Syllable structure development of toddlers with expressive specific language impairment
Syllable structure development of toddlers with expressive specific language impairment
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Date
2000
Authors
Pharr, Aimee Baird
Ratner, Nan Bernstein
Rescorla, Leslie
Advisor
Citation
Pharr, A. B., Bernstein Ratner, N. & Rescorla, L. (2000). Syllable structure development of toddlers with Specific Expressive Language Impairment (SLI-E). Applied Psycholinguistics, 21, 429-449.
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Abstract
A total of 35 children – 20 with expressive specific language impairment (SLI-E) and 15 typically developing (TD) peers – were compared longitudinally from 24 to 36 months with respect to their production of syllable shapes in 10-minute spontaneous speech samples. SLI-E 24-month-olds predominantly
produced earlier developing syllable shapes containing vowels, liquids, and glides. TD
24-month-olds and SLI-E 36-month-olds produced approximately the same proportion of syllable types, with the exception of consonant clusters, where TD 24-month-olds produced more than SLI-E 36-month-olds. TD children at 36 months showed the greatest use of syllable shapes containing two different consonants and consonant clusters. Detailed analyses revealed that SLI-E children
produced fewer syllable shapes containing final consonants, more than one consonant type, and consonant clusters. Furthermore, the children with SLI-E were found to vocalize less often than their TD peers. The possible relationships between these findings, SLI-E children’s concomitant
deficits in morphology and syntax, and the implications for diagnosis and remediation are discussed.