Susan Ellis Weismer

The Role of Processing Limitations in Early Identification of Specific Language Impairment.

This article considers how information regarding processing limitations in children with specific language impairment (SLI) might be extended to assist in early identification of toddlers at risk for language disorder. A brief review of the evidence for processing capacity limitations in SLI is provided, along with results from longitudinal studies of toddlers with late onset of language development. Preliminary findings are presented from an ongoing investigation of early lexical processing for 15 late talking toddlers and 15 controls whose performance was assessed on a novel word learning task. Assessment implications of a processing based account of language impairment are discussed. Key words: assessment, cultural diversity, language disorder, language outcomes, late talkers, limited processing capacity, processing measures, specific language impairment

Capacity Limitations in Working Memory: The Impact on Lexical and Morphological Learning by Children with Language Impairment.

This article examines claims regarding the role of capacity limitations in working memory for children with specific language impairment (SLI). Evidence is presented from novel lexical and morphological learning tasks that indicates that variations in the speaking rate of linguistic models influence the ability of children with SLI to learn these new forms. Preliminary results on verbal working memory tasks also are reported. Implications of purported capacity limitations for intervention with children with SLI are discussed.

Verb argument structure weakness in specific language impairment in relation to age and utterance length

In spite of the complexity of verb argument structure, argument structure errors are infrequent in the speech of children with specific language impairment (SLI). The study examined the spontaneous argument structure use of school-age children with SLI and with normal language (NL) ( n =100). The groups did not differ substantially in frequency of argument structure errors, particularly when pragmatic context was considered. However, children with SLI used significantly fewer argument types, argument structure types and verb alternations than agematched children with NL. Further, significant differences between children with SLI and mean length of utterance-matched controls were found involving the use of three-place argument structures. The results show that children with SLI demonstrate mostly correct, but less sophisticated, verb argument structure use than NL peers, and that the difference is not merely attributable to production limitations such as utterance length. The possibility of incomplete argument structure representation is suggested.

Vocabulary learning in bilingual and monolingual clinical intervention

This study used a single-case alternating treatments design to compare the effectiveness of monolingual and bilingual clinical treatment approaches in teaching English vocabulary to a bilingual child with language impairment. In contrast to the widespread belief that regular exposure to two languages should not be recommended for children with language impairments, recent findings suggest that bilingual acquisition is a reasonable goal for these chil dren in a supportive environment. The bilingual intervention approach in this study was designed to combine the beneficial effects of a positive attitude towards both languages and the use of L1 to learn L2. Results revealed com parable learning of English in the monolingual and bilingual treatment con ditions, with a slight advantage in the latter. The results support the view that bilingual intervention does not restrict language growth compared to a mono lingual treatment, and is, therefore, desirable since it avoids important nega tive aspects that result from eliminating either language of children who live in bilingual environments.

Continuity in lexical and morphological development in Icelandic and English-speaking 2-year-olds

Accounts of language development vary in whether they view lexical and grammatical development as being mediated by a single or by separate mechanisms. In a single mechanism account, only one system is required for learning words and extracting grammatical regularity based on similarities among stored items. A strong non-linear relationship between early lexical and grammatical development has been demonstrated in English and, more recently, in Italian supporting a single mechanism view (Caselli, Casadio & Bates 1999, Marchman & Bates 1994). The present study showed a comparable non-linear relationship between vocabulary size and the emergence of verb inflection and sentence complexity in two-year-old speakers of English and Icelandic, a highly inflected language. The study included 96 children within a narrow age range, but varying extensively in language proficiency, demonstrating continuity in lexical and grammatical development among children with typical language development as well as very precocious children and children with expressive language delay. Cross-linguistic differences were noted as well, suggesting that the Icelandic-speaking children required a larger critical mass of vocabulary items before grammatical regularity was detected. This is probably a result of the more complex inflectional system of the Icelandic language compared with English.

Increasing verbal responsiveness in parents of children with autism:a pilot study:

Correlational studies have revealed a positive relationship between parent verbal responsiveness and language outcomes in children with autism. We investigated whether parents of young children on the autism spectrum could learn and implement the specific categories of verbal responsiveness that have been suggested to facilitate language development. Parents were taught to increase their verbal responsiveness in the context of a short-term language intervention that included group parent education sessions, as well as individual and small-group coaching sessions of parent–child play interactions. Parents in the treatment group increased their use of comments that: described their child’s focus of attention; interpreted or expanded child communication acts; and prompted child communication. Preliminary treatment effects were also noted in children’s prompted and spontaneous communication. These results support the use of parent-mediated interventions targeting verbal responsiveness to facilitate language development and communication in young children with autism.

Lexical and Grammatical Skills in Toddlers on the Autism Spectrum Compared to Late Talking Toddlers

This study compared language development in 30-month-old toddlers on the autism spectrum and 25-month-old late talking toddlers without autism. Groups were matched on overall productive vocabulary (and nonverbal cognition was controlled) in order to compare language acquisition patterns related to vocabulary composition and early lexical–grammatical relationships. Findings revealed that semantic categories of words—including psychological state terms—used by toddlers on the autism spectrum were very similar to those of late talkers. Both groups were equivalent with respect to grammatical complexity and proportion of toddlers combining words, though late talkers displayed a relatively stronger association between lexical–grammatical abilities. These tentative findings are consistent with a dimensional account of early, core linguistic abilities across different populations of children with language delay.

Mean length of utterance and other language sample measures in early Icelandic

Adaptations of the widely used MLU measure have been developed in several languages. Such adaptations require numerous modifications, especially in languages that are highly inflected. This study involved the development of a systematic procedure for coding language samples from Icelandic toddlers. Results are reported in terms of mean length of utterance in morphemes (MLU), total vocabulary, total number of different words and type-token ratio (TTR). These measures are analogous to their English counterparts, though not directly comparable. The Icelandic MLU measure was found to be developmentally sensitive in the age range of the study, which included a cross- sectional sample of 36 children aged 15 to 36 months. MLU correlated more strongly with sentence complexity than did age. Consistent with studies in Dutch and Irish, MLU in morphemes was very highly correlated with MLU in words in normally developing children. This relationship remains to be tested in children with language impairments. A secondary goal of this study was to provide descriptive data on the early acquisition of inflectional morphology in Icelandic, derived from language sample analysis.

A comparison of contexts for assessing joint attention in toddlers on the autism spectrum

Children on the autism spectrum often demonstrate atypical joint attention, leading some researchers to consider joint attention defecits a core feature of the autism spectrum. Structured measures, such as the Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS), are commonly used to provide a metric of joint attention. To explore the assessment of joint attention in multiple contexts, we implemented an alternative system for coding joint attention behaviors. We compared initiation of joint attention (IJA) and response to joint attention (RJA) behaviors coded from naturalistic examiner—child play samples with similar IJA and RJA behaviors elicited within the structured ESCS protocol. Participants were 20 toddlers on the autism spectrum. Levels of IJA and RJA within the two assessment contexts were significantly and positively correlated, providing support for the use of naturalistic sampling of joint attention skills as a viable alternative, or supplement, to structured measures.

Distance Video-Teleconferencing in Early Intervention: Pilot Study of a Naturalistic Parent-Implemented Language Intervention

Maternal verbal responsiveness in naturally occurring interactions is known to facilitate language development for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The present study used a series of A-B replications to examine proximal effects of a naturalistic language intervention on the use of specific language support strategies by mothers of eight young children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Distal effects on child communication also were examined. The intervention consisted of four monthly parent education lessons, each paired with face-to-face clinician coaching of a play-based parent–child interaction. In addition, 12 distance coaching sessions were implemented via desktop video-teleconferencing (VTC). Parents increased their use of verbal responses that followed into their child’s focus of attention and responded to child communication acts. Parents also increased the frequency with which they prompted child communication. Increases in parent strategy use were observed during both on-site and distance coaching sessions. Implications for future research are discussed.