Handout Childhood Language Impairments

Childhood Language Impairments

• Presenter: Chey Gruse, M.S., CCC-SLP

Language Definition

• Complex System:

  • A code and a tool for communication.

  • Must be shared among individuals.

  • Characteristics: Generative, arbitrary, dynamic, social, governed by rules.

• Components of Language:

  • Form: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax.

  • Content: Semantics.

  • Use: Pragmatics.

Language Impairment Overview

• Vary in symptoms, manifestations, effects, and severity.

• Can occur at any point in life.

• Can be developmental or acquired.

• May persist through elementary school.

Language Development Through the Lifespan

Pre-Language (First Year)

• 0-3 Months:

  • Engage in signal-response sequences.

• 3-4 Months:

  • Begin rituals and games; form expectations.

• 4-6 Months:

  • Start babbling.

• 8-9 Months:

  • Develop intentionality and gestures.

• 12 Months:

  • First words used for communicative functions; learn sound patterns; perceptually restricted to L1.

Toddler Language (1-2 Years)

• Reduced babbling; increased word usage.

• At least 50 words by age 2.

• Expressive Vocabulary: 150-300 words.

• Begins to combine words and forms single word communicative functions.

• Vocabulary grows slowly; comprehension is contextual.

• Learns new word-referent associations with consistent exposure.

Preschool Language (2-5 Years)

• Communication relies on caregiver conversations.

• Conversational skills develop, including memory and recall.

• Initiate and maintain topics for 2-3 turns.

• Begins to consider the listener's needs.

• Storytelling:

  • By age 4, can tell simple sequential stories.

• Expressive Vocabulary: 900 to 1500 words.

• Comprehend 2-3 times more than expressive abilities.

• Learn locational, temporal, quantitative, and qualitative terms.

• Syntax approximates adult language; begins using articles, adjectives, auxiliary verbs, prepositions, pronouns, adverbs.

• Uses compound sentences and bound morphemes, despite some grammatical errors.

School Age and Adolescents (6-18 Years)

• Communication Context:

  • Primarily outside the home.

  • Family interactions foundational for peer communication.

• Means of Communication Changes:

  • Incorporates reading, writing, and technology (computers, phones).

• Semantic and pragmatic development progress.

• Language development slows and stabilizes over time.

• Mastery of conversational skills: introduce, maintain, and conclude conversations.

• Vocabulary Growth:

  • First grade: 2,600 words; understand 8,000 root words.

  • Sixth grade: understands 30,000 words.

  • High school: understands 60,000 words.

  • Young adult: approximately 100,000 words.

  • Definitions and multiple meanings become more precise, mastering figurative language.

• Students develop grammatical complexity, using tenses, pronouns, conjunctions, and complex sentences.

• Morphological understanding progresses with exposure to prefixes and suffixes.

Language Impairments and Associated Disorders

• Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

• Social Communication Disorders (SCD)

• Intellectual Disabilities (ID)

• Learning Disabilities

• ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• Traumatic Brain Injury

• Nonspecific Language Impairment

• Later Talkers

• Childhood Schizophrenia

• Selective Mutism

• Otitis Media

• Cochlear Implantation

• Prenatal Substance Exposure:

  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

  • Prenatal Cocaine Exposure (PCE)

• Effects of Abuse and Neglect

Bilingual Children and Dialectical Considerations

• Demographics:

  • 21% of school-age children in the U.S. speak a language other than English as their primary.

• Importance of considering cultural and linguistic diversity in assessments.

• Differentiate between language disorders and language differences; standardized tests may misidentify children from diverse backgrounds as needing special education services.

Evaluation and Referral Process

• Steps to Evaluation:

  • Gather case history and conduct interviews (teachers, parents).

  • Conduct observations and standardized testing.

  • Collect communication samples.

Intervention Strategies

• Goals:

  • Identify needs, duration, and frequency of interventions.

• Types of Intervention:

  • Direct interventions: Bottom-up, Top-down.

  • Indirect interventions: Coaching.

• Evidence-Based Practices:

  • Modeling, cueing for responses, corrective feedback, and generalization strategies.

  • Consider augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) as needed.

References

• Owens, R. E., Jr., Metz, D. E., & Farinella, K. A. (2019). Introduction to Communication Disorders: A Lifespan Evidence-based Perspective (6th Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.