TOPIC

Paediatric language research

Everything we have read on paediatric language. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

479 PAPERS · PAGE 4 OF 10 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPOther2020A multi-level developmental approach to exploring individual differences in Down syndrome: genes, brain, behaviour, and environment.Research in developmental disabilitiesNeither family socioeconomic status nor the APOE ε4 gene predicted early vocabulary differences in 84 children with Down syndrome. Wide individual variation remains unexplained by these common factors, suggesting the genetic syndrome itself drives most of the variability.
• SLPCohort2021Autism Adversely Affects Auditory Joint Engagement During Parent-toddler Interactions.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchToddlers with autism were significantly less likely than typically developing peers to share sounds with their parents, even when parents actively tried to include them. They often noticed the sounds but failed to turn that attention into a shared social experience.
• SLPRCT2021For which younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder does parent-mediated intervention work?Autism : the international journal of research and practiceImPACT parent teaching was associated with better later expressive language only in younger siblings who had no extra risk factors. It did not affect parenting stress or parenting efficacy.
• SLPCohort2021The role of early social motivation in explaining variability in functional language in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEarly social motivation predicts expressive language two years later in toddlers with autism, but only through a specific chain: social motivation leads to intentional communication, which leads to receptive language, which finally leads to expressive language. Targeting word production alone may miss the mechanism.
• SLPCase-Control2021Spontaneous productions of infinitive clauses by English-speaking children with and without specific language impairment.Clinical linguistics & phoneticsChildren with developmental language disorder produced fewer true infinitives and made more errors than peers. Subgroup analysis showed children with low nonverbal IQ or other conditions had significantly more difficulty with infinitive TO marking than those with specific language impairment alone.
• SLPCohort2020Long-Term Language Development in Children With Early Simultaneous Bilateral Cochlear Implants.Ear and hearingEarly bilateral implants help general language close the gap with hearing peers by year four. But by year six, receptive vocabulary and expressive grammar fall behind again. Monitor these specific skills long-term, even if early progress looks perfect.
• SLPCohort2020Perception of Child-Directed Versus Adult-Directed Emotional Speech in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users.Ear and hearingChildren with cochlear implants recognized emotions better in exaggerated child-directed speech than in normal adult-directed speech. For adult-directed speech, longer implant experience predicted better recognition, while nonverbal IQ predicted success with child-directed speech.
• SLPCohortSocioeconomic Factors Account for Variability in Language Skills in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPMaternal education predicted language skills in young children with autism, independent of their diagnosis. Children of mothers with less education had lower expressive and receptive language scores. This suggests home environment factors linked to education may influence early language development in autism.
• SLPNarrative Review2021Deficits in musical rhythm perception in children with specific learning disabilities.NeuroRehabilitationChildren with dyslexia and other learning disabilities show deficits in rhythm perception and production, which correlate with reading accuracy and phonological skills. Rhythm-based interventions may enhance auditory processing and language development, offering a potentially enjoyable, low-stress therapeutic avenue.
• SLPOther2021A lexical advantage in four-year-old children's word repetition.Journal of child languageFour-year-olds repeated sounds more clearly inside real words than nonsense words. The gap was smaller when they knew more words. In speech assessment, nonsense word repetition should be read with receptive vocabulary.
• SLPOther2021Accuracy of the Language Environment Analyses (LENATM) system for estimating child and adult speech in laboratory settings.Journal of child languageLENA accurately ranked which caregivers talked more, but overestimated their absolute word counts by about 25%. It poorly estimated child vocalizations, undercounting them at 1;7 and failing to capture developmental growth. Use it for relative adult speech, not absolute numbers.
• SLPCase-Control2021Sound discrimination and explicit mapping of sounds to meanings in preschoolers with and without developmental language disorder.International journal of speech-language pathologyPreschoolers with developmental language disorder were worse than typical peers at matching pitch sounds to objects and at telling sounds apart. They were not worse for duration sounds. Discrimination and mapping were linked for pitch, but not firmly.
• OTSLPCohort2021Developmental associations between joint engagement and autistic children's vocabulary: A cross-lagged panel analysis.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEarly joint engagement with caregivers predicted later vocabulary growth in autistic toddlers, but early vocabulary did not predict later engagement. However, statistical tests showed no clear superiority of the engagement-to-vocabulary direction over the reverse, so the causal pathway remains unresolved.
