title: Phonological processing in children with specific language impairment with and without reading difficulties.
abstract: Specific language impairment (SLI) is heterogeneous and identifying subgroups within it may help explain the aetiology of the condition. Phonological processing abilities distinguish between children with SLI who do and do not have reading decoding impairments (RDIs).
  
  
  
  To probe different levels of phonological processing in children with SLI with and without RDI to investigate the cognitive basis of these differences.
  
  
  
  A total of 64 children aged 5-17 years were classified using the results of standardized language and single-word reading tests into those with no SLI and no RDI (No SLI/No RDI) (N = 18), no SLI but with RDI (No SLI/RDI) (N = 4, not included in analyses because of the small number), SLI/No RDI (N = 20), and SLI/RDI (N = 22). The groups were compared on a range of tasks engaging different levels of phonological processing (input and output processing and phonological awareness).
  
  
  
  The SLI/RDI group was distinguished from the SLI/No RDI and No SLI/No RDI groups by more errors in the longer items in non-word repetition and by poorer phonological awareness. Non-word discrimination scores indicated a gradient of performance across groups that was not associated with a qualitatively different pattern of performance.
  
  
  
  This is the first study contrasting input and output processes associated with phonological processing. The results suggest that deficits in SLI plus RDI may be associated with impairment in actively maintaining phonological representations for phonological processing, which is not present in those without RDI and which leads to reading decoding difficulties.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Loucas
authors.affiliation: Children's Neurosciences Centre, Evelina London Children's Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.affiliation: Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simonoff
authors.affiliation: Children's Neurosciences Centre, Evelina London Children's Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Vicky
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Slonims
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D004410:Dyslexia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D011932:Reading
keywords: SLI; phonological processing; reading