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 8 OF 10 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPCohort2025Bilingualism Effects in Metaphor and Simile Comprehension and Production in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchBilingual autistic children produced more accurate metaphors than monolingual peers, linked to higher non-verbal intelligence. Monolingual children understood similes better, linked to working memory. Literal errors were common in both groups, suggesting bilingualism does not worsen figurative language processing.
• SLPOther2025Individual Differences in the Recognition of Spectrally Degraded Speech: Associations With Neurocognitive Functions in Adult Cochlear Implant Users and With Noise-Vocoded Simulations.Trends in hearingCognitive skills like reasoning and word retrieval help adults with cochlear implants understand degraded speech. However, normal-hearing people listening to simulated implant speech use different cognitive strategies, so these simulations do not accurately reflect how actual implant users process sound.
• SLPCohort2025Gesture screening in young infants: Highly sensitive to risk factors for communication delay.International journal of language & communication disordersGesture scores tracked biological risk factors more reliably than vocabulary scores. However, vocabulary reports from lower-income and younger mothers were unexpectedly high, suggesting parents may overestimate language skills based on milestones. Gesture assessment appears less prone to this reporting bias.
• SLPCohort2025Correlation between risk factors that influence the development of children's language.CoDASChildren with altered language screening scores waited an average of 20.10 months for help. Lower family income and less parental time with the child were linked to longer delays. Altered maternal and child temperament associated with screening failures.
• SLPCohort2025Profiles of Early Expressive Phonological Skills-Brazilian Portuguese (PEEPS-BP): a diagnostic accuracy study.CoDASThe PEEPS-BP Expanded List effectively distinguished between children with typical and delayed expressive vocabulary. A cut-off score of 34 points showed high accuracy, with 95.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity, supporting its use for screening Brazilian Portuguese speakers aged 24 to 36 months.
• SLPOther2025Paths to Common Ground in ASD.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn peer tangram play, children with ASD and controls all reached shared terms, but ASD dyads took longer, used more words, and reached agreement less often within the first turns.
• SLPOther2025Is Knowing Words Enough? Assessing Vocabulary in Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.Language, speech, and hearing services in schoolsPreschool vocabulary scores above average did not always match conversational word variety, especially for deaf or hard-of-hearing children. A language sample may show whether a child actually uses varied words in conversation.
• SLPQualitative2025"They don't realise how hard he has to try every day": The rewards and challenges of parenting a child with developmental language disorder.International journal of language & communication disordersCaregivers of children with developmental language disorder found reward in progress, personality, friendships, supportive school and learning together, but described exhaustion from advocacy, long waits for diagnosis, miscommunication, and worries about mental health and the future.
• SLPPilot2025Language assessment of Polish-English bilingual children by speech and language therapists who do not speak Polish: A feasibility study of a novel scoring schema for Sentence-Repetition-Tasks.International journal of language & communication disordersEnglish-speaking therapists can score a Polish sentence-repetition task by working with a Polish teacher using a new word-by-word grid. Scores matched those from Polish linguists closely. However, the teacher marked some grammatical slips as correct, so the grid needs specific allowances before it can diagnose reliably.
• SLPCase-Control2025Incidental learning and social-communicative abilities in children with developmental language disorder: Further evaluating the implicit learning deficit hypothesis.International journal of language & communication disordersChildren with DLD picked up colour-shape patterns as well as peers, although they responded more slowly. Picking up patterns did not relate to emotion recognition, language scores, or parent-reported social difficulties.
• SLPCohort2025Comparing factors influencing wellbeing in young adults with aphasia and young adults with developmental language disorder.International journal of language & communication disordersYoung adults with aphasia or developmental language disorder reported wellbeing similar to their typical peers. For those with aphasia, wellbeing linked to emotional distress and health. For those with developmental language disorder, it also linked to language skills and self-esteem.
• SLPPilot2025Beyond Test Scores: Using Drawings and Language Samples to Characterize Multilingual Children's Language Profiles.Seminars in speech and languageAdding drawings and child self-reports to language testing helped reveal communication experiences that test scores alone missed. Children with language disorders reported more negative feelings about talking, especially in the school language, even when their language test scores did not differ between languages.
• PTOTSLPOther2025The UK C-BiLLT: Validity and reliability of an online assessment of spoken language comprehension for children with severe motor disorders.International journal of language & communication disordersThe UK C-BiLLT accurately measures spoken language comprehension in children aged 18 months to 7.5 years. It is reliable for typical development and acceptable for children with severe motor disorders who use eye gaze or switches, though it may take up to an hour to complete.
