Fine-grained auditory discrimination in normal children and children with language-learning problems.
Two large groups of children--one progressing normally in school and the other exhibiting language-learning problems--were tested on a set of fine-grained auditory discrimination tasks that required responding to small acoustic differences. Discriminant analysis procedures, using only results for the auditory tasks, correctly classified nearly 80% of the 6- and 7-year-olds and nearly 65% of the 8- to 11-year-olds according to their school placements. Percentages of correct classifications increased to 87% and 75% when measures of receptive vocabulary (PPVT-R), receptive language (the Token Test for Children), and the Digit Span, Coding, and Block Design subtests of the WISC-R were also included in the discriminant functions. Results suggested that fine-grained auditory discrimination makes a major contribution to language learning, particularly in the early elementary school years.
Elliott
L L
LL
Northwestern University.
Hammer
M A
MA
Scholl
M E
ME
D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D007807:Language Tests; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013067:Speech Perception; D014888:Wechsler Scales