Language Development In Individuals Research Articles

Implicit Grammatical Gender Representation in Italian Children with Autism without Intellectual/Language Disorder.

Grammatical language development in individuals with autism (without intellectual/language impairment) is mostly qualitatively comparable to language development in typically developing children of the same age. The majority of tasks used to study grammatical development require explicit performance (use of verbal language). Here, we administered an implicit categorization task (by biological sex) to understand which markers children use to implicitly infer grammatical gender representation in Italian (a gendered language where grammatical gender can be inferred via a determiner and/or word ending). Participants were asked to categorize photos of animals, relying on the names that differed in regard to the grammatical markers involved (i.e., lexical semantic, phonological, syntactic or phonological + syntactic). Children with autism displayed the same patterns observed in typically developing children: the lexical-semantic marker was categorized more accurately, followed in decreasing order by the phonological-syntactic marker and the phonological marker. The syntactic marker was the most difficult to categorize for both groups. In addition, children with autism showed an advantage in grammatical gender representation when using formal/grammatical markers than when using lexical/semantic markers. Such an implicit assessment allows for the investigation of more nuanced linguistic representations other than those expressed by traditional assessments.

The Role Of English Consonants In Language Development : Acquisition And Articulation

This article examines the crucial role of English consonants in the language development of individuals, focusing on their acquisition and articulation processes. It explores how children acquire and master consonants in the English language, highlighting the significant milestones in their articulation development. The acquisition of English consonants plays a pivotal role in the overall language development of children. It involves the gradual learning of phonetic distinctions and the ability to produce and perceive consonant sounds accurately. This article discusses the various stages of consonant acquisition, starting from early babbling to the development of a more sophisticated consonant inventory. Articulation, the physical production of speech sounds, is a key component of consonant acquisition. The article emphasizes the importance of clear articulation for effective communication. It delves into the challenges that learners may encounter during the articulation process, such as difficulty in producing specific consonant sounds or mastering complex sound combinations. Furthermore, the article highlights the connection between consonant acquisition and vocabulary development. Adequate mastery of consonants enables learners to pronounce words correctly, enhancing their overall language proficiency and communication skills. Understanding the role of English consonants in language development is crucial for educators, parents, and speech-language pathologists. By gaining insights into the acquisition and articulation of consonant sounds, stakeholders can provide appropriate guidance and support to facilitate language learning and address any potential difficulties that learners may encounter. Overall, this article emphasizes the significance of English consonants in language development, emphasizing their role in acquisition, articulation, and vocabulary expansion.

The grammar network: How linguistic structure is shaped by language use by Holger Diessel

Reviewed by: The grammar network: How linguistic structure is shaped by language useby Holger Diessel Natalia Levshina The grammar network: How linguistic structure is shaped by language use. By H olgerD iessel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. xviii, 290. ISBN 9781108671040. $110 (Hb). The network is one of the key concepts that describe our life experience. We communicate via social networks and use the World Wide Web. The masses of big data we produce, consciously or not, are analyzed by neural network algorithms. It is not surprising that networks are a popular concept in linguistics as well. Well-known examples are the construction in construction grammar, radial polysemy networks in cognitive semantics, and semantic maps in typology. The grammar networkby Holger Diessel takes the network approach to a new level, integrating different strands of usage-based linguistics and discussing a multitude of different phenomena of grammar and lexicon, from lexical polysemy to word order, and from parts of speech to morphological productivity. The aim of his book is to elaborate on and integrate two main ideas of usage-based linguistics: first, all aspects of linguistic structure are emergent and fluid, being shaped by domain-general processes in language use; second, the grammatical system is organized as a network. The book consists of eleven chapters. The introductory chapter describes the aims of the book and summarizes the general principles of usage-based linguistics. It questions the usefulness of such distinctions as competence vs. performance, synchrony vs. diachrony, and words vs. rules. Usage-based linguistics sees grammar as an emergent system, which has evolved for the purposes of communication and processing on the basis of general cognitive principles. From this follows an important methodological conclusion: 'we cannot approach the study of grammar with a predefined set of primitive categories. On the contrary, what we need to explain is how linguistic categories evolve, stabilize and change' (6). In the first part of the book D introduces the basic assumptions and concepts, describing the architecture of the grammar network (Ch. 2) and the domain-general principles of language use (Ch. 3). The most important elements of a grammar network are signs (constructions and lexemes). The links (edges) in a network can be symbolic (connecting form and meaning), sequential (connecting elements in sequences, similar to syntagmatic relationships), and taxonomic (connecting patterns at different levels of abstraction). Analogous to activation strength in neural networks, the links have different weights, which depend on different factors, such as frequency of occurrence in linguistic input and output, conceptualization, and pragmatic inference. A grammar network is nested, which means that nodes of a network can themselves be analyzed as networks. Different from Goldberg's (1995) construction grammar, D makes a distinction between constructions and lexemes. Lexemes are monomorphemic words and other morphemes, which tap directly into world knowledge. In contrast, constructions are meaningful templates with slots for other linguistic expressions, which provide instructions for integration of lexical expressions into a coherent semantic representation. Based on this distinction, three further types of links are proposed: lexical (connecting lexemes with similar or contrastive forms and meanings), constructional (connecting constructions at the same level of abstraction), and filler-slot relationships (connecting particular lexemes or phrases with particular slots of constructional schemas). The grammar network is shaped by domain-general cognitive processes (Ch. 3). The most important ones are social cognition, conceptualization, and memory, which compete in determining linguistic decisions—that is, the choice between different ways of conveying one's communicative intention for the speaker and between different interpretations for the hearer. There is evidence, for instance, that 'speaker-oriented processes', such as memory retrieval, priming, and automatization, can dominate 'hearer-oriented processes' of common ground and audience design. The domain-general processes leave long-term effects on language structure in diachronic change, and on individual language development in ontogeny. At the same time, D emphasizes that L1 acquisition [End Page 825]and diachronic change differ substantially. In particular, children extract novel schemas from the input, while diachronic change involves the modification of already existing ones. In the second part of the book, D focuses on the interpretation of signs as networks, beginning with taxonomic links between representations at...