• SLPCohort2025Variation in second-grade reading in children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationKindergarten letter knowledge and vocabulary predict later reading struggles in deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Early screening of these specific skills helps identify which students are at risk for delays in word decoding and comprehension by second grade.
• SLPCohort2025The macrostructure of narratives produced by children acquiring Finnish Sign Language.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationNarrative skills in Finnish Sign Language children aged 4 to 11 increase with age. A dip in complexity at age 6 was observed but not explained by hearing status or assessment method. The test is not yet standardized, so scores cannot diagnose impairment.
• SLPPilot2025Embedding Universal Language Promotion in Pediatric Primary Care to Optimize Early Child Development and Reduce Long-Term Health Disparities.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPParents who received brief language coaching during well-child visits reported significantly more daily language-building interactions with their infants. The intervention added less than 2 minutes to visits and was rated feasible by clinicians, but lacked a control group to rule out natural development.
• SLPOther2025Challenges in skill acquisition and memory retention in children with developmental language disorder.International journal of language & communication disordersChildren with DLD showed slower motor skill performance 4 hours after training and poorer memory for object locations 2 weeks later compared to peers. Procedural speed correlated with grammar and vocabulary in typical development, but not in DLD.
• SLPCohort2025Rapid Increases in Children's Spontaneous and Responsive Speech Vocalizations Following Cochlear Implantation: Implications for Spoken Language Development.Ear and hearingChildren with cochlear implants made rapid jumps in speech and caregiver interaction after activation. More back-and-forth talking predicted better auditory comprehension. This supports prioritizing early device use and coaching families on responsive vocal turn-taking.
• SLPCohort2025Language, Communicative Participation, and Well-Being in Young Children with (Presumed) Developmental Language Disorder.International journal of language & communication disordersChildren with better expressive grammar tended to participate more in communication and have better reported well-being. Overall links were modest, and one subgroup had more problems. Assess communication participation, not grammar alone.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Social-Emotional Functioning and Quality of Life in Language Disorders: A Systematic Review of Development From Childhood to Adolescence.International journal of language & communication disordersChildren with language disorders face persistent social and emotional struggles that do not resolve with age. Peer problems and emotional difficulties often worsen through adolescence, while prosocial skills may improve. Quality of life declines in school-age children, indicating a need for long-term support.
• SLPCohort2025The Causal Effect of Parent-Child Interactions on Child Language Development at 3 and 4 Years.International journal of language & communication disordersHigher daily back-and-forth parent-child talk was associated with higher child language scores at 36 and 48 months. The modelled differences were small.
• SLPCohort2025Changes in Early Aperiodic EEG Activity Are Linked to Autism Diagnosis and Language Development in Infants With Family History of Autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchInfants with a family history of autism showed reduced brain activity at 3 months. Greater increases in this activity by 12 months linked to later autism diagnosis and lower language scores at 18 months, independent of cognitive ability.
• SLPOther2025Mock Juror Perceptions of a Young Defendant With Developmental Language Disorder: A Mixed-Methods Study.International journal of language & communication disordersMock jurors who were told a young defendant had developmental language disorder rated him as more honest and likeable, and were less likely to convict him, compared to jurors who were not told. Awareness of the condition was low, and jurors often misidentified his distress as aggression.
• SLPCohort2025Word Learning in Children With Developmental Language Disorder: The Use of Retrieval Practice During Shared Book Reading.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRSpaced retrieval during shared book reading helped children with and without DLD learn new words better than passive reading. Recall of word forms and meanings improved, but recognition scores did not differ between methods. The benefit held one week later.
• SLPCase-Control2025A Prospective, Multicentre Case-Control Trial Examining Factors That Explain Variable Clinical Performance in Post Lingual Adult CI Recipients.Trends in hearingPoorer speech recognition in adults with cochlear implants was linked to underfitted T-levels, higher electrical thresholds, slower nerve recovery, and greater nerve response offset. Scalar translocation and cognitive measures also mattered.
• SLPCohort2025Positive Autism Screening in Children Born Preterm.Journal of autism and developmental disorders41 of 337 very preterm children screened positive for autism at 18 to 30 months. Earlier gestational age was linked to positive screens. Positive-screen children who were language tested all scored low, but 37 negative-screen children also scored low.
• SLPOther2025A Practical Guide to Translating Scientific Publications Into Aphasia-Friendly Summaries.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groupsNo finding to act on. This is a tutorial for creating aphasia-friendly research summaries, with formatting steps and a prototype tool.
