tasks were statistically significant in the whole sample and in subsamples by language, Castilian and Catalan, and by method of reciting the text, memorised or reading. Different individual behaviour patterns were, however, observed that allow us to make interpretations of the development of the peripheral movements of the phonological loop of the inner speech

Primera versión española del NEPSY para la evaluación neuropsicológica del desarrollo en una muestra de niños españoles

All the subtests of the first Spanish language version of the NEPSY were administered to a sample of 415 children aged 3 to 12 years old: 193 boys and 222 girls. For statistical analysis, the sample was divided into two groups: one comprising 98 children aged 3-4, and the other 317 children aged 5-12. First, the adjustment of the distribution of the different items of this Spanish version of the NEPSY subtests to the normal curve was checked. The usefulness of these subtests to assess the level of children’s development according to their chronological age was then tested using regression analysis. Finally, we checked that the raw scores on the subtest items of this Spanish version ofthe NEPSY differed significantly between 3 and 4 year olds and between 5 and 6 year olds: in each age pair, the mean scores of the older group increased inaccuracy and decreased in runtime and errors.Se administran todos los subtests de la primera versión en castellano del NEPSY a una muestra de 415 niños de 3 a 12 años de edad: 193 varones y 222 niñas. Para las tareas estadísticas, se separan en dos grupos: uno de 98 niños de 3-4 años y otro de 317 de 4-12 años. En primer lugar, se comprueba el ajuste de las distribuciones de las distintas variables de los subtest de esta versión española del NEPSY a la curva normal. Posteriormente se comprueba la utilidad de estos para verificar el nivel de desarrollo de los niños por su edad cronológica, mediante un análisis de regresión. Finalmente, se verifica que las diferencias en las puntuaciones directas de las distintas variables de los subtestsde esta versión española del NEPSY, entre los niños de 3 y 4 años y entre losde 5 y 6 años, son estadísticamente significativas, de forma que ambos grupos de niños mayores aumentan las medias en exactitud y disminuyen las del tiempo de ejecución y los errores en las diferentes tareas

The first Spanish version of the NEPSY for the assessment of the neuropsychological development in a sample of Spanish children

All the subtests of the first Spanish language version of the NEPSY were administered to a sample of 415 children aged 3 to 12 years old: 193 boys and 222 girls. For statistical analysis, the sample was divided into two groups: one comprising 98 children aged 3-4, and the other 317 children aged 5-12. First, the adjustment of the distribution of the different items of this Spanish version of the NEPSY subtests to the normal curve was checked. The usefulness of these subtests to assess the level of children's development according to their chronological age was then tested using regression analysis. Finally, we checked that the raw scores on the subtest items of this Spanish version ofthe NEPSY differed significantly between 3 and 4 year olds and between 5 and 6 year olds: in each age pair, the mean scores of the older group increased inaccuracy and decreased in runtime and errors

Oral morphosyntactic competence as a predictor of reading comprehension in children with specific language impairment

Background Children with a diagnosis of specific language impairment (SLI) present impaired oral comprehension. According to the simple view of reading, general amodal linguistic capacity accounts for both oral and reading comprehension. Considering this, we should expect SLI children to display a reading comprehension deficit. However, previous research regarding the association between reading disorders and SLI has yielded inconsistent results. Aims To study the influence of prior oral comprehension competence over reading comprehension during the first years of reading acquisition of bilingual Catalan-Spanish children with SLI (ages 7-8). Methods & Procedures We assessed groups of bilingual Catalan-Spanish SLI and matched control children at ages 7 and 8 with standardized reading comprehension tasks including grammatical structures, sentence and text comprehension. Early oral competence and prior non‐verbal intelligence were also measured and introduced into regression analyses with the participants' reading results in order to state the relation between the comprehension of oral and written material. Outcomes & Results Although we found no significant differences between the scores of our two participant groups in the reading tasks, data regarding their early oral competence, but not non‐verbal intelligence measures, significantly influence their reading outcome. Conclusions & Implications The results extend our knowledge regarding the course of literacy acquisition of children with SLI and provide evidence in support of the theories that assume common linguistic processes to be responsible for both oral and reading comprehension

Reading skills in young adolescents with a history of Specific Language Impairment: The role of early semantic capacity

This study assessed the reading skills of 19 Spanish-Catalan children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and 16 age-matched control children. Children with SLI have difficulties with oral language comprehension, which may affect later reading acquisition. We conducted a longitudinal study examining reading acquisition in these children between 8 and 12 years old and we relate this data with early oral language acquisition at 6 years old. Compared to the control group, the SLI group presented impaired decoding and comprehension skills at age 8, as evidenced by poor scores in all the assessed tasks. Nevertheless, only text comprehension abilities appeared to be impaired at age 12. Individual analyses confirmed the presence of comprehension deficits in most of the SLI children. Furthermore, early semantic verbal fluency at age 6 appeared to significantly predict the reading comprehension capacity of SLI participants at age 12. Our results emphasize the importance of semantic capacity at early stages of oral language development over the consolidation of reading acquisition at later stages

Language acquisition in a post-pandemic context: the impact of measures against COVID-19 on early language development

Language acquisition is influenced by the quality and quantity of input that language learners receive. In particular, early language development has been said to rely on the acoustic speech stream, as well as on language-related visual information, such as the cues provided by the mouth of interlocutors. Furthermore, children's expressive language skills are also influenced by the variability of interlocutors that provided the input. The COVID-19 pandemic has offered an unprecedented opportunity to explore the way these input factors affect language development. On the one hand, the pervasive use of masks diminishes the quality of speech, while it also reduces visual cues to language. On the other hand, lockdowns and restrictions regarding social gatherings have considerably limited the amount of interlocutor variability in children's input. The present study aims at analyzing the effects of the pandemic measures against COVID-19 on early language development. To this end, 41 children born in 2019 and 2020 were compared with 41 children born before 2012 using the Catalan adaptation of the MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDIs). Results do not show significant differences in vocabulary between pre- and post-Covid children, although there is a tendency for children with lower vocabulary levels to be in the post-Covid group. Furthermore, a relationship was found between interlocutor variability and participants' vocabulary, indicating that those participants with fewer opportunities for socio-communicative diversity showed lower expressive vocabulary scores. These results reinforce other recent findings regarding input factors and their impact on early language learning