Measures Of Word Recognition Research Articles

Word recognition thresholds in novice readers: exploring when reading and listening comprehension are comparable

AbstractThis study proposes and identifies two levels of word reading at which good comprehenders can obtain a similar understanding of written and spoken narrative texts: The oral-written matching functional and efficient thresholds. These thresholds are compared with the level of word reading over which a relationship between listening comprehension and reading comprehension is evident (a basic word recognition threshold) and with the level after which better word recognition does not result in improvements in reading comprehension (an upper word recognition threshold). The three first thresholds were calculated in a sample of 344 first to third-grade Spanish students who read and listened to two narrative texts of different difficulty and who were assessed on measures of comprehension and word recognition. Listening and reading comprehension were related when participants accurately read more than 73% of pseudowords in a list (basic word recognition threshold). For participants with good listening comprehension, reading comprehension performance matched listening comprehension once a moderate reading speed of ~ 66 decontextualized words per minute was achieved (oral-written matching functional threshold) or when the rate of reading the text was ~ 140 words per minute (oral-written matching efficient threshold). The value of the oral-written matching efficient threshold was, in this study, similar to the upper word recognition threshold identified by prior research. The thresholds calculated in this study delineate a sequence of increasingly challenges to the developing reader, allowing a nuanced description of the initial stages of reading development.

An early effect of the parafoveal preview on post-saccadic processing of English words.

A key aspect of efficient visual processing is to use current and previous information to make predictions about what we will see next. In natural viewing, and when looking at words, there is typically an indication of forthcoming visual information from extrafoveal areas of the visual field before we make an eye movement to an object or word of interest. This "preview effect" has been studied for many years in the word reading literature and, more recently, in object perception. Here, we integrated methods from word recognition and object perception to investigate the timing of the preview on neural measures of word recognition. Through a combined use of EEG and eye-tracking, a group of multilingual participants took part in a gaze-contingent, single-shot saccade experiment in which words appeared in their parafoveal visual field. In valid preview trials, the same word was presented during the preview and after the saccade, while in the invalid condition, the saccade target was a number string that turned into a word during the saccade. As hypothesized, the valid preview greatly reduced the fixation-related evoked response. Interestingly, multivariate decoding analyses revealed much earlier preview effects than previously reported for words, and individual decoding performance correlated with participant reading scores. These results demonstrate that a parafoveal preview can influence relatively early aspects of post-saccadic word processing and help to resolve some discrepancies between the word and object literatures.

Assessment of adults with low literacy skills: a review of methods

The paper reviews the methods for assessing different components of reading skills in adults with reading difficulties, along with functional reading skills. We are particularly interested in the assessment methods available to researchers and practitioners, developed predominantly in the research context, and not available solely in English. We discuss the large-scale international study, PIAAC, as an example of a framework for such assessments. Furthermore, we cover the following types of assessment tools: (1) self-assessment questionnaires, probing into comprehension difficulties and reading habits; (2) measures of print exposure, such as author recognition tests, correlating with other reading-related skills; (3) measures of word recognition and decoding, including reading aloud of words and pseudowords, as well as silent lexical decision tasks; (4) fill-in-the-blank tasks and sentence reading tasks, measuring predominantly local comprehension, entangled with decoding skills; (5) comprehension of longer reading passages and texts, focusing on functional texts. We discuss comprehension types measured by tests, text types, answer formats, and the dependence problem, i.e., reading comprehension tests that can be solved correctly without reading. Finally, we tap into the new ideas emerging from the AI systems evaluation, e.g., using questions generated from news articles or Wikipedia or asked directly by search engines users. In the concluding section, we comment on the significance of incorporating background information, motivation, and self-efficacy into the assessment of adult literacy skills.

Reading profiles in secondary school: concurrent language and cognitive abilities, and retrospective and prospective reading skills.

