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PubMed1992

A study of the concurrent validity of the Screening Test of Adolescent Language with recent immigrants.

The concurrent validity of the Screening Test of Adolescent Language was investigated by correlating the total scores for 152 first-year medical students with their performances on the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery. The sample included many recent immigrants from southeastern Asia who were not yet highly proficient in English. The Pearson correlation of .78 between the two measures was high and statistically significantly different from zero.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2004

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and concomitant communicative disorders.

The relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and communication disorders is complex and often misunderstood. Misunderstandings arise in part because of definitions and diagnostic categorizations that change over the years and because of overlapping symptoms between diagnostic categories. In addition, many of the symptoms that are necessary for the diagnosis of ADHD are prerequisite skills required to perform well on standardized language tests. Consequently, it is difficult to know the exact prevalence of ADHD and concomitant communicative disorders, especially language disorders. Several hypotheses are developed that indicate why the differential diagnosis is so difficult.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

PubMed1998

Development of the Children's Communication Checklist (CCC): a method for assessing qualitative aspects of communicative impairment in children.

The Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) was developed to assess aspects of communicative impairment that are not adequately evaluated by contemporary standardised language tests. These are predominantly pragmatic abnormalities seen in social communication, although other qualitative aspects of speech and language were also included. Some items covering social relationships and restricted interests were incorporated, so that the relationship between pragmatic difficulties and other characteristics of pervasive developmental disorders could be explored. Checklist ratings were obtained for 76 children aged 7 to 9 years, all of whom had received special education for language impairment. In 71 cases, 2 raters (usually a teacher and speech-language therapist) independently completed the checklist, making it possible to establish inter-rater reliability. From an initial pool of 93 items, 70 items, grouped into 9 scales, were retained. Five of the subscales were concerned with pragmatic aspects of communication. A composite pragmatic impairment scale formed from these subscales had inter-rater reliability and internal consistency of around .80. This composite discriminated between children with a school diagnosis of semantic-pragmatic disorder and those with other types of specific language impairment (SLI). The majority of children with pragmatic language impairments did not have any evidence of restricted interests or significant difficulties in the domains of social relationships.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Concurrent and predictive validity of an early language screening program.

The efficacy of screening 2-year-old children for language delay using a parent-report questionnaire was investigated in three studies. The Language Development Survey (Rescorla, 1989) was mailed to 650 families at the time of their child's second birthday. Fifty-three percent of the surveys received by parents were completed and returned. Screening outcomes were then compared, in double-blind fashion, with the results of comprehensive clinical evaluations at ages 2 (N = 64) and 3 (N = 36). Parents' report of the size of their children's expressive vocabularies was highly correlated with clinical language measures at age 2. Children who screened positive performed significantly poorer than children who screened negative on standardized language tests and on measures taken from spontaneous conversation. The screening program demonstrated excellent sensitivity and specificity for identifying language delay at age 2 but somewhat lower levels for predicting developmental status one year later.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1993

The relationship between speech-language impairments and reading disabilities.

A group of children with speech-language impairments was identified in kindergarten and given a battery of speech-language tests and measures of phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming. Subjects were followed in first and second grades and administered tests of written word recognition and reading comprehension. The children with speech-language impairments were found to perform less well on reading tests than a nonimpaired comparison group. Subjects' performance on standardized measures of language ability in kindergarten was observed to be closely related to reading outcome, especially reading comprehension. Measures of phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming, on the other hand, were found to be the best predictors of written word recognition. The implications of these findings for the early identification and remediation of reading disabilities are discussed.

Child↗

PubMed1999

Short-term memory deficit after focal parietal damage.

The neuropsychological symptomatology is reported for a 44-year-old patient of normal intelligence, EE, after removal of a circumscribed left hemispheric tumor the major part of which was located in the angular gyrus and in the subcortical white matter. EE had a distinct and persistent short-term memory impairment together with an equally severe impairment in transcoding numbers. On the other hand, his performance was flawless in calculation tasks and in all other tests involving number processing. Impairments in language tests could be attributed to his short-term memory deficit, which furthermore was characterized by a strong primacy effect in the absence of a recency effect. His graphomotoric output was temporarily inhibited. The patient, with a strong left-sided dominance, manifested a bi-hemispherical activation of the Broca and Wernicke regions in a positron-emission-tomographic investigation when required to produce verbs which he was to derive from nouns. The findings in EE suggest that unilateral and restricted lateral parietal damage can result in a profound short-term memory deficit together with a transcoding deficit for stimuli extending over only a few digits or syllables in the absence of any symptoms of the Gerstmann syndrome.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Recovery from aphasia: a longitudinal study on language recovery, lateralization patterns, and attentional resources.

