Abnormal Language Development Research Articles

Sex differences during development in cortical temporal processing and event related potentials in wild-type and fragile X syndrome model mice

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is currently diagnosed in approximately 1 in 44 children in the United States, based on a wide array of symptoms, including sensory dysfunction and abnormal language development. Boys are diagnosed ~ 3.8 times more frequently than girls. Auditory temporal processing is crucial for speech recognition and language development. Abnormal development of temporal processing may account for ASD language impairments. Sex differences in the development of temporal processing may underlie the differences in language outcomes in male and female children with ASD. To understand mechanisms of potential sex differences in temporal processing requires a preclinical model. However, there are no studies that have addressed sex differences in temporal processing across development in any animal model of ASD.MethodsTo fill this major gap, we compared the development of auditory temporal processing in male and female wildtype (WT) and Fmr1 knock-out (KO) mice, a model of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a leading genetic cause of ASD-associated behaviors. Using epidural screw electrodes, we recorded auditory event related potentials (ERP) and auditory temporal processing with a gap-in-noise auditory steady state response (ASSR) paradigm at young (postnatal (p)21 and p30) and adult (p60) ages from both auditory and frontal cortices of awake, freely moving mice.ResultsThe results show that ERP amplitudes were enhanced in both sexes of Fmr1 KO mice across development compared to WT counterparts, with greater enhancement in adult female than adult male KO mice. Gap-ASSR deficits were seen in the frontal, but not auditory, cortex in early development (p21) in female KO mice. Unlike male KO mice, female KO mice show WT-like temporal processing at p30. There were no temporal processing deficits in the adult mice of both sexes.ConclusionsThese results show a sex difference in the developmental trajectories of temporal processing and hypersensitive responses in Fmr1 KO mice. Male KO mice show slower maturation of temporal processing than females. Female KO mice show stronger hypersensitive responses than males later in development. The differences in maturation rates of temporal processing and hypersensitive responses during various critical periods of development may lead to sex differences in language function, arousal and anxiety in FXS.

Neuromagnetic 40 Hz Auditory Steady-State Response in the left auditory cortex is related to language comprehension in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Language impairment is comorbid in most children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but its neural mechanisms are still poorly understood. Some studies hypothesize that the atypical low-level sensory perception in the auditory cortex accounts for the abnormal language development in these children. One of the potential non-invasive measures of such low-level perception can be the cortical gamma-band oscillations registered with magnetoencephalography (MEG), and 40 Hz Auditory Steady-State Response (40 Hz ASSR) is a reliable paradigm for eliciting auditory gamma response. Although there is research in children with and without ASD using 40 Hz ASSR, nothing is known about the relationship between this auditory response in children with ASD and their language abilities measured directly in formal assessment.In the present study, we used MEG and individual brain models to investigate 40 Hz ASSR in primary-school-aged children with and without ASD. It was also used to assess how the strength of the auditory response is related to language abilities of children with ASD, their non-verbal IQ, and social functioning. A total of 40 children were included in the study.The results demonstrated that 40 Hz ASSR was reduced in the right auditory cortex in children with ASD when comparing them to typically developing controls. Importantly, our study provides the first evidence of the association between 40 Hz ASSR in the language-dominant left auditory cortex and language comprehension in children with ASD. This link was domain-specific because the other brain-behavior correlations were non-significant.

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Background:Autism is a developmental disorder whose behavioral characteristics range on a continuum from mild to severe. It is characterized by an impairment in the development of reciprocal social and communication skills, abnormal language development, and a restricted repertoire of behaviors and interests. Autism is typically not diagnosed prior to age 2 or 3 years and the prognosis is often poor. Because autism seriously affects multiple domains, it is a challenging disorder to understand and treat.The key to advanced treatment and technology is early detection of autism. Recognizing the early signs can be a challenge for parents and healthcare professionals (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Experts say there are red flags in a child's early development that may lead to identifying an autistic spectrum disorder as early as 12 to 18 months of age (American Psychiatric Association, 2000)Aims and objectives: To understand the socio-demographic background of the children being diagnosed with autism. To find out if there is any correlation between antenatal physical and mental stressors in mothers and their children developing autism. As there are many studies on diet influencing development of autism, to understand the feeding patterns of the autism children.Method:The required data of about 50 children attending Out-patient department of Child Psychiatry, Niloufer Hospital, Hyderabad was recorded and the data was analysed by a professional statistician.Results:The socio-demographic trends were similar to those of previous studies. Around 90% of mothers had at least one complication during the pregnancy with Hypermesis being most significant.Conclusion:There is need to create awareness among parents, obstetricians, pediatricians about the risk factors and signs of autism so that the children can be diagnosed as early as possible and intervene for the best outcome.