Dynamic Paths of Complexity and Accuracy in Second Language Speech: A Longitudinal Case Study of Chinese Learners

AbstractThe present study investigated the developmental patterns of Chinese EFL(AQ) learners’ oral language in terms of complexity and accuracy and looked into the dynamic interactions between them within the framework of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST). The data were analysed using dynamic analyses (moving min–max graphs, moving correlations and Monte Carlo Simulations). It was found that, firstly, at the group level, the general developmental trends of both complexity and accuracy showed improvements. Secondly, at the individual level, the developmental patterns were non-linear and dynamic with high degrees of variability, and individual language development was influenced by the initial states. Thirdly, the analyses revealed a complex interplay between complexity and accuracy, which gradually shifted from a clearly competitive relationship during the early stages to a supportive relationship in later stages. This shift in interaction shows that complexity goes hand in hand with accuracy, which corroborates the interconnectedness of subsystems as one of the major characteristics of CDST. The findings confirm the applicability of CDST approaches to L2 oral development and carry valuable implications for CDST theory development and oral language teaching.

Assessment of Hearing and Language Development in Individuals with Cleft Lip Palate

Objectives : Most children with cleft palate±lip have conductive-type hearing loss due to otitis media in the early years of life. Due to not presenting required interventions can affect language development negatively. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the hearing thresholds and determine the type of hearing loss and to evaluate the linguistic skills of children with cleft palate and lips without hearing loss. Materıals and Methods : The study was conducted in ENT, Audiology and Speech Disorders Department at Gazi University between April 2014 and June 2017. 30 patients who were between 2 to 20 years old, with cleft lip±palate were included in the study. First, hearing assessments were performed; if individuals had hearing loss, type of hearing loss were identified. Then, language assessments were made on 2-7 year old children who have no hearing loss. Results : Among individuals who had hearing loss (%30), 88% of cases had conductive type and 12% of them had sensorineural hearing loss. Receptive and expressive language assesment were conducted with 11 cases between the ages of 2 to 7. It was observed that 3 (%27) participants had receptive language delay and 7 (%63) had delays in expressive language skills. Conclusion : Regular otological and audiologic follow-up is important for children with cleft lip±palate. The high rate of language impairment in children with cleft palate ± lip without hearing loss indicated that the language development of these children needs to be assessed. The study reveals that these children must be monitored by a multidisciplinary team.