We examined the concurrent language and cognitive abilities in a group of Swedish students with different reading profiles in secondary school, and the retrospective (primary school) and prospective (upper-secondary school) reading skills of each reading profile. Seventy-nine students participated in data collections in primary (grade 2: age 8), secondary (grade 8: age 14) and upper-secondary school (year 2: age 17). Independent variables included measures of word recognition, and vocabulary and text comprehension in secondary school. Dependent variables included measures of phonemic awareness, verbal fluency, listening comprehension, spelling, verbal working memory and nonverbal reasoning skills in secondary school, and word recognition and reading comprehension in primary and upper-secondary school. When exploring the concurrent language and cognitive abilities of the reading profiles in secondary school, spelling emerged as a weakness and listening comprehension as a strength for students with poor decoding. Students with poor comprehension experienced weaknesses in spelling, and non-verbal reasoning. Students with both poor decoding and comprehension displayed a multi-deficit profile in language and cognition. As regards the retrospective and prospective reading skills, the relative ranking of the reading profiles was rather consistent in both primary and upper-secondary school. The findings suggest that limitations in phonological awareness may not be a prominent feature of secondary school students with poor decoding in more transparent orthographies. From an educational perspective, spoken sources may support learning among students with poor decoding, whereas students with poor comprehension or combined difficulties in decoding and comprehension need support when learning from both spoken and written sources.

Reading Instruction for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Comparing Observations of Instruction to Student Reading Profiles

AbstractDespite a marked increase in the volume of research investigating issues about reading interventions for students with ASD (e.g., Bailey and Arciuli, Rev J Autism Dev Disord 7(2):127–150, 2020; Chiang and Lin, Focus Autism Other Dev Disab 22(4):259–267, 2007), very few studies have examined the current reading practices experienced by children with ASD in the schools. This mixed-method study reports on the observed reading instruction and reading performance of students (N = 39) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in grades 4–8 (ages 9–14 years.) across two separate geographic regions of the USA. Data collection included systematic observations of tier 1 and tier 2/3 reading instruction. Students were also assessed with standardized measures of word recognition, language, and reading comprehension. The purpose of this investigation was to contribute to the limited corpus of observation research on reading instruction for students with ASD within the context of describing student performance on battery of standardized measures. A total of 168 lesson sessions totaling 7497 min of observed class time were completed and the battery of measures were administered to students. Results of the observations indicated that 44–48% of instructional time across different tiers of instruction were dedicated to comprehension monitoring consisting of answering teacher directed questions. Minimal amounts of time were dedicated to word recognition instruction. According to findings from the assessment battery, approximately 46% of students had below average scores on word recognition and reading comprehension measures. Study findings suggest a mismatch between student needs and the manner in which they were addressed.

Long-Term Perceived Benefit of Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users with Unilateral Hearing Loss.

To assess the perceived benefit of cochlear implant (CI) use for children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) and evaluate whether perceived abilities are associated with performance on measures of speech recognition and spatial hearing. Nineteen children with moderate-to-profound UHL underwent cochlear implantation. The Speech Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Questionnaire modified for children (SSQ-C) were completed by parental proxy pre-operatively and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months post-activation. Linear mixed models evaluated perceived benefits over the study period. Pearson correlations assessed the association between subjective report and performance on measures of word recognition with the CI alone and spatial hearing (speech recognition in spatially-separated noise and sound source localization) in the combined condition (CI plus contralateral ear). For the SSQ-C, parents reported significant improvements with CI use as compared to pre-operative perceptions (p < 0.001); improved perceptions were either maintained or continued to improve over the 2-year post-activation period. Perceived benefit did not significantly correlate with word recognition with the CI alone or spatial hearing outcomes in the combined condition. Families of children with UHL observed benefits of CI use early after cochlear implantation that was maintained with long-term device use. Responses to subjective measures may broaden our understanding of the experiences of pediatric CI users with UHL in addition to outcomes on typical measures of CI performance. 3 Laryngoscope, 134:919-925, 2024.

Neural Correlates of Individual Differences in Speech-in-Noise Performance in a Large Cohort of Cochlear Implant Users.

