Syntactic development in adolescents with a history of language impairments: a follow-up investigation.
OBJECTIVE
Syntactic development in adolescents was examined using a spoken discourse task and standardized testing. The primary goal was to determine whether adolescents with a history of language impairments would differ from those with a history of typical language development (TLD). This is a companion study to one that examined these same adolescents 2 years earlier (M. A. Nippold, T. C. Mansfield, J. L. Billow, & J. B. Tomblin, 2008).


METHODS
The participants were 15-year-old adolescents with a history of specific language impairment (SLI; n = 102), nonspecific language impairment (NLI; n = 77), or TLD (n = 247). A sample of spoken discourse was elicited using a Peer Conflict Resolution (PCR) task and analyzed for mean length of T-unit, clausal density, and subordinate clause use. In addition, 2 subtests from the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Third Edition (E. Semel, E. H. Wiig, & W. A. Secord, 1995), Concepts and Directions and Recalling Sentences, were administered.


RESULTS
On the PCR task, the TLD group outperformed the SLI and NLI groups on mean length of T-unit, clausal density, and nominal clause use, and the TLD group outperformed the NLI group on relative clause use. On the standardized testing, the TLD group outperformed the SLI and NLI groups, and the SLI group outperformed the NLI group. Correlation coefficients calculated between the nonstandardized and standardized measures of syntax were statistically significant and positive.


CONCLUSIONS
Speech-language pathologists may wish to employ the PCR task to examine syntactic development in adolescents as a supplement to standardized testing.
Nippold
Marilyn A
MA
Communication Disorders and Sciences, College of Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA. nippold@uoregon.edu
Mansfield
Tracy C
TC
Billow
Jesse L
JL
Tomblin
J Bruce
JB
D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders; D007807:Language Tests; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male