High electroencephalographic seizure exposure is associated with unfavorable outcomes in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

PurposeElectroencephalographic seizures (ES) are common among neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), and they represent a treatable complication that might improve neurodevelopmental outcomes. We aimed to establish whether higher ES exposure was predictive of unfavorable outcomes while adjusting for other important clinical and electroencephalographic parameters. MethodsWe performed a single-center, retrospective study of consecutive neonates with HIE managed with therapeutic hypothermia from June 2010 through December 2016. Neonates underwent continuous electroencephalographic (cEEG) monitoring during and after therapeutic hypothermia. Outcome measures included abnormal MRIs after rewarming and abnormal motor and language development. ResultsClinical data from the perinatal period were available for 116 neonates. Follow-up data were available for 93 of 116 (80%) neonates who survived to discharge, with a median follow-up period of 23 months (interquartile range 1236 months). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that high ES exposure (OR 5.2, 95% CI 1.3–21.2, p = 0.02) and moderate/severely abnormal EEG background (OR 8.3, 95% CI 1.6–43.9, p = 0.01) were independent predictors of abnormal motor development. High ES exposure was an independent predictor of abnormal language development (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.1–15.9, p = 0.04). High ES exposure (OR 7.0, 95% CI 2.2–22.5, p = 0.01) and severe encephalopathy (OR 7.9, 95% CI 1.5–42.7, p = 0.02) were independent predictors of abnormal MRIs. ConclusionsAmong neonates with HIE managed with therapeutic hypothermia, high ES exposure was the most important predictor of abnormal developmental and neuroimaging outcomes, even after adjustment for multiple clinical and EEG variables. Adequate identification and management of ES with judicious use of anti-seizure medications may optimize outcomes.

Ophthalmic Assessment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) manifest as abnormal social and language development along with repetitive behaviors. Reported prevalence is 1 in 68 children. Ophthalmic disorders have been reported in as many as 50 % of children with ASD, making a comprehensive ophthalmic examination necessary for all such children upon diagnosis. Photoscreeners are a useful tool to initially assess children with ASD. Eye examination techniques include observation, social story, visual schedule, and behavioral strategies to maximize chances of identifying ocular problems. Examination under anesthesia should be reserved for cases where ocular pathology is suspected and attempts to examine the child in the office have been unsuccessful.

Pro-inflammatory interleukins in middle ear effusions from atopic and non-atopic children with chronic otitis media with effusion.

Chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) is associated with irreversible changes in the middle ear, sometimes leading to hearing loss and abnormal language development in children. While the pathogenesis of OME is not fully understood, inflammatory and allergic factors are thought to be involved. The study aimed to investigate the role of cytokines in the local development of chronic OME, and assess differences in the cytokine profiles between atopic and non-atopic children. 84 atopic and non-atopic children with chronic OME (mean age of 6years 7months) were studied. Age-matched children with hypertrophy of the adenoids and Eustachian tube dysfunction served as the control group. The number of past acute otitis media (AOM) episodes, their age, and the type of effusion were recorded for all children. Pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8) were determined and the presence of pathogenic bacteria in the patients' effusions was examined. High concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 were found in the effusions in all children with chronic OME, with the highest levels observed in the non-atopic group. The atopic group showed persistently high IL-1β levels, while in the non-atopic children, IL-1β and TNF-α levels positively correlated with the patient's age and the number of past AOM episodes. Pathogenic bacteria were more frequently isolated from effusions in non-atopic children. In both atopic and non-atopic children, pro-inflammatory cytokines are found at high concentrations. This argues in favor of instituting anti-inflammatory management for treating OME, regardless of atopy.

Autism spectrum disorders: emerging mechanisms and mechanism-based treatment.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impaired social communication, abnormal language development, restricted interests, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors (Zoghbi and Bear, 2012; Ebert and Greenberg, 2013; Lai et al., 2014). These disorders show a high degree of clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Studies suggest that there is the functional convergence among autism-linked genes on common pathways that are involved in synaptic development, plasticity and signaling, raising the hope that similar therapeutic strategy may be effective for different forms of autistic disorders (Krumm et al., 2014; Ronemus et al., 2014). Investigation of cellular and synaptic deficits in ASDs will provide further insights into the pathogenesis of autism and may eventually lead to potential treatment for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders (Zoghbi and Bear, 2012; Delorme et al., 2013; Ebert and Greenberg, 2013). Our research topic entitled Neural and Synaptic Defects in Autism Spectrum Disorders, brings together 23 articles which document the recent development and ideas in the study of molecular/cellular mechanisms and treatment of ASDs, with an emphasis on syndromic disorders such as fragile X and Rett syndromes. In addition, model systems and methodological approaches with translational relevance to autism are covered in this research topic.