Understanding speech-in-noise (SiN) is a complex task that recruits multiple cortical subsystems. Individuals vary in their ability to understand SiN. This cannot be explained by simple peripheral hearing profiles, but recent work by our group ( Kim et al. 2021 , Neuroimage ) highlighted central neural factors underlying the variance in SiN ability in normal hearing (NH) subjects. The present study examined neural predictors of SiN ability in a large cohort of cochlear-implant (CI) users. We recorded electroencephalography in 114 postlingually deafened CI users while they completed the California consonant test: a word-in-noise task. In many subjects, data were also collected on two other commonly used clinical measures of speech perception: a word-in-quiet task (consonant-nucleus-consonant) word and a sentence-in-noise task (AzBio sentences). Neural activity was assessed at a vertex electrode (Cz), which could help maximize eventual generalizability to clinical situations. The N1-P2 complex of event-related potentials (ERPs) at this location were included in multiple linear regression analyses, along with several other demographic and hearing factors as predictors of SiN performance. In general, there was a good agreement between the scores on the three speech perception tasks. ERP amplitudes did not predict AzBio performance, which was predicted by the duration of device use, low-frequency hearing thresholds, and age. However, ERP amplitudes were strong predictors for performance for both word recognition tasks: the California consonant test (which was conducted simultaneously with electroencephalography recording) and the consonant-nucleus-consonant (conducted offline). These correlations held even after accounting for known predictors of performance including residual low-frequency hearing thresholds. In CI-users, better performance was predicted by an increased cortical response to the target word, in contrast to previous reports in normal-hearing subjects in whom speech perception ability was accounted for by the ability to suppress noise. These data indicate a neurophysiological correlate of SiN performance, thereby revealing a richer profile of an individual's hearing performance than shown by psychoacoustic measures alone. These results also highlight important differences between sentence and word recognition measures of performance and suggest that individual differences in these measures may be underwritten by different mechanisms. Finally, the contrast with prior reports of NH listeners in the same task suggests CI-users performance may be explained by a different weighting of neural processes than NH listeners.

Word Properties Predicting Children’s Word Recognition

ABSTRACT We examined whether word recognition accuracy and latency of words children encounter during primary school across the upper primary school grades can be predicted from word form (word length, mean Levenshtein distance, and mean frequency of neighbors), word meaning (free association network markers) and word exposure (corpus frequency and contextual diversity). As a measure of word recognition, 1454 children (M = 10.1 years, SD = 11.8 months, 52.4% girls) in grade 3, 4 and 5 of Dutch regular primary schools completed a lexical decision task. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that word characteristics could be reduced to latent constructs of form, meaning, and exposure. Structural equation models indicated that word form and exposure predicted word recognition accuracy, and that word recognition accuracy, word form, and word meaning predicted word recognition latency. The present study provided empirical evidence that word form, word meaning, and word exposure differentially predict word recognition accuracy and latency of words children encounter during primary school across the upper primary grades.

Ototoxicity in cystic fibrosis patients receiving intravenous tobramycin for acute pulmonary exacerbation: Ototoxicity following tobramycin treatment

Aminoglycosides are commonly used to treat infections in CF patients and are highly ototoxic. The incidence of tobramycin-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo or dizziness (ototoxicity) varies widely from 0 to 56% secondary to variation in patient enrollment, dosing, audiometry, and ototoxic criteria. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of ototoxicity after one course of once-daily IV tobramycin in CF patients.Adult CF patients with acute pulmonary exacerbations were enrolled on IV tobramycin (10 mg/kg/d, ≥10 days). Pure-tone audiometry was performed for standard and extended high frequencies in the sensitive range for ototoxicity (SRO). American-Speech-Language-Hearing-Association cochleotoxicity criteria were applied. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) and the words-in-noise-test (WINT) were assessed. Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) and Vertigo Symptoms Scale (VSS) were used.Eighteen CF patients, mean age 31.1 (18–59), were enrolled. The incidence of cochleotoxic change from baseline at 2 and 4 weeks post-treatment was 89% and 93%. For DPOAE, a measure of outer hair-cell function, the incidence of ≥5 dB decrease was 82% and 80%. For WINT, a measure of word recognition, the incidence of ≥10% decrease was 17% and 40%. For TFI, the incidence of ≥10pt increase was 12% and 8%, and for VSS, the incidence of ≥6pt increase was 0% and 8%.One course of IV tobramycin was sufficient to cause hearing loss and other ototoxic symptoms four weeks after treatment ended. Audiometric measures were more sensitive to ototoxic change than TFI & VSS. Age and duration of tobramycin treatment were not obvious factors for predicting ototoxicity.

Comprehensive auditory rehabilitation in adults receiving cochlear implants: A pilot study.