Speech disfluencies in children with Down Syndrome

PurposeSpeech and language development in individuals with Down syndrome is often delayed and/or disordered and speech disfluencies appear to be more common. These disfluencies have been labeled over time as stuttering, cluttering or both. Findingswere usually generated from studies with adults or a mixed age group, quite often using different methodologies, making it difficult to compare findings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze and describe the speech disfluencies of a group, only consisting of children with Down Syndrome between 3 and 13 years of age. MethodParticipants consisted of 26 Dutch-speaking children with DS. Spontaneous speech samples were collected and 50 utterances were analyzed for each child. Types of disfluencies were identified and classified into stuttering-like (SLD) and other disfluencies (OD). The criterion of three or more SLD per 100 syllables (cf. Ambrose & Yairi, 1999) was used to identify stuttering. Additional parameters such as mean articulation rate (MAR), ratio of disfluencies, and telescoping (cf. Coppens-Hofman et al., 2013) were used to identify cluttering and to differentiate between stuttering and cluttering. Results & conclusionApproximately 30 percent of children with DS between 3 and 13 years of age in this study stutter, which is much higher than the prevalence in normally developing children. Moreover, this study showed that the speech of children with DS has a different distribution of types of disfluencies than the speech of normally developing children. Although different cluttering-like characteristics were found in the speech of young children with DS, none of them could be identified as cluttering or cluttering-stuttering.

Trajectories of Development of Receptive Vocabulary in Individuals with Down Syndrome

AbstractReceptive vocabulary is an important aspect of cognitive functioning. It appears to be a relative strength with respect to language for individuals with Down syndrome (DS) but little is known about its development as individuals mature. This study was designed to establish the developmental trajectory of receptive language development in individuals with DS from early childhood to midadulthood. Two hundred and six individuals with DS provided Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) scores on 957 occasions, spanning ages from 2 years 7 months to 29 years 7 months. Latent growth curve models were used to establish the trajectory of receptive vocabulary. Gender, maternal education, cohort, and nonverbal intellectual ability were used as predictors of rate of development. Receptive vocabulary was found to increase until around 20 years of age when performance on the PPVT began to deteriorate. The only variable measured that was associated with PPVT performance was nonverbal ability. The rate of increase in receptive vocabulary in individuals with DS across the childhood and adolescent period appears to be slower than for those who are developing typically, and the expected influence of maternal education was not found. The small number of participants contributing data in the older ages included in this study means that the apparent decline in receptive vocabulary scores needs to be interpreted cautiously.

Use of Computer-Assisted Technologies (CAT) to Enhance Social, Communicative, and Language Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Major advances in multimedia computer technology over the past decades have made sophisticated computer games readily available to the public. This, combined with the observation that most children, including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), show an affinity to computers, has led researchers to recognize the potential of computer technology as an effective and efficient tool in research and treatment. This paper reviews the use of computer-assisted technology (CAT), excluding strictly internet-based approaches, to enhance social, communicative, and language development in individuals with ASD by dividing the vast literature into four main areas: language, emotion recognition, theory of mind, and social skills. Although many studies illustrate the tremendous promise of CAT to enhance skills of individuals with ASD, most lack rigorous, scientific assessment of efficacy relative to non-CAT approaches.

The WNT2 gene polymorphism associated with speech delay inherent to autism

Previous evidence suggests that language function is modulated by genetic variants on chromosome 7q31-36. However, it is unclear whether this region harbors loci that contribute to speech delay in autism. We previously reported that the WNT2 gene located on 7q31 was associated with the risk of autism. Additionally, two other genes on 7q31-36, FOXP2 and the EN2 genes are also found to play a role in language impairment. Therefore, we hypothesize that the WNT2 gene, FOXP2 gene, and EN2 gene, may act in concert to influence language development in the same population. A total of 373 individuals diagnosed with autistic disorder were recruited in the current study. We selected 6 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the WNT2 gene, 3 tag SNPs in the FOXP2, and 3 tag SNPs in the EN2 genes, to study the effect of these genes on language development. Age of first phrase was treated as a quantitative trait. We used general linear model to assess the association between speech delay and these variants. The results show that rs2896218 in the WNT2 gene was moderately significantly associated with age of first phrase (permutation p = 0.0045). A three-locus haplotype in the WNT2 gene was significantly associated with age of first phrase (permutation p = 2 × 10(-4)). Furthermore, we detected an interaction effect on age of first phrase between a SNP rs2228946 in the WNT2 gene and another SNP rs6460013 in the EN2 gene (p = 0.0012). Therefore, the WNT2 gene may play a suggestive role in language development in autistic disorder. Additionally, the WNT2 gene and EN2 gene may act in concert to influence the language development in autism.

