International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders · 2006 · 550 citations · 72 references
EducationSpecial EducationSpeech-language PathologyChild DevelopmentMemoryPhonological AwarenessLanguage DisordersLanguage ImpairmentLanguage-based Learning DisabilitiesPhonological Processing DeficitsWorking MemoryWorking Memory DeficitsCognitive Learning ProcessesPhonological Memory DeficitsSpatial Short-term MemoryVisuospatial Memory ImpairmentVisuospatial Working Memory
Studies of SLI have linked phonological storage and processing deficits, yet these abilities have not been examined together in the same children. The study aimed to determine whether immediate verbal short‑term and working‑memory deficits co‑occur in children with SLI. Twenty 7–11‑year‑old children with SLI completed a battery of short‑term and working‑memory tests and two phonological‑awareness tasks. Most children showed deficits in both verbal short‑term and working memory that persisted after accounting for language ability, while a minority had visuospatial deficits and phonological‑awareness impairments were milder; these dual verbal‑memory deficits likely underlie the language difficulties seen in SLI.
Background: Investigations of the cognitive processes underlying specific language impairment (SLI) have implicated deficits in the storage and processing of phonological information, but to date these abilities have not been studied in the same group of children with SLI. Aims: To examine the extent to which deficits in immediate verbal short-term and working memory may co-occur in a group of children with SLI. Methods & Procedures: Twenty children aged 7–11 years with SLI completed a comprehensive battery of short-term and working memory, as well as two phonological awareness tasks. Outcomes & Results: The majority of the group had deficits in both verbal short-term and working memory, which persisted after the general language abilities of the children were taken into account. A substantial minority showed deficits on visuospatial short-term memory, while impairments of phonological awareness were less marked. Conclusions: The data indicate dual deficits in verbal short-term and working memory that exceed criterial language abilities characteristic of SLI and may plausibly underpin some of the language learning difficulties experienced by these children.
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