ObjectiveIn the United States, most adults who receive cochlear implants (CIs) do not undergo a comprehensive auditory rehabilitation (CAR) approach, which may result in suboptimal outcomes. The objectives of this pilot study were to demonstrate that a CAR approach incorporating auditory training (AT) by a speech‐language pathologist (SLP) is feasible in adults receiving CIs and to explore whether this approach results in improved outcomes.MethodsTwenty‐four postlingually deaf adult CI candidates were serially assigned to one of three groups: (a) a “CAR group” that received standard of care implantation, programming by an audiologist, an additional preoperative counseling session, and eight one‐hour AT sessions; (b) a “passive control” standard‐of‐care group; and (c) an “active control” group that also received the extra preoperative counseling session. Participants were tested preoperatively and 1, 3, and 6 months after CI using measures of word and sentence recognition in quiet and in babble, as well as measures of quality of life (QOL).ResultsThe CAR approach was feasible, but this pilot study was underpowered to determine efficacy. Differential time courses of speech recognition improvement were seen for sentence and word recognition. All QOL measurements showed improvement from pre‐CI to 1 month post‐CI activation. Results revealed issues to consider for a larger‐scale study of CAR revolving around participant selection, study measures, and sample size.ConclusionThe CAR approach is feasible in new CI users. A larger trial is needed to investigate whether CAR leads to better outcomes or faster improvement in this clinical population.Level of Evidence2.

Improved metabolic function and cognitive performance in middle-aged adults following a single dose of wild blueberry

PurposeResearch has demonstrated cognitive benefits following acute polyphenol-rich berry consumption in children and young adults. Berry intake also has been associated with metabolic benefits. No study has yet examined cognitive performance in middle-aged adults. We investigated the relationships among cognitive and metabolic outcomes in middle-aged adults following wild blueberry (WBB) consumption.MethodsThirty-five individuals aged 40–65 years participated in a randomized, double blind, cross-over study. Participants consumed a breakfast meal and 1-cup equivalent WBB drink or matched placebo beverage on two occasions. Participants completed cognitive tasks and had blood drawn before and at regular intervals for 8 h after each meal/treatment. Changes in episodic memory and executive function (EF) were assessed alongside plasma levels of glucose, insulin, and triglyceride.ResultsAnalysis of the memory-related Auditory Verbal Learning Task (AVLT) word recognition measure revealed a decrease in performance over the test day after placebo intake, whereas performance after WBB was maintained. For the AVLT word rejection measure, participants identified more foils following WBB in comparison to placebo. Benefits were also observed for EF on the Go/No-Go task with fewer errors following WBB intake on cognitively demanding invalid No-Go trials in comparison to placebo. Furthermore, in comparison to placebo, response times were faster for the Go/No-Go task, specifically at 4 h and 8 h following WBB treatment. We also observed reduced post-meal glucose and insulin, but not triglyceride, concentrations in comparison to placebo over the first 2 h following ingestion. Though the addition of Age, BMI, glucose and insulin as covariates to the analysis reduced the significant effect of beverage for AVLT word rejection, metabolic outcomes did not interact with treatment to predict cognitive performance with the exception of one isolated trend.ConclusionsThis study indicated acute cognitive benefits of WBB intake in cognitively healthy middle-aged individuals, particularly in the context of demanding tasks and cognitive fatigue. WBB improved glucose and insulin responses to a meal. Further research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanism by which WBB improves cognitive function.

Cognitive Functions in Adults Receiving Cochlear Implants: Predictors of Speech Recognition and Changes After Implantation.

Significant variability in speech recognition outcomes is consistently observed in adults who receive cochlear implants (CIs), some of which may be attributable to cognitive functions. Two hypotheses were tested: 1) preoperative cognitive skills assessed visually would predict postoperative speech recognition at 6 months after CI; and 2) cochlear implantation would result in benefits to cognitive processes at 6 months. Several executive functioning tasks have been identified as contributors to speech recognition in adults with hearing loss. There is also mounting evidence that cochlear implantation can improve cognitive functioning. This study examined whether preoperative cognitive functions would predict speech recognition after implantation, and whether cognitive skills would improve as a result of CI intervention. Nineteen post-lingually deafened adult CI candidates were tested preoperatively using a visual battery of tests to assess working memory (WM), processing speed, inhibition-concentration, and nonverbal reasoning. Six months post-implantation, participants were assessed with a battery of word and sentence recognition measures and cognitive tests were repeated. Multiple speech measures after 6 months of CI use were correlated with preoperative visual WM (symbol span task) and inhibition ability (stroop incongruent task) with moderate-to-large effect sizes. Small-to-large effect size improvements in visual WM, concentration, and inhibition tasks were found from pre- to post-CI. Patients with lower baseline cognitive abilities improved the most after implantation. Findings provide evidence that preoperative cognitive factors contribute to speech recognition outcomes for adult CI users, and support the premise that implantation may lead to improvements in some cognitive domains.