Despite the large body of evidence on the neural basis of the recovery from aphasia, the role of either cerebral hemisphere remains controversial. This paper reports the results of a longitudinal single-case study on the patterns of lateralization for lexical semantic processing during the recovery from aphasia. The experimental protocol included a lateralized lexical decision task (LDT), an attentional task and a language test. There was no presentation site effect on the LDT, and the performance was jointly influences by attentional and language factors. These findings suggest that the recovery of lexical semantic processing may be sustained by both cerebral hemispheres, and highlights the importance of experimental protocols that allow examining both language and attentional factors modulating factors modulating the recovery from aphasia.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2006

Working memory and sentence comprehension of Hong Kong Chinese children with specific language impairment.

Children with Specific Language Impairment present with delayed language development, but do not have a history of hearing impairment, mental deficiency, or associated social or behavioral problems. Non-word repetition was suggested as an index to reflect the capacity of phonological working memory. There is a paucity of such studies among Hong Kong Chinese children. This preliminary study aimed to examine the relationship between phonological working memory and Specific Language Impairment, through the processes of non-word repetition and sentence comprehension, of children with Specific Language Impairment and pre-school children with normal language development. Both groups of children were screened by a standardized language test. A list of Cantonese (the commonest dialect used in Hong Kong) multisyllabic nonsense utterances and a set of 18 sentences were developed for this study. t-tests and Pearson correlation were used to study the relationship between non-word repetition, working memory and specific language impairment. Twenty-three pre-school children with Specific Language Impairment (mean age = 68.30 months; SD = 6.90) and another 23 pre-school children (mean age = 67.30 months; SD = 6.16) participated in the study. Significant difference performance was found between the Specific Language Impairment group and normal language group in the multisyllabic nonsense utterances repetition task and the sentence comprehension task. Length effect was noted in Specific Language Impairment group children, which is consistent with the findings of other literature. In addition, correlations were also observed between the number of nonsense utterances repeated and the number of elements comprehended. Cantonese multisyllabic nonsense utterances might be worth further developing as a screening tool for the early detection of children with Specific Language Impairment.

Child↗

PubMed1990

Cognition and white matter changes on magnetic resonance imaging in dementia.

In a prospective magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive study of 38 demented patients and 15 control subjects, 11 of 27 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 8 of 11 patients with vascular dementia had significant periventricular hyperintensities. Memory and language testing in the early investigation of dementia is useful to distinguish patients with or without periventricular hyperintensities on magnetic resonance imaging. Patients without periventricular hyperintensities are worse on memory and conceptualization tests than patients with periventricular hyperintensities, who tend to be worse on comprehension and attention tests. These differences in cognitive pattern are present between patients with different pathogenesis who are otherwise matched for dementia severity. Language and some nonverbal cognitive deficits correlate with the extent of cortical and ventricular atrophy in Alzheimer's disease.

Aged↗

PubMed2007

Utility of behavioral versus cognitive measures in differentiating between subtypes of frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer's disease.

We hypothesized that a modified version of the Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI-mod), along with a few cognitive tests, would be clinically useful in distinguishing between clinically defined Alzheimer's disease (AD) and subtypes of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD): frontotemporal dementia (dysexecutive type), progressive nonfluent aphasia, and semantic dementia. We studied 80 patients who were diagnosed with AD (n = 30) or FTLD (n = 50), on the basis of a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, imaging, neurological examination, and history. We found significant between-group differences on the FBI-mod, two subtests of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (verbal learning and delayed recall), and the Trail Making Test Part B (one measure of 'executive functioning'). AD was characterized by relatively severe impairment in verbal learning, delayed recall, and executive functioning, with relatively normal scores on the FBI-mod. Frontotemporal dementia was characterized by relatively severe impairment on the FBI-mod and executive functioning in the absence of severe impairment in verbal learning and recall. Progressive nonfluent aphasia was characterized by severe impairment in executive functioning with relatively normal scores on verbal learning and recall and FBI-mod. Finally, semantic dementia was characterized by relatively severe deficits in delayed recall, but relatively normal performance on new learning, executive functioning, and on FBI-mod. Discriminant function analysis confirmed that the FBI-mod, in conjunction with the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, and the Trail Making Test Part B categorized the majority of patients as subtypes of FTLD or AD in the same way as a full neuropsychological battery, neurological examination, complete history, and imaging. These tests may be useful for efficient clinical diagnosis, although progressive nonfluent aphasia and semantic dementia are likely to be best distinguished by language tests not included in standard neuropsychological test batteries.

Aged↗

PubMed1988

Impact of recurrent otitis media on middle ear function, hearing, and language.

