title: Language and memory abilities of internationally adopted children from China: evidence for early age effects.
abstract: The goal of the present study was to examine if internationally adopted (IA) children from China (M = 10;8) adopted by French-speaking families exhibit lags in verbal memory in addition to lags in verbal abilities documented in previous studies (Gauthier & Genesee, 2011). Tests assessing verbal and non-verbal memory, language, non-verbal cognitive ability, and socio-emotional development were administered to thirty adoptees. Their results were compared to those of thirty non-adopted monolingual French-speaking children matched on age, gender, and socioeconomic status. The IA children scored significantly lower than the controls on language, verbal short-term memory, verbal working memory, and verbal long-term memory. No group differences were found on non-verbal memory, non-verbal cognitive ability, and socio-emotional development, suggesting language-specific difficulties. Despite extended exposure to French, adoptees may experience language difficulties due to limitations in verbal memory, possibly as a result of their delayed exposure to that language and/or attrition of the birth language.
authors.affiliation: McGill University.
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delcenserie
authors.affiliation: McGill University.
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Genesee
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D002170:Canada; D002663:Child Language; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007807:Language Tests; D008568:Memory; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires