Specific language impairments: In search of diagnostic markers and genetic contributions
✍ Scribed by Rice, Mabel L.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 94 KB
- Volume
- 3
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1080-4013
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✦ Synopsis
A selective overview of the diagnostic criteria for the condition of specific language impairment (SLI) is provided, followed by a summary of new prevalence findings showing an overall prevalence rate of 7.4% for kindergarten children. The search for a grammatical marker of SLI is described, involving an Extended Optional Infinitive Stage which is characterized by limited knowledge of tense-marking grammatical forms, whereas much of the grammar is apparently robust. This stage is not evident in a matched group of children with Williams syndrome. The close relationship between SLI and dyslexia is examined, followed by a brief summary of the evidence in support of an inherited contribution to SLI. A succinct discussion of brain/ behavior studies of SLI is provided. The close relationship between the condition of SLI and socioemotional development is explicated, with implications for diagnosis, interpretation, and treatment. A section on future directions notes the strong parallels in the science of dyslexia and the science of SLI and calls for further work on diagnostic markers, carried out in prospective longitudinal studies, as a way of furthering our understanding of the etiology of SLI, dyslexia, and other conditions, such as Williams syndrome, where language impairment is implicated or spared.