Language and social factors in the use of cell phone technology by adolescents with and without specific language impairment (SLI).
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to compare cell phone use (both oral and text-based) by adolescents with and without specific language impairment (SLI) and examine the extent to which language and social factors affect frequency of use.


METHODS
Both interview and diary methods were used to compare oral and text-based communication using cell phones by 17-year-olds: 52 adolescents with SLI and 52 typically developing (TD) peers.


RESULTS
Overall, adolescents with SLI are motivated users of mobile technology, and they engage with both oral uses (phoning) and text-based uses (text messaging). However, adolescents with SLI do not exchange text messages as often as their TD peers. Social rather than language factors are associated with frequency of cell phone use in adolescence.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate that social difficulties restrict text-based uses of cell phones by adolescents with SLI, which can in turn reduce the opportunities that these adolescents have to develop social networks and make arrangements to engage in peer social interaction.
Human Communication and Deafness, School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Ellen Wilkinson Building, Manchester, United Kingdom. gina.conti-ramsden@manchester.ac.uk
Gina
G
Conti-Ramsden
Kevin
K
Durkin
Zoë
Z
Simkin
D000293:Adolescent; D040421:Cell Phone; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007802:Language; D007806:Language Disorders; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011578:Psycholinguistics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012919:Social Behavior