• SLPOther2020Automated Phenotyping Tool for Identifying Developmental Language Disorder Cases in Health Systems Data (APT-DLD): A New Research Algorithm for Deployment in Large-Scale Electronic Health Record Systems.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRAn automated algorithm accurately identifies Developmental Language Disorder cases in electronic health records by filtering for specific diagnosis codes. It achieved 95% positive predictive value in a discovery sample and 90% in a larger replication sample, allowing researchers to find large patient cohorts without manual chart review.
• SLPNarrative Review2020How We Fail Children With Developmental Language Disorder.Language, speech, and hearing services in schoolsMost children with developmental language disorder are not identified, and service receipt varies by language, race, behavior, and location. Research attention to DLD remained low compared with other conditions.
• SLPOther2020Contextual influences on sentence repetition as a tool for the identification of language impairment in Grade 3 Sepedi-English bilinguals: A case against bilingual norms.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsSentence repetition scores varied widely by school language policy, not just by impairment. Bilingual norms are unworkable; clinicians must compare children to peers in their specific educational context and assess both languages to avoid misidentifying those still acquiring English.
• SLPOther2021Optimising word learning in post-secondary students with Developmental Language Disorder: The roles of retrieval difficulty and retrieval success during training.International journal of speech-language pathologyFree recall practice with feedback produced more accurate word forms after 24 hours than cued recall. More successful retrievals during training, especially without phonological cues, were linked to better later word production in students with and without DLD.
• SLPCohort2020Language Development From Early Childhood to Adolescence in Youths With Fragile X Syndrome.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRFor adolescents with Fragile X Syndrome, maternal commenting is linked to growth in vocabulary but not sentence length. While vocabulary continues to expand, syntax remains flat. Therapists should support responsive interaction for vocabulary gains but use direct instruction to target complex grammar.
• OTSLPCohort2020Development of Neural Response to Novel Sounds in Fragile X Syndrome: Potential Biomarkers.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesBrain responses to novel sounds differed between individuals with Fragile X Syndrome and controls, with higher gamma power in the FXS group. Gamma power correlated with sensory avoidance and sensitivity in males, suggesting it is a reliable marker for clinical trials.
• SLPCohort2021Characterizing the early vocabulary profiles of preverbal and minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceChildren with autism producing 1-10 words used a higher proportion of verbs than typically developing toddlers with the same vocabulary size. They used fewer animal, people, and sound-effect words, and more food and drink words. Both groups still showed a noun bias.
• SLPOther2020Development and Validation of Sentences Without Semantic Context to Complement the Basic English Lexicon Sentences.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRResearchers created 500 nonsense sentences to remove semantic context from speech tests. Listeners guessed fewer than 1% of missing words in these new sentences versus 21% in normal sentences. The new lists are validated for research use and may eventually aid clinical testing for hearing loss.
• SLPNarrative Review2020Retrieval Practice and Word Learning in Children With Specific Language Impairment and Their Typically Developing Peers.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRRepeated spaced retrieval helps preschool children with specific language impairment learn new words better than repeated study or immediate retrieval. This method improved word form and meaning recall, maintained retention over one week, and helped children apply words to new objects.
• SLPNarrative Review2020Promoting Reading Achievement in Children With Developmental Language Disorders: What Can We Learn From Research on Specific Language Impairment and Dyslexia?Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRChildren with developmental language disorder often go unidentified because their reading skills appear normal. Screening for oral language weaknesses in school reading programs can catch these hidden deficits early. This allows access to support before reading comprehension problems emerge in later grades.
• SLPOther2021Competing Perceptual Salience in a Visual Word Recognition Task Differentially Affects Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism still recognized named words, but looked less at the named target when a more colorful and patterned distractor competed. Children without autism did not show this drop. Design therapy materials so distractors do not draw attention away from the target.
• SLPOther2020Sustained Attention in Developmental Language Disorder and Its Relation to Working Memory and Language.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRChildren with developmental language disorder tracked a moving visual target less accurately than typical peers, even when memory checks were removed. In this group, attention also related to narrative language and working memory, but not in typical peers.