Whether recurrent otitis media in infants and young children is followed by delayed language development was addressed by following 210 normal subjects longitudinally through the first 2 years of life with pneumatic otoscopy and tympanometry performed at every physician encounter. Otitis accounted for 26% of the medical visits. One hundred fifty-six of these children had speech and hearing evaluation at 2 years of age. Thirty percent of the children with recurrent otitis media had a mild or moderate hearing loss. However, after multiple speech and language tests, we could not identify a delay in language acquisition in the otitis-prone children. At 3 to 4 years old, 36 children, including nine with a hearing loss at 2 years of age, were retested; all nine had normal hearing. Recurrent otitis media induced a temporary decrease in hearing sensitivity demonstrable at 2 years of age, which appeared to resolve as the children matured and which was not associated with delay in language acquisition.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed2006

[Are the language skills of our children declining? Results based on the examinations at school enrollment of the years 1999 to 2004 in Münster].

The physical examinations at school enrollment of the years 1999 to 2004 were subjected to comparative analysis to help clarify whether children's language performance at enrollment has significantly decreased in recent years or not. This question has indeed been a matter of public debate for some time. Furthermore, potential influencing factors, in particular social environment, were to be examined as regards their effects on language performance. The results indicate that the children's performance level has not significantly decreased over the six-year period of observation. Instead, rather an increase can be observed over this period of time. If, nevertheless, more and more and, in particular, more significant language deficits continue to be observed, one explanation for this may be seen in a changing assessment of children's needs for therapy or remedial education. The performance level of children who were recommended therapy or means of remedial education in 2004 is significantly higher than that of children for whom such recommendations were given in 1999 or 2000. Perhaps an increased sensitivity for those performance areas where performance levels are found to be deficient should be postulated, and, consequently, a more differentiated assessment of diagnostic findings should be assumed. The results of the examinations once again demonstrate the enormous influence that social factors have on language performance. Children growing up in a less advantaged social environment tend to achieve significantly lower performance marks in language tests than children from more privileged social environments. Also the duration of kindergarten education appears to be relevant to children's language performance: children who have visited institutions of preschool-education for three or more years achieve higher performance marks than children who have spent no ore only little time in these institutions. When seen against the background of circa one in four children with a migration background (around 8% of persons of the same age in Münster's population) having unsatisfactory knowledge of German at school enrollment, there appear to be efficient prevention measures available here.

Child↗

PubMed2003

Language differences in young children with myelomeningocele and shunted hydrocephalus.

OBJECTIVE: This comparative cohort study examined language differences in young children (preschool to first grade) with myelomeningocele and shunted hydrocephalus (MM/SH). METHOD: A well-validated, standardized language test was administered to 17 children with MM/SH (age range 4-6 years) and 16 age-matched, nonaffected children. RESULTS: Standard scores were obtained within lexical/semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic domains. An analysis of performance on individual subtests within the lexical/semantic domain was striking. Children with MM/SH performed significantly worse (p<0.01) on a test measuring the comprehension of words representing important early learning concepts and on pragmatic tasks that measured their ability to use language functionally in social situations. CONCLUSIONS: Words representing basic precepts and concepts are commonly used in instructions to children in early childhood. Difficulty with functional pragmatic language results in suboptimal communication skills. Academic and community implications are discussed.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1998

[Afrikaanse Reseptiewe Woordeskattoets (ARW) : Suitability for a group of non-standard Afrikaans speaking children].

The need for culturally appropriate language tests served as motivation for this study. The aim of the study was to evaluate the suitability and adaptability of the Afrikaanse Reseptiewe Woordeskattoets (ARW) (Buitendag, 1994) for a group of seven and ten year old non-standard Afrikaans speaking children from the coloured community in Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga and Northern Province. In order to achieve this goal the ARW (Buitendag, 1994), and a questionnaire regarding socio-economic deprivation, were administered to a proportionally stratified randomized sample of 960 children. Test bias was evaluated by comparing the psychometric characteristics of the test for the research group to those of the normative group. Various test adaptation procedures were considered, namely adaptations to the rank order of item difficulty, test starting points and test procedures. The results indicated the same degree of confidence in the test results of the two groups. It demonstrated that the original rank order of item difficulty does not need to be changed and that corresponding increase in ARW scores is evident with an increase in age in both groups. The findings imply that the test measures the same ability in the two groups. Although comparison of the psychometric characteristics of the test for the research group to those for the normative group failed to identify test bias, intra-group comparison indicated that the test may be linguistically biased against the socio-economically deprived sub-group. Significant differences in individual ARW scores occurred when a shift in the child's basal or ceiling item occurred as a result of the biased items. The test's cultural validity for the group may be increased by lowering the test starting points, in order to prevent reversed testing. Culturally appropriate responses should be accepted as correct, in order to award equal credit to standard and non-standard language responses and to take intra-group differences into consideration. This research is an important contribution towards the expansion of the speech-language therapist's skills and resources, vitally needed to provide culturally relevant services in South Africa to all individuals with communication disorders.