Measuring Grammatical Development in Bilingual Mandarin-English Speaking Children with a Sentence Repetition Task

Sentence repetition (SR) tasks have been used to measure children’s expressive language skills in normal and abnormal language development, and to examine the development of the speaking skills in second language acquisition, as well as to survey the proficiency of bilingual language development. Recently, SR tasks have been recognized as a potential psycholinguistic tool to identify bilingual children with language impairment. SR tasks are easy and quick to conduct, and a useful technique for obtaining quantitative and qualitative information about children’s lexical and morphosyntactic knowledge, as well as language development in a complex linguistic background. This paper reports the results of a pilot study conducted to investigate the performance of SR among bilingual Mandarin-English preschoolers, from age four to six. The task was conducted in both languages: Mandarin, and English, to examine the type of grammatical errors found among different age groups in the SR task. Studying the performance of SR in both languages could provide a better understanding of children’s language learning and their acquisition pattern in both the first and second language. Overall task accuracy in each language was compared; grammatical errors in the SR task were described qualitatively. The results showed that the linguistic characteristic of the stimulus materials in Mandarin and English influences the performance of these bilingual children in the SR task. The study also showed that the grammatical errors found in the SR tasks may have the potential of being used to distinguish children with typical and atypical language development in the first language (L1).

Good practices in bilingual children

Bilingualism is the regular use of more than one language in everyday life [1,2]. In our country, 47.2% of students were born from non-Italian parents [3], and in Europe, bilingualism is even more prevalent: 56% of the population across all European Union countries is reported being functionally bilingual [4]. So it is critical to understand risks and protective factors specific to the development of bilingual children for clinical and educational reasons. It is true that linguistic tasks are often performed more poorly by bilingual children than monolinguals [5,6], especially as regards assessment of vocabulary [7,8], picture-naming tasks [9,10], comprehending and producing words [11,12]. It is also common among bilingual children who learn Italian as a second language, to have lower skill levels than those of monolinguals, in relation to reading and writing or understanding of texts [13]; but these results cannot be described as a pathological outcome. In contrast to this pattern, bilinguals at all ages demonstrate better executive control than monolinguals matched in age and other background factors. In the last decades, many studies showed that the experience of early exposure to two languages, and the constant practice of selecting the target language avoiding intrusions of the non-target language, can improve skills such as selective attention, inhibition and cognitive control with respect to non-verbal tasks. Other benefits also include the early development of metalinguistic ability and better achievements in working memory tasks. These effects have been found at all stages across the life span, beginning from infancy and toddlerhood, continuing through young adulthood and up to older age [14-17]. Thus, it is a matter of considerable concern with the large and growing dual language population, how to properly recognize normal and abnormal dual language development, and several important implications can be derived from extant developmental and clinical research: a language disorder should be suspected in a dual language child, when the child is reported to be significantly behind in the understanding of both languages, although there has been significant exposure to both languages, and when there are language-based learning problems [18]. While it has been clearly documented that bilingualism does not cause language delay or language disorders [19], the latter are certainly possible in bilingual children. Such possibility should not be easily dismissed and slight delays should not instead be misattributed to the child’s bilingual condition even though a more severe delay must be assessed.

Abnormal lateralization of functional connectivity between language and default mode regions in autism

BackgroundLateralization of brain structure and function occurs in typical development, and abnormal lateralization is present in various neuropsychiatric disorders. Autism is characterized by a lack of left lateralization in structure and function of regions involved in language, such as Broca and Wernicke areas.MethodsUsing functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging from a large publicly available sample (n = 964), we tested whether abnormal functional lateralization in autism exists preferentially in language regions or in a more diffuse pattern across networks of lateralized brain regions.ResultsThe autism group exhibited significantly reduced left lateralization in a few connections involving language regions and regions from the default mode network, but results were not significant throughout left- and right-lateralized networks. There is a trend that suggests the lack of left lateralization in a connection involving Wernicke area and the posterior cingulate cortex associates with more severe autism.ConclusionsAbnormal language lateralization in autism may be due to abnormal language development rather than to a deficit in hemispheric specialization of the entire brain.

