Finding Words and Remembering Them: Studies of Children with Language Impairment* Lynn Snyder

1. Finding Words and Remembering Them: Studies of Children with Language Impairment* Lynn Snyder Dept. of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences University of Colorado at Boulder • Language Impairment in Children: • One of the most pervasive effects of cognitive disabilities • Delays development of receptive and expressive language, the ability to comprehend and produce language • Limits the ability to acquire and use information • Limits the ability to interact and relate to others • Affects 3.5-5% of all elementary school children • Heterogeneous – different subtypes • Best addressed with intensive intervention • Benefits most from intervention that is individualized and personalized Response Times and Production Duration during Naming And Vocabulary for Subtypes of LI Response Times for Different Types of Naming Cues for Subtypes of LI • Word finding and verbal recall in children with language impairment (LI): • Words are the very “stuff” of which language is made • Findings from this lab indicate that children with LI take longer to retrieve or find words when they speak • Findings also indicate that children with LI take longer to develop a memory trace for new words that they learn • Findings indicate that they differ with respect to the reasons for their slow word finding and poor recall • Different underlying bases of LI require the development of different types of intervention and more practice with different aspects of language to address the underlying needs • Individualized and personalized language intervention is costly and labor intensive • Role of technology in intervention: • Need more effective, individualized intervention • Need intervention tools that can be used intensively • Computer-assisted intervention can serve as an adjunct to supplement regular speech-language services • Computer-assisted intervention is a cost effective way to provide individualized lessons that can be used with the intensity that children with LI need • Children with LI can use computer based intervention programs that are geared to provide activities that address the underlying causes of their word finding and verbal recall difficulties Different reasons underlie the slow naming and poor verbal recall in children with LI: • Research from this lab indicates that each subtype of LI demonstrates uniquely different underlying reasons for their slow naming and poor verbal recall • These reasons include: *Slow general response time *Restricted development of meaning for words *Weak access to the sound shapes of words • Two main subtypes of LI in children: * Receptive & expressive language similar * Expressive much lower than receptive language • Profiles of vocabulary comprehension, response times and the duration of production (a measure of oral-motor efficiency) differ for each subtype of LI • Different types of cues, e.g. semantic (word), rhyme or initial sound, help children perform and learn to find and recall words more efficiently *This research was supported by funding from the National Institute for Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders of the National Institutes of Health, award RO1-1904