• SLPOther2020Grammatical number inflection in Arabic-speaking children and young adults with Down syndrome.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsJordanian Arabic speakers with Down syndrome used singular forms well, but dual forms were weak, especially in the youngest group. Correct plural responses were 7% in the youngest group, 27% in the school group and 47% in the vocational training group, still lower than singular.
• SLPOther2020Development and evaluation of the Ingwavuma receptive vocabulary test: A tool for assessing receptive vocabulary in isiZulu-speaking preschool children.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsAge and school were linked to scores on a new isiZulu receptive vocabulary screen, but it did not reliably separate delayed from typical vocabulary. Use scores as one clue and confirm with other assessment.
• SLPOther2021Cost-Effectiveness of Neonatal Hearing Screening Programs: A Micro-Simulation Modeling Analysis.Ear and hearingFor Albania, a two-stage screening protocol (OAE then aABR, both in maternity) was the only cost-effective option under 3D GDP thresholds. Adding stages or delaying tests lowered detection rates and increased costs. Clinicians should prioritize early, inpatient screening to maximize uptake.
• SLPCohort2021Rate of Communicative Gestures and Developmental Outcomes in Toddlers With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder During a Home Observation.American journal of speech-language pathologyAt home, toddlers with autism used fewer different gestures and communicated less often than toddlers with typical development. Their gesture inventory and overall communication rate were linked to later language and development scores.
• SLPCohort2021Increased aperiodic gamma power in young boys with Fragile X Syndrome is associated with better language ability.Molecular autismIn young boys with Fragile X Syndrome, higher aperiodic gamma brain activity was unexpectedly linked to better language scores. This contradicts adult data where similar patterns correlate with worse outcomes. The link did not hold for parent-reported functional communication.
• SLPPilot2020Teaching Vocabulary to Improve Print Knowledge in Preschool Children with Hearing Loss.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groupsPreschoolers with hearing loss scored lower than peers on print knowledge items containing spatial or quantity words. A pilot intervention teaching these concept words to four children showed immediate gains, suggesting vocabulary gaps may hide behind print assessment scores.
• SLPCohort2021Spoken Word Learning in Children With Developmental Language Disorder or Dyslexia.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRChildren with dyslexia-only struggled to learn new spoken words across all tasks, despite having average vocabulary and language skills. Children with DLD-only showed only mild difficulties, primarily with verbal semantic recall. The dyslexia group's struggles appeared to be linking new words to meanings, not just phonology.
• SLPCohort2021Bayonet-shaped language development in autism with regression: a retrospective study.Molecular autismChildren with autism who lose early words take longer to reach fluent speech. However, if they have normal non-verbal intelligence, almost all become fluent by age 18. The loss itself does not predict poor long-term language outcomes.
• SLPNarrative Review2021Mental State Language Use in Children with Down Syndrome and the Role of Caregivers.Seminars in speech and languageShared storybook reading is a promising context for caregivers to support mental state language in school-age children with Down syndrome, but evidence for this specific intervention is currently preliminary.
• SLPOther2021Dual-Task Accuracy and Response Time Index Effects of Spoken Sentence Predictability and Cognitive Load on Listening Effort.Trends in hearingPredictable sentences free up mental resources, letting listeners recall digits faster and more accurately even in noise. This suggests clinical benefit for using contextual cues to reduce listening effort, rather than relying solely on volume or clarity.
• SLPCohort2022Eyetracking during picture naming predicts future vocabulary dropout in progressive anomia.Neuropsychological rehabilitationIn patients with progressive language loss, eye-tracking during picture naming predicted which words would later be lost. Words that would eventually drop out caused more scattered gaze and more fixations even when named correctly at baseline. This suggests gaze patterns could help identify vulnerable words for maintenance therapy.
• SLPCohort2021Identifying Areas of Overlap and Distinction in Early Lexical Profiles of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Late Talkers, and Typical Talkers.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism and late talkers show a weaker noun bias and learn fewer highly social verbs than typical talkers. Most other lexical differences are small and appear driven by age and language delay rather than distinct autism mechanisms.
• SLPPilot2021Using telehealth-delivered procedures to collect a parent-implemented expressive language sampling narrative task in monolingual and bilingual families with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A pilot study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesMost parents of children and adolescents with autism, including Spanish-speaking families, learned to run a home video language task after telehealth training, and most children completed it. This is a first step, not proof the task replaces clinic testing.
• SLPCohort2022Evaluating Teacher Language Within General and Special Education Classrooms Serving Elementary Students with Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTeachers in special education used more language overall than those in general education, but mostly directives and close-ended questions. Students with limited vocabulary received less language in general education settings, but not in special education.
• SLPOther2022Word Segmentation Cues in German Child-Directed Speech: A Corpus Analysis.Language and speechGerman child-directed speech relies heavily on word-initial stress and short, frequent function words. Transitional probabilities between syllables also mark word boundaries, particularly in the backward direction. These cues are consistently present in the input infants receive.
• SLPOther2021Parent responsiveness mediates the association between hyporeactivity at age 1 year and communication at age 2 years in children at elevated likelihood of ASD.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn 83 at-risk toddlers, lower response to sensory stimuli at 14 months was linked to less parent talk during play, and to weaker communication at 23 months. Parent talk during play may be a practical focus.
• SLPCohort2022Parental Language Input Predicts Neuroscillatory Patterns Associated with Language Development in Toddlers at Risk of Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn the whole sample, input did not predict resting gamma brain activity, and resting gamma brain activity did not predict language scores. In high-risk toddlers, more words and richer caregiver language were linked to better expressive language, especially if autism was later diagnosed.
• SLPRCT2022Early speech and language intervention in Brazilian-Portuguese toddlers with cleft lip and/or palate.Clinical linguistics & phoneticsToddlers with cleft palate who received a combined speech and language intervention showed significant gains in vocabulary and sentence complexity immediately after treatment. Speech accuracy and intelligibility improved significantly three months later, while the comparison group showed no such gains.
• SLPOther2022A broadened estimate of syntactic and lexical ability from the MB-CDI.Journal of child languageOn the MB-CDI Words & Sentences form, everyday word knowledge and grammar/function word knowledge separate. Grammar lags words, beginning around 20 to 24 months, and the 8 to 18 month form does not give a usable grammar score.
• SLPCase SeriesCochlear Synaptopathy due to Mutations in OTOF Gene May Result in Stable Mild Hearing Loss and Severe Impairment of Speech Perception.Ear and hearingFive patients with OTOF gene mutations had mild hearing loss but severe speech perception deficits. Cochlear implants dramatically improved speech recognition to 90-95% in those tested, restoring synchronous nerve activation. This suggests implants are viable for mild hearing loss if speech perception is disproportionately poor.
• SLPOther2022Code-switching in parents' everyday speech to bilingual infants.Journal of child languageBilingual parents code-switch more often as infants grow, shifting from 7 to 28 switches per hour between 10 and 18 months. Most switches happen between sentences to aid understanding, suggesting parents adapt their mixing to support language development.
• SLPOther2022X-linked Malformation Deafness: Neurodevelopmental Symptoms Are Common in Children With IP3 Malformation and Mutation in POU3F4.Ear and hearingAided hearing thresholds were similar, but children with IP3 malformation had poorer speech recognition, vocabulary, social communication, and more attention and hyperactivity concerns than matched cochlear implant controls.
• SLPOther2022Language and executive functioning in young adults with Down syndrome.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRIn young adults with Down syndrome, receptive vocabulary was stronger than expressive vocabulary and overall nonverbal cognitive ability. Receptive vocabulary and verbal fluency showed strong associations with executive functioning skills like inhibition and attention, suggesting these cognitive areas are linked to language performance.
• SLPCohort2022Spoken Language Skills in Children With Bilateral Hearing Aids or Bilateral Cochlear Implants at the Age of Three Years.Ear and hearingAt age three, most children with hearing aids scored below norms in phonology and vocabulary, more so than those with cochlear implants. Better unaided hearing predicted comprehension in hearing aid users. High maternal education predicted comprehension and expressive vocabulary in implant users.
• SLPCohort2022Lexicogrammatical skills in 2-year-old children with and without repaired cleft palate.Clinical linguistics & phoneticsTwo-year-old children with repaired cleft palate had lower parent-reported vocabulary and grammar scores than peers, though some grammar details did not differ. Their 18-month vocabulary size was associated with 24-month word and sentence scores.