title: Spatial cognition in language-impaired children.
abstract: Limited research evidence is available concerning the spatial abilities of children with specific language impairments. This paper reports a study of the ability of such children to use plan drawings. The participants were 23 language-impaired (LI) children (12 from special boarding schools, 11 from language units within mainstream primary schools), whose performance was compared with that of 23 non-language-impaired (NLI) children. The children were matched for age, their overall age range being between 7;0-11;11 (mean age 8;6). Tasks involved the production and utilisation of plan drawings of a model house. With one exception, results indicated that the LI children showed no deficit in ability on such tasks, and indeed out-performed their NLI peers on many of them. Implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Open University, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gillies
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Light
mesh_terms: D001077:Aptitude Tests; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D013037:Spatial Behavior