Individual differences in reading: Separable effects of reading experience and processing skill.

A large-scale eye-tracking study examined individual variability in measures of word recognition during reading among 546 college students, focusing on two established individual-differences measures: the Author Recognition Test (ART) and Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN). ART and RAN were only slightly correlated, suggesting that the two tasks reflect independent cognitive abilities in this large sample of participants. Further, individual variability in ART and RAN scores were related to distinct facets of word-recognition processes. Higher ART scores were associated with increased skipping rates, shorter gaze duration, and reduced effects of word frequency on gaze duration, suggesting that this measure reflects efficiency of basic processes of word recognition during reading. In contrast, faster times on RAN were associated with enhanced foveal-on-parafoveal effects, fewer first-pass regressions, and shorter second-pass reading times, suggesting that this measure reflects efficient coordination of perceptual-motor and attentional processing during reading. These results demonstrate that ART and RAN tasks make independent contributions to predicting variability in word-recognition processes during reading.

Save Your Strokes: Chinese Handwriting Practice Makes for Ineffective Use of Instructional Time in Second Language Classrooms

Handwriting practice is the most time-consuming activity for learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). CFL instructors report allocating at least one third of their course time to handwriting practice although it prevents students from engaging in meaningful communication, especially in the earliest stages of learning. Given the amount of time students spend in a college course is relatively fixed, the preregistered study presented herein examines the best use of students’ time when primary goals are word acquisition and communication. This work replicates a pilot study examining CFL word recognition in an online learning environment (ASSISTments) and the effects of supplemental handwriting practice. We examined word acquisition and recognition while manipulating condition (no-handwriting practice and with-handwriting practice), and posttest test point (1 [immediate], 2 [1 day delay], and 3 [1 week delay]). Two-way repeated measures analyses of variance revealed significant main effects for both condition and posttest test point in online and on-paper measures of word recognition and handwriting. Potential implications for CFL instruction and directions for future work are discussed.

Effects of Concussion in Adolescent Students: Perceptions and Performance.

The purpose of this study was to compare adolescent students with and without concussion on a battery of academic, neurocognitive, and socioemotional measures and assess the aftereffects of concussion across domains of functioning. Twenty-four adolescents (ages 13-17) reporting postconcussion symptoms were compared to 24 controls matched for age and gender across a battery of tests and surveys. After correcting for multiple comparisons, there were no significant differences on any neuropsychological measures. Similarly, there were no significant group differences on academic measures of vocabulary, word recognition, or reading comprehension. Self-reported concussion symptoms were much greater for students with concussion, as were self-reports of anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms. Parents also rated those with concussion as having greater depression and somatization symptoms, but not to a degree that survived Bonferroni correction. Lastly, those with concussion reported a significantly greater number of school problems and academic concerns. Results indicated that adolescents who reported postconcussion symptoms do not perform differently from peers on most neurocognitive and academic tasks, yet they showed considerably more worry, somatization, academic concerns, and feelings of inadequacy than matched controls. The findings suggest that interventions to address psychological and academic stress may be indicated for adolescents symptomatic from concussion.

The role of academic language in written composition in elementary and middle school

Academic language has been identified as an important focus for instructing students about the quality of written composition they need to be successful in college and career. However, the role of academic language in written composition achievement is not well understood. This study explores the role of academic language skills in students’ written composition outcomes. Measures of general academic language at the word, and sentence levels, as well as a reading comprehension measure that included academic text and a word recognition measure were administered to 1316 students in Grade 4 and 1302 students in Grade 8. Students’ skill with these four areas were compared to their pass rate on the state accountability test for written composition. Results from a series of general linear mixed models indicate that these four measures predict 65% of the variance in pass rates on a written composition assessment in Grade 4 and 86% in Grade 8. Academic language contributed a small amount of unique, but mostly common variance to distinguishing between proficient and non-proficient writers. Implications related to the unique and common contribution of academic language for improving writing outcomes are discussed.

