CSAD 125 #6

CSAD 125 Lecture #6

Language Disorders

Systems of Language

• Review of affected systems in Jax's speech may include:

  • Phonology

  • Morphology

  • Syntax

  • Semantics

  • Pragmatics

  • Prosody

  • Form, Content, Use categorization.

Modalities of Assessment

• Four categories assessed:

  • Verbal expression

  • Written expression

  • Auditory comprehension

  • Reading comprehension

• Relevant language components: phonology, syntax, morphology, pragmatics, prosody, semantics.

Language Disorders Overview

• Language impairment may occur alongside other developmental issues.

• Common diagnostic categories for language disorders include:

  • A. Intellectual Disability (ID)

  • B. Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) (Specific Language Impairment)

  • C. Language Learning Disability (LLD)

  • D. Pervasive Development Disorder/Autism Spectrum Disorder (PDD/ASD)

  • E. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

  • F. Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)

  • G. Other Language Impairments

Typical Language Learning Development

• Critical skills:

  • Perception of sequenced acoustic events.

  • Active attention, responsiveness, anticipation of stimuli.

  • Symbol use: understanding and creating symbols in language.

  • Syntax invention from environmental language exposure.

  • Mental energy to execute language tasks.

  • Interaction and communication competencies.

Information Processing

Interplay between cognitive and language

• Information processing affects language acquisition and use, encompassing cognitive-communication.

• Profiles of information processing:

  • Vary among individuals due to brain structure or learned experiences.

  • Affects attention, organization, and rule development.

Information Processing Steps

1. Attention

2. Discrimination

3. Organization

4. Memory/Retrieval

Attention

• Automatic brain activation; focus creation.

• Poor attention can lead to missed stimuli and discrimination difficulties.

Discrimination

• Ability to identify similarity/dissimilarity of stimuli from competing options.

Working Memory

• Active information processing location.

• Sufficiency in capacity is vital for handling complex information.

Organization

• Categorizing information for storage and retrieval.

• Effective organization leads to improved memory and retrieval through associative networks.

Memory/Retrieval

• Storing and accessing learned information.

• Growth of storage capacity and retrieval accuracy with maturity.

Long-Term Memory

• Organized storage for information retrieval.

Advanced Information Processing Concepts

• Be aware of simultaneous processing levels as cognitive and linguistic skills develop.

• Bottom-Up Processing: Involves new concepts processed at a basic level.

• Top-Down Processing: Higher-level processing utilizing stored knowledge.

Executive Function

• Governs planning, cognitive flexibility, and remembering strategies.

Executive Dysfunction

Characteristic Problems

• Recalling information.

• Planning, organizing, and sequencing challenges.

• Difficulty integrating or associating information.

Resulting Behavioral Issues

• Disorganization and impulse control issues.

• Problems following multi-step directions and defining goals.

Information Processing Summary

• Poor processing resources may inhibit automatic language analysis, leading to reliance on bottom-up processing rather than efficient top-down methods.

Diagnostic Categories Overview

• Language deficits present across various disabilities:

• Tailored assessments needed as children may have cross-category profiles.

Intellectual Disability (ID)

Definition

• Originates before age 18; significant limitations in intellectual functioning.

Characteristics

• Sub-average intellectual functioning (IQ < 68).

• Must exhibit limitations in two or more adaptive areas.

Normal Curve Review

• Percentages of scores within standard deviations from the mean.

• Implications for qualifying for speech services based on language scores.

ID Language Characteristics

• Language typically the most impaired area.

• Slower developmental sequence compared to typically developing peers.

• Less mature forms used even at matched mental age.

Specific Language Areas for ID

1. Pragmatics: Delayed, less dominant in conversations.

2. Semantics: More concrete understanding; slow vocabulary growth.

3. Syntax/Morphology: Similar development to peers, but at a slower rate.

4. Phonology: Similar to typically developing peers but use immature forms.

5. Comprehension: Poorer skills, especially memory recall and reliance on context.

Possible Causal Factors of ID

Biological Factors

• Genetic, chromosomal issues, maternal infections, toxins, among others.

Social-Environmental Factors

• Interactive variables affecting development, including deprivation and lack of care.

Processing Factors

• Cognitive and processing ability differences from typically developing peers, affecting learning capability.