From lumping to splitting and back again: Atypical social and language development in individuals with clinical-high-risk for psychosis, first episode schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorders

Objective Individuals with autism and schizophrenia exhibit atypical language and social symptoms. The extent to which these symptoms are evident during development and in current functioning is unclear. Method Three groups of patients aged 11–20 diagnosed as clinical-high-risk for psychosis (CHR; n = 15), first episode psychosis (FEP; n = 16), and autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 20), plus typically developing individuals (TYP; n = 20) were compared on common autism parent-report questionnaires assessing social and language development and current functioning including the Social Communication Questionnaire, the Children's Communication Checklist, and the Social Reciprocity Scale. Results All clinical groups demonstrated atypical social and language development, with social impairment highest in ASD. Twenty percent of participants with CHR and FEP met diagnostic criteria for ASD as assessed by parent-report. ASD exhibited greater current syntactic, and pragmatic language symptoms including delayed echolalia, pedantic speech, and deficits in appreciating irony and sarcasm. All clinical groups exhibited current deficits in social functioning. CHR and FE had similar and intermediate levels of functioning relative to ASD and TYP, with CHR generally scoring closer to TYP, providing construct validity for the CHR diagnostic label. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that ASDs, CHR, and FEP share common features of atypical neurodevelopment of language and social function. Evidence of impaired social reciprocity across both disorders and distinct language symptoms in ASDs provides important information for differential diagnosis and psychosis prevention, as well as leads for future investigations of comparative genetics and pathophysiology.

Language and communication development in down syndrome

Although there is considerable variability, most individuals with Down syndrome have mental retardation and speech and language deficits, particularly in language production and syntax and poor speech intelligibility. This article describes research findings in the language and communication development of individuals with Down syndrome, first briefly describing the physical and cognitive phenotype of Down syndrome, and two communication related domains-hearing and oral motor skills. Next, we describe language development in Down syndrome, focusing on communication behaviors in the prelinguistic period, then the development of language in children and adolescents, and finally language development in adults and the aging period. We describe language development in individuals with Down syndrome across four domains: phonology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. Wethen suggest strategies for intervention and directions for research relating to individuals with Down syndrome.

Theoretical influences on research on language development and intervention in individuals with mental retardation

In this article, we consider the theoretical debates and frameworks that have shaped research on language development and intervention in persons with mental retardation over the past four decades. Our starting point is the nativist theory, which has been espoused most forcefully by Chomsky. We also consider more recent alternatives to the nativist approach, including the social-interactionist and emergentist approaches, which have been developed largely within the field of child language research. We also consider the implications for language development and intervention of the genetic syndrome-based approach to behavioral research advocated by Dykens and others. We briefly review the impact and status of the debates spurred by the nativist approach in research on the course of language development in individuals with mental retardation. In addition, we characterize some of the achievements in language intervention that have been made possible by the debates spurred by nativism and the various alternatives to it. The evidence we consider provides support for all three alternatives to the nativist approach. Moreover, successful interventions appear to embody elements of several of these approaches as well as other theoretical approaches (e.g., behaviorism). We conclude that language intervention must be theoretically eclectic in its approach, with different strategies appropriate for teaching different features of language, at different points in development, and for children displaying different characteristics or learning histories.

Measuring vocabulary size in English as an additional language

The paper reports findings from a study in two stages to trial tests of vocabulary size in English as an additional language (EAL). The first, pilot, stage trialled the Levels test (Nation, 1990) and the Yes/No test (Meara, 1992) with secondary students aged 15 years, with an average of 11 years of education in the target language. The Levels test was found more useful, mainly because the inclusion of non-words in the Yes/No test produced unreliable results. In the second stage, the Levels test was used with students aged 13 and 14 years, 63 students for whom English was an additional language, and 84 monolingual English speakers. The results of the tests show a different profile of scores for EAL than occur in typical EFL contexts. EAL students, who have had on average 10.5 years in English medium education, show gaps in their knowledge of the most frequent words and more serious problems with less frequent words, with important implications for educational achievement. Comparison of mean scores of EAL students and their native speaker peers using t-tests reveal significant differences at 3K and 5K levels. The study shows that the Levels test offers a useful research and pedagogic tool in additional language learning contexts, yielding an overall picture of receptive vocabulary learning across groups. The test also produces information about individual language development that may help teaching. Implications include the need for further research into the effects of learning environments on language development, andvthe need for skilled intervention in additional language development to continue throughout secondary schooling.

