Specific Language impairment is it so specific

1
Specific Language impairment is it so specific?

• Anne E. Baker
• University of Amsterdam

2
Overview of this talk

• Introduction SLI
• SLI and
• - reading problems
• - ADHD
• - bilingualism
• Future work

3
Collaborators

• Bilingualism Elma Blom, N. Çavus J. de Jong, A.
  Orgassa, F. Weerman
• Reading problems Esther Psarigger, Judith
  Rispens
• ADHD Esther Parigger
• Thanks to NWO Marie Curie.

4
What is SLI?

• SLI refers to pervasive impairment in the
  development of language - in the absence of other
  problems such as deafness, autism etc.
• Grammar is often a problem - in particular
  Agreement inflection e.g. Janet drive the car.
• Pragmatics and semantics can also be affected.
• Phonology

5
SLI and ......

• non-word repetition (NWR)
• in the literature more than 90 of SLI children
  perform poorly on the NWR indicating problems
  with phonological (sound) processing
• Reading problems (dyslexia)
• Approximately 50 of children with SLI
  diagnosed with developmental dyslexia
• (McArthur et al. 2000)
• What is the relationship?

6
Results NWR and dyslexia in SLI(Rispens
Parigger 2008)

SLI SLIDYS TD Only the
SLIDYS is different from TD, plt.001
7
SLI and ......

• Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity disorder
  (ADHD)?
• 31 with SLI scored in the (sub)clinical range
  of the inattention and/or hyperactivity scales
  (VvGK).
• Do these children perform differently in language
  and executive functions?

8
Language Problems(Parigger 2007)

• Semantic problems
• Example Confuses words of similar meaning
  screw-driver for hammer.
• Pragmatic problems
• Example Use of terms like he or it without
  making clear what talking about.

No difference between SLIADHD and ADHD SLI
group as whole worse than TD
SLIADHD worse than SLI-ADHD All SLI worse than TD
9
Measures of executive functioning

• CANTAB
• ?Inhibition Stop Signal Task
• ?Attention Rapid Visual Information
  Processing
• ?Working Memory Spatial Working Memory
• ?Shifting Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift

10
Measures of executive functioning

• CANTAB
• ?Inhibition Stop Signal Task
• ?Attention Rapid Visual Information
  Processing
• ?Working Memory Spatial Working Memory
• ?Shifting Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift

Trend only found SLIADHD worse than SLI-ADHD
11
SLI and bilingualism

• Bilingual SLI is SLI in both languages.
• SLI in only one language is by definition not
  possible
• But SLI may have different linguistic
  manifestations in the two languages
• How do SLI and bilingualism interact?

12
Research design

• A cross-linguistic comparison of grammatical
  morphology
• - in the same bilingual children
• - whose two languages are typologically
  different (Turkish and Dutch)
• The aims are
• To identify markers of SLI (adjectival and verbal
  inflection)
• To identify markers of (typical) L2 development
• To gain insight in the interaction of SLI and L2

13
(1) Example adjectival inflection (Dutch)

• Kijk, twee messen.
• Look, two knives
• Dat is een groot-ø mes en dit is een klein-ø mes
• That is a big knife and this is a small
  knife

• Waar is Kikker?
• Where is Kikker
• Kikker zit op het grot-e mes
• Kikker sits on the big knife

14
Dutch
SLI and L2 equivalent to younger TD
children Bilingual SLI worse than SLI and L2
15
Example elicitation (lezen to read)

• VO Antje leest een boek en Jan leest een krant
  
• Antje-subj reads-fin a book-obj
• OV Dit is Antje die een boek leest en dat is
  Jan die een krant leest
• This is Antje who a book-obj reads-fin and that
  is Jan who a newspaper-obj reads-fin
• INV Hier lees jij en daar leest Jan
• Here read-fin you-subj and there reads-fin
  Jan-subj

16
Dutch
Bilingual SLI worse than L1-SLI and L2-TD
17
Turkish verb inflection
L2-TD bilingual SLI no errors
a few
18
Disentangling bilingualism and SLI

• Different linguistc aspects showing up in the two
  populations
• Verb inflection is a marker of SLI
• Gender assignment and Adjectival agreement
  constitute a marker of L2
• But the difference between bilingual typical and
  bilingual SLI on the Dutch measures suggests that
  there is a cumulative effect at work in the SLI
  bilingual group

19
Further work

• bilingualism, SLI and executive funtions (Aude
  Laloi)
• Executive functioning in different populations
  and specific aspects of language

20
Explanations for SLI
Introduction

• Specific linguistic component is damaged in part
  of Universal Grammar
• Processing of language is impaired

21

CONTACT

• a.e.baker_at_uva.nl
• http//home.medewerker.uva.nl/a.e.baker