Black or African American↗

PubMed1990

[Test method for pre-speech language: II. Outline of test result].

UNLABELLED: The tests as reported in the previous paper were conducted on 281 healthy babies. The test included 47 items. An accomplished item was accorded one point, and the total points were counted. RESULTS: descriptive statistics: i) Table 4 shows the proportion of right answers of each item by age (day). The day when the item was accomplished was definite and showed the properties of development. ii) Fig. 1 and table 1 showed the relationship between the total points and the age (day). The total points increased linearly with age (day). Discussion of test properties: i) Reliability: special attention was devoted to maintain consistent conditions on item formation to increase reliability. Consequently, the confidence coefficient was 0.989 in all cases. ii) VALIDITY: predictive validity was tested. The changes in language ability were investigated in 90 cases for observation over the passage of time (including cases other than those for standardization). The cases were divided into three groups by age (0-200, 201-400, 401-day) (Table 7). For an estimated value, the PPV was 0.60-0.67 and the NPV was 0.94-1.00 (Table 8). The NPV was higher than the PPV. iii) Test construction and figure of test construction: it was found that the test construction was composed of five factors and had stages of development as follows. (1) Initial call, communication (2) Positive appeal to the surrounding (3) Stage just before speech (4) Initial language acquirement and differentiation of language function (5) Speech-increasing stage The items included in each factor (each stage) are shown in the Fig. 1. profile in the previous paper.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age Factors↗

PubMed2001

Receptive and expressive communication development of young males with fragile X syndrome.

We prospectively examined the developmental trajectories of receptive and expressive communication skills of 39 young males, 20 to 86 months of age, with fragile X syndrome. Eight showed features characteristic of autism. Children were tested one to three times using a standardized language test. They showed marked delays in language development, but substantial individual variability. Participants acquired expressive language skills more slowly than receptive language over time, gaining receptive language at about half the rate expected for typically developing children and expressive language at one third the rate. Both cognitive skills and autistic characteristics of the young males with fragile X syndrome related to receptive and expressive communication development, but neither predicted the discrepancies between expressive and receptive language acquisition over time.

Child↗

PubMed1991

Social interaction among deaf preschoolers. The effects of language ability and age.

This study examined the relationship between deaf preschoolers' language abilities and their play behavior. Twenty-nine deaf children aged three to five years were observed during outdoor free play throughout the school year. Their language abilities varied widely and did not correlate with age. On the basis of two language tests, they were divided into three language ability groups--high, middle, and low. Language ability was found to be related to several aspects of play and social interaction. The children with high language ability were more likely than the other children to play with two partners at the same time (i.e., engage in triadic interaction), to interact with teachers, to prefer to play with children of similar language ability, to use language, and to receive language from their partners. Most of these effects seemed to be due solely to differences between the children with high language ability and those in the other two groups. Children in the low and middle language ability groups behaved similarly. Language ability was not related to any other aspect of peer relations. Thus, the impact of language ability seems limited. These results, in conjunction with past research, suggest that, for the most part, deaf preschoolers' language and social skills develop independently from each other.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1998

Correlations between intestinal parasitosis, physical growth, and psychomotor development among infants and children from rural Nicaragua.

The correlations between malnutrition, parasitosis (especially helminth infections), and child development are complex, and studies of these interrelationships will allow health agencies to maximize screening and intervention strategies for developing countries. We examined these correlations in a cross-sectional program in Carazo State, Nicaragua. Nine hundred sixty-one children in two age strata (ages 0-24 months and ages 2-10 years) from one urban and three rural communities were screened for intestinal parasites (direct smear and ZnSO4 flotation), malnutrition, and developmental delays. Nutritional status was determined as weight-for-age (WFA), weight-for-height (WFH), and height-for-age (HFA). Developmental status (normal, suspect) was determined for the four subtests of the Denver II Screening Test. The prevalence of malnutrition was 14.6% (WFA), 8.4% (WFH), and 36.3% (HFA). Parasitosis was more prevalent in children less than 24 months of age with low HFA, whereas in older children low WFA was more closely associated with parasitic infections. Ascaris and Trichuris were more prevalent in malnourished children. On the Denver II, suspect test results in all four categories (language, social, gross motor, and fine motor) were associated with low WFA, and suspect language tests were associated with both intestinal parasites (P = 0.0003) and Ascaris infection in particular (P = 0.044). Developmental disabilities are a significant and frequently undetected health problem in developing countries, and malnutrition associated with intestinal helminth infections may be an important contributory factor for these disabilities.

Body Height↗