Relationships between reading, phonological skills and language development in individuals with Down syndrome: a five year follow up study

This article is based on language, memory andreading information gathered for a five yearfollow-up study of 30 children and adolescentswith Down syndrome, aged from 10 to 24 years atthe end of the study. At Time 1, 10individuals were classified as readers but byTime 2 this number had risen to 16. Readers significantly outperformed non-readerson tests of nonverbal ability, languagecomprehension and production, phonologicalmemory and phonological awarenesss. However,some of these differences could be accountedfor by readers' significantly lower hearingthresholds. Phonological memory and earlyletter knowledge at Time 1 were significantpredictors of reading scores for Time 2readers, after controlling for age, nonverbalability and corresponding Time 1 readingscores. There was no evidence that learning toread had a significant impact on later languagecomprehension, but early reading skills may besignificant predictors of MLU five years later,after controlling for age, nonverbal abilityand hearing.

Memory training for children with Down syndrome.

One well-established fact concerning cognitive and language development in individuals with Down syndrome is that working memory is particularly poor, with auditory working memory worse than visual working memory. Working memory serves the functions of control, regulation, and active maintenance of information and is critical in daily complex cognitive activities. Thus, there is a strong need to find effective and practical interventions targeted at improving working memory in individuals with Down syndrome. The present paper reviews research on rehearsal training and concludes that it can be used successfully to increase working memory in individuals with Down syndrome. However, there are still questions about whether auditory working memory can be improved reliably, whether improvement can be maintained over the long term, and whether improvement exists beyond any effect of increased attention. We describe our in-progress study which addresses these concerns.

Development of constructed phrases in a child with language impairment

The emerging use of constructed utterances by a pre-school boy who initially used single words and routine phrases is described during a 7-month period, from 4;8-5;3. Emerging constructed phrases were consistent with a mixture of gestalt and analytic acquisition strategies. Some constructed phrases were variations on earlier routine phrases, and others were combinations of words that did not appear in earlier routines. Discussion of the child's course of language development is related to the literature on typical language acquisition and a model of language development in individuals with autism.

Current perspectives on developmental dysphasias

The paper documents the major difficulties observed in the oral language development of individuals with mental retardation of genetic origin. The extent of inter- and within-syndrome variability is evaluated. More specifically, a comparative analysis of typical language phenotypes in several genetic syndromes is attempted and the possible brain underpinnings of the observed differences are envisaged. Recent cases of favorable language development in individuals with mental retardation are summarized and explanatory variables are discussed.

Verwerving Van Woordvolgorderegels In Het Nederlands Als Tweede Taal

This contribution discusses the research questions and preliminary results of a PhD-project carried out at the Free University of Amsterdam. The aim of the project is to gain more insight into the ways in which Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands learn word-order rules of Dutch. The main differen-ce between the languages spoken by the two groups of learners is that Turkish, like Dutch, is an SOV-language, whereas the Moroccan languages (Berber and Moroccan Arabic) are VSO/SVO languages. The central question to be answered is whether all learners, regardless of their mother tongue, go through three acquisitional stages, in which certain word-order rules are acquired as part of a cluster. The idea is that learners build an interlanguage system on the basis of structures they can process; once certain rules are acquired, restructuring of the interlanguage system takes place. This, in turn, may lead to the acquisition of another cluster of rules. In order to be able to answer the research questions, we decided to analyse spontaneous speech samples and to elicite lacking information by means of four experiments. Once the second part will be completed, we hope to be able to decide whether rules are learned as a cluster, which would indicate that restructuring of the interlanguage system has taken place. The first part of the project is mainly aimed at individual language development; this part has not yet been completed. The analysis of spontaneous speech samples was made possible by the Max-Planck Institut für Psycholinguistik in Nijmegen, which made available data of the European Science Foundation Second Language Databank; these data consisted of transcripts of speech samples of 4 Turks and 4 Moroccans, collected over a period of 30 months. The first part of the paper presents some of the theoretical notions employed in second language research, as well as the main rules of Dutch that have to be acquired. Also, the three languages involved in the project are compared. In the next sections the research questions, the design, the data analysis and some interim results are discussed. The main conclusion is that there are indications that certain rules are indeed clustered together, although the different stages are not strictly separated.