Interaction Between MAOA and FOXP2 in Association With Autism and Verbal Communication in a Korean Population

Expression levels of monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), the enzyme that related to monoamine neurotransmitters metabolism such as serotonin, are related to schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Forkhead box protein P2 (FOXP2), a transcription factor, is associated with abnormal language development and is expressed in several areas of the central nervous system in response to serotonin. For this reason, we undertook interaction analysis between MAOA and FOXP2 in autism spectrum disorder, including testing the verbal communication score of the childhood autism rating scale. In interaction analysis, the FOXP2-TCGC (rs12531289-rs1350135-rs10230087-rs2061183) diplotype and MAOA-TCG (rs6323-rs1801291-rs3027407) haplotype were significantly associated with autism spectrum disorder in males. However, when the interaction term was omitted, neither MAOA nor FOXP2 was associated with autism spectrum disorder or verbal communication. These results indicate that language and speech ability is affected by an interaction between FOXP2 and MAOA, but not by either gene separately.

The Effect of Communication Deficits on Anxiety Symptoms in Infants and Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are life-long developmental disorders characterized by impairments in the development of reciprocal social and communication skills, abnormal language development, and a restricted repertoire of behaviors and interests. While it has been known for some time that children with ASD can evince elevated rates of anxiety symptoms, little research has been conducted on whether deficits in communication skills affect the range of anxiety symptoms in infants and toddlers with ASD. This study represents a first attempt to determine whether deficits in communication skills have an effect on the expression of anxiety in infants and toddlers with autistic disorder and pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified. Seven hundred thirty-five infants were evaluated with respect to the nature and extent of anxiety symptoms and developmental functioning. Both receptive and expressive communication skills appeared to play a significant role in the manifestation of anxiety symptoms.

Specific language impairment as systemic developmental disorders

Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is a disorder characterised by slow, abnormal language development. Most children with this disorder do not present any other cognitive or neurological deficits. There are many different pathological developmental profiles and switches from one profile to another often occur. An alternative would be to consider SLI as a generic name covering three developmental language disorders: developmental verbal dyspraxia, linguistic dysphasia, and pragmatic language impairment. The underlying cause of SLI is unknown and the numerous studies on the subject suggest that there is no single cause. We suggest that SLI is the result of an abnormal development of the language system, occurring when more than one part of the system fails, thus blocking the system's natural compensation mechanisms. Since compensation also hinders linguistic evaluation, one possibility for diagnosis and remediation control is to assess basic cognitive abilities by non-linguistic means whenever possible. Neurological plausible bases for language and language development should also be taken into account to offer new hypotheses and research issues for future work on SLI.

Event-related potentials reflect spectral differences in speech and non-speech stimuli in children and adults

Objective Event-related brain potentials (ERP) may provide tools for examining normal and abnormal language development. To clarify functional significance of auditory ERPs, we examined ERP indices of spectral differences in speech and non-speech sounds. Methods Three Spectral Items (BA, DA, GA) were presented as three Stimulus Types: syllables, non-phonetics, and consonant–vowel transitions (CVT). Fourteen 7- to 10-year-old children and 14 adults were presented with equiprobable Spectral Item sequences blocked by Stimulus Type. Results Spectral Item effect appeared as P1, P2, N2, and N4 amplitude variations. The P2 was sensitive to all Stimulus Types in both groups. In adults, the P1 was also sensitive to transitions while the N4 was sensitive to syllables. In children, only the 50-ms CVT stimuli elicited N2 and N4 spectral effects. In both groups, non-phonetic stimuli elicited larger N1–P2 amplitudes while speech stimuli elicited larger N2–N4 amplitudes. Conclusions Auditory feature processing is reflected by P1–P2 and N2–N4 peaks and matures earlier than supra-sensory integrative mechanisms, reflected by N1–P2 peaks. Auditory P2 appears to pertain to both processing types. Significance These results delineate an orderly processing organization whereby direct feature mapping occurs earlier in processing and, in part, serves sound detection whereas relational mapping occurs later in processing and serves sound identification.

Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia and Psychopathology

Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia and Psychopathology

African American English and other Vernaculars in Education

For more than 50 years, linguists have been interested in the educational challenges faced by speakers of African American Vernacular English, creoles, and other vernaculars, believing that the perspective of our discipline could be helpful to teachers and students alike. Psychologists, educators, and other scholars have also contributed insights from their disciplines. In this bibliography, we assemble nearly 700 references on this topic, assigning them codes depending on the topics to which they are relevant: assessment and achievement; bidialectalism and contrastive analysis; culture and curriculum; dialect readers; edited volumes; linguistic descriptions; pidgins and creoles; controversies about AAVE in the schools; narratives and other discourse-level features; speaking and listening; politics and policy; reading; strategies for instruction; teacher preparation; writing; linguistic interference; and normal and abnormal language acquisition and development. The bibliography is preceded by abbreviated (author/date) lists of citations indicating which references are relevant to each topic, along with a brief introduction.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic source imaging (MSI).

Real-time, direct assessment of brain electrophysiology is critical for noninvasive functional mapping and for the identification of paroxysmal epileptiform abnormalities in the evaluation of patients for epilepsy surgery. Historically, electroencephalography (EEG) and evoked potentials (EPs) have performed these functions. However, both often required direct intracranial recording for precise localization. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) takes advantage of the fact that neuromagnetic signals penetrate the skull and scalp without distortion. The magnetic source image (MSI) is created when the MEG data is superimposed on a magnetic resonance image (MRI). MEG performs noninvasive functional imaging by recording the magnetic flux on the head surface associated with electrical currents in activated sets of neurons. MEG has rapidly evolved in the last 2 decades because of the introduction of whole head systems and advances in computer technology. MEG is now the imaging modality of choice where a precise and high degree of localization is required. MEG can be used to localize the primary sensory cortices (visual, auditory, or somatosensory), areas involved with receptive language function, the irritative zone in epilepsy patients, and identify children with anomalous language development. This article reviews the basis of MEG, the instrumentation used, the clinical applications and current limits of the technology. MEG studies can now be performed on a routine basis as a clinical tool. MEG is now indicated for: 1) localization of the irritative zone in lesional and nonlesional epilepsy surgery patients, 2) functional mapping of eloquent cortex, and 3) assessment of normal and abnormal language development. In the future MEG may help the understanding of normal development and reorganization after brain injury. The neurologist can use MEG data to complement structural and metabolic imaging techniques.

Incorporating language phenotypes strengthens evidence of linkage to autism

We investigated the effect of incorporating information about proband and parental structural language phenotypes into linkage analyses in the two regions for which we found the highest signals in our first-stage affected sibling pair genome screen: chromosomes 13q and 7q. We were particularly interested in following up on our chromosome 7q finding in light of two prior reports of linkage of this region to developmental language disorder, since one of the diagnostic criteria for autism is absent or abnormal language development. We hypothesized that if the language phenotype were genetically relevant to linkage at the chromosome 7q locus, then incorporating parents phenotypes would increase the signal at that locus, and most of the signal would originate from the subset of families in which both probands had severe language delay. The results support these hypotheses. The linkage signals we obtained on chromosome 7q as well as at least one signal on chromosome 13q are mainly attributable to the subgroup of families in which both probands had language delay. This became apparent only when the parents' history of language-related difficulties was also incorporated into the analyses. Although based on our data, we were not able to distinguish between epistasis or heterogeneity models, we tentatively concluded that there may be more than one autism susceptibility locus related to language development.

New Directions in Research on Language Development

In this paper, we will describe what are (in our view) the newest and most exciting trends in current research on language development; trends that are likely to predominate in the few years that remain until the millennium. The paper is organized into six sections: (1) advances in data sharing (including the Child Language Data Exchange System), (2) improved description and quantification of the linguistic data to which children are exposed and the data that they produce (with implications for theories of language learning); (3) new theories of learning in neural networks that challenge old assumptions about the "learnability" (or unlearnability) of language, (4) increased understanding of the nonlinear dynamics that may underlie behavioral change, (5) research on the neural correlates of language learning, and (6) an increased understanding of the social factors that influence normal and abnormal language development.

Language Acquisition: The Age Factor

Part 1 Evidence of speech milestones: the early stages later stages speech processing milestones evidence from abnormal language development and language disorders. Part 2 The critical period hypothesis - first language-related evidence: the onset of the critical period the end of the critical period first language development after puberty a decline into the vale of years? Part 3 The critical period hypothesis - second language evidence: the younger=better position the older=better position the younger=better at acquiring accent BICS position the younger=better in the long run position age and the second language learning process. Part 4 Theoretical perspectives: the ageing of the senses age and competition between languages neurolinguistics and the critical period cognitive developmental views affect and motivation age and input the de-coupling hypothesis the age factor and nativism. Part 5 The educational dimension: second languages in the early school years second languages for the young-old.