Transcript Snyder - University of Colorado

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
2500
2000
1500
RecExp
Lo Exp
1000
500
0
RT
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
PD
Voc
Response Times for Different Types of Naming Cues
for Subtypes of LI
1550
1500
1450
Rec-Exp
1400
Lo Exp
3-D
Column 3
1350
1300
1250
Se m
Rhyme
Sound
Role of technology in intervention:
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
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
*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