Development and assessment of the Korean Author Recognition Test

This research reports the development and evaluation of a Korean Author Recognition Test (KART), designed as a measure of print exposure among young adults. Based on the original, English-language version of the Author Recognition Test (ART), the KART demonstrates significant relationships with offline measures of language ability, as well as online measures of word recognition. In particular, KART scores were related to participants' responses on the Comparative Reading Habits (CRH) checklist, suggesting that KART is a valid measure of print exposure. In addition, KART scores showed reliable correlations with offline measures of vocabulary knowledge and language comprehension. Finally, results from a lexical decision task showed that KART scores modulated the magnitude of the word familiarity effect, such that the effect was smaller for participants with higher KART scores The results suggest that the ART is a language-universal task that measures print exposure, which is useful for explaining individual differences in language comprehension abilities and word recognition processes.

How well do word recognition measures correlate? Effects of language context and repeated presentations.

In the present study we assessed the extent to which different word recognition time measures converge, using large databases of lexical decision times and eyetracking measures. We observed a low proportion of shared variance between these measures, which limits the validity of lexical decision times to real-life reading. We further investigated and compared the role of word frequency and length, two important predictors of word-processing latencies in these paradigms, and found that they influenced the measures to different extents. A second analysis of two different eyetracking corpora compared the eyetracking reading times for short paragraphs with those from reading of an entire book. Our results revealed that the correlations between eyetracking reading times of identical words in two different corpora are also low, suggesting that the higher-order language context in which words are presented plays a crucial role. Finally, our findings indicate that lexical decision times better resemble the average processing time of multiple presentations of the same word, across different language contexts.

Beneficial Effect of Multidomain Cognitive Training on the Neuropsychological Performance of Patients with Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease.

Background and Purpose There is an increasing interest in the effect of nonpharmacological interventions on the course of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The objective of the present study is to determine the benefits of a structured, multidomain, mostly computer-based, cognitive training (MCT) οn the cognitive performance of patients with early-stage AD. Method Fifty patients with early-stage AD participated in the study. Patients were randomly allocated either to the training program group (n = 25) or to a wait list control group (n = 25). The training program group received computer-assisted MCT and linguistic exercises utilizing pen and paper supplemented by cognitive-linguistic exercises for homework. The duration of the MCT intervention program was 15 weeks, and it was administered twice a week. Each session lasted for approximately one hour. Objective measures of episodic memory, delayed memory, word recognition, attention, executive function, processing speed, semantic fluency, and naming were assessed at baseline and after the completion of the program in both groups. Results Analysis showed that in controls, delayed memory and executive function had deteriorated over the observation period of 15 weeks, while the training group improved their performance in word recognition, Boston Naming Test (BNT), semantic fluency (SF), clock-drawing test (CDT), digit span forward (DSF), digit span backward (DSB), trail-making test A (TMT A), and trail-making test B (TMT B). Comparison between the training group and the controls showed that MCT had a significant beneficial effect in delayed memory, naming, semantic fluency, visuospatial ability, executive functions, attention, and processing speed. Conclusions The study provides evidence of a beneficial effect of MCT with an emphasis on cognitive-language performance of patients with early-stage AD. Considering the limited efficacy of current pharmacological therapies in AD, concurrent computer-based MCT may represent an additional enhancing treatment option in early-stage AD patients.

Neighborhood Density and Syntactic Class Effects on Spoken Word Recognition: Specific Language Impairment and Typical Development.

The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of neighborhood density and syntactic class on word recognition in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typical development (TD). Fifteen children with SLI (M age = 6;5 [years;months]) and 15 with TD (M age = 6;4) completed a forward gating task that presented consonant-vowel-consonant dense and sparse (neighborhood density) nouns and verbs (syntactic class). On all dependent variables, the SLI group performed like the TD group. Recognition performance was highest for dense words and nouns. The majority of 1st nontarget responses shared the 1st phoneme with the target (i.e., was in the target's cohort). When considering the ranking of word types from easiest to most difficult, children showed equivalent recognition performance for dense verbs and sparse nouns, which were both easier to recognize than sparse verbs but more difficult than dense nouns. The current study yields new insight into how children access lexical-phonological information and syntactic class during the process of spoken word recognition. Given the identical pattern of results for the SLI and TD groups, we hypothesize that accessing lexical-phonological information may be a strength for children with SLI. We also discuss implications for using the forward gating paradigm as a measure of word recognition.