Ch. 7 - Language Disorders in Early & Late Childhood

Language disorder

Impaired comprehension and/or use of spoken, written, and/or other symbol systems

• May impact the form, content, and use of language

• Present is a child’s language skills in areas form, content, and use aren’t consistent with what’s seen in children of their age range

Developmental language disorders

Present from birth

• Can be primary or secondary

Acquired language disorders

Gained sometime after birth

• EX: lead exposure

Primary language disorders

Occurs in absence of any other disability that can be a cause for the disordered pattern of language development

Secondary language disorders

Occurs as a consequence of another disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A neurological and developmental condition that affects how a person communicates, interacts socially, learns, and behaves

Characteristics of ASD in infancy & toddlerhood

• Limited engagement in joint attention

• Low responsiveness to caregiver’s smiles and bids for joint attention

• Low use of vocalizations to communicate

• Low use of conventional symbolic gestures (waving, pointing) to communicate and overreliance on presymbolic gestures (pulling, leading)

Characteristics of ASD in preschool & primary years

• Low use of nonverbal behaviors (eye contact, facial expressions, etc.)

• Limited interest in participating in communicative exchanges

• Echolalia

• Limited engagement in play with others

• Use of challenging behaviors to communicate or get attention (tantrums)

Characteristics of ASD in adolescence

• Difficulty understanding jokes, idioms, etc.

• Difficulty entering perr conversations and intitiating conversations

• Difficulty understanding abstract language concepts

• Difficulty with nonverbal behaviors during communication

Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

A communication disorder that interfers with with the development of language skills in children with no hearing loss

• Can affect a child’s speaking, listening, reading, and writing

SLI characteristics

• Late talkers

• Slow vocab development

• Word-finding problems

• Difficulty with grammatical production and comprehension

• Difficulty reading

Intellectual Disabilities (ID)

When limitations in one’s mental abilities affects their intelligence, learning, and daily life skills

ID characteristics

• Limitations in intelligence

  • Difficulties with reasoning, planning, problem-solving, abstract thinking, etc.

• Limitations in adaptive behavior and the activities of daily living

  • Difficulties in conceptual skills, social skills, or practical skills

Static classification

Steady but slow rate of language development over time

• Down syndrome

Progressive classification

Regression and loss of skills over time

• Rett syndrome

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

A brain injury caused by an outside force

Impacts of TBI

Can impact cognitive, executive, and behavioral skills

• Language comprehension difficulties due to decreased attention and speech

• Difficulties

• look at textbook

Treatment strategies