• SLPCase Series2025Using Dialect Discovery Worksheets to Learn About Children's Linguistic Strengths and Weaknesses.Seminars in speech and languageDialect discovery worksheets helped distinguish African American English-speaking kindergartners with language disorder from their peers. The children with disorder used far fewer dialect-appropriate verb forms and lacked sensitivity to grammatical context, whereas the peers showed a productive and context-sensitive system.
• SLPSystematic Review2025A Scoping Review of the Observed and Perceived Functional Impacts Associated With Language and Learning Disorders in School-Aged Children.International journal of language & communication disordersCurrent terminology for functional impacts in children with language disorders is inconsistent and poorly defined. This review proposes a new model distinguishing between observable performance issues and the child's subjective experience to guide more holistic assessment.
• SLPQualitative2025Neonatal Nurses' Understanding of the Factors That Enhance and Hinder Early Communication Between Preterm Infants and Their Parents: A Narrative Inquiry Study.International journal of language & communication disordersNine neonatal nurses viewed bonding activities like skin-to-skin as 'communication' but lacked knowledge of specific linguistic strategies. They identified masks and parental absence as major barriers to interaction, highlighting a need for speech and language therapy-led education on early language scaffolding.
• SLPCase-Control2025The Role of the Brain's Pragmatic Language Network in Reading Comprehension in Autistic Children.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic children had higher overall brain activity than neurotypical children in areas for meaning and social context while reading, but the strict brain-map analysis found no group differences. Reading comprehension scores did not explain the activity.
• SLPOther2025Beyond Socioeconomic Status: A Strengths-Focused Structural Equation Modeling Study of Collaboration-Focused Parenting Beliefs, Interaction Quality, and Language Outcomes.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRMothers who held collaboration-focused parenting beliefs when their infants were one month old engaged in higher-quality interactions at two years, which predicted stronger receptive and expressive language skills at three years. Stress and locus-of-control showed no such association.
• SLPPilot2025Early speech therapy intervention in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.CoDASChildren with autism who completed 24 weeks of DIR/Floortime speech therapy showed significant gains in communicative acts and socio-emotional skills. However, all participants remained in the deficient range for emotional and functional development, meaning the intervention improved scores but did not resolve the underlying deficits.
• SLPCohort2025Home Literacy Practices and Oral Language Development of Young Immigrant Dual Language Learners: Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of child languageDual language learners scored below monolingual peers in both English and their home language before and during the pandemic. Despite school closures, proficiency improved in both languages for Mexican American and Chinese American children.
• OTSLPCase Series2025Exploring Self-Reported Quality of Life in Developmental Language Disorder.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groupsFive young people with DLD reported good general life satisfaction but specific barriers in school and health services. Those with higher nonverbal ability or better language skills sometimes reported poorer well-being, possibly due to masking challenges in unsupportive environments.
• SLPOther2025Prediction efficiency and incremental processing strategy during spoken language comprehension in autistic children: an eye-tracking study.Molecular autismAutistic children predicted upcoming spoken words, but less efficiently than matched neurotypical children. They looked later and less strongly toward the expected object. Speech therapists may consider extra processing time and clearer cues.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Exploring the Impact of Muscle Vibration Therapy in Neurologic Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationMuscle vibration therapy can improve motor control, reduce spasticity, and relieve pain across neurologic conditions. It works best as an addition to conventional rehabilitation, such as physiotherapy or robotic training. Evidence is moderate, with many small studies and methodological limitations.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2025The Effect of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions and Aided AAC on the Language Development of Children on the Autism Spectrum with Minimal Speech: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersNaturalistic interventions help children with autism speak, but adding aided AAC boosts language growth further. The benefit was small to medium in direct comparisons. Introduce AAC early rather than waiting for speech to emerge, and ensure the device fits the child's specific needs.
• SLPCase-Control2026Online Metaphor Comprehension in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Eye Tracking Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdults with autism understood novel metaphors as accurately as controls, but took nearly 800 milliseconds longer to do so. Eye-tracking showed they struggled to ignore the literal meaning, suggesting a processing delay rather than a comprehension deficit.
• SLPOther2026Movement Coordination's Link with Common Ground During Dyadic Peer Discourse in Typically Developing and Autistic Speakers.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children and adolescents could build shared understanding with peers, but they used more words and took longer than typically developing peers. Better motor skills and coordination with a partner linked to shorter, faster conversations, especially under age 10.
• SLPCohort2026What Predicts Early Math in Autism? A Study of Cognitive and Linguistic Factors.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism scored lower on early math tests than age-matched peers, but autism severity did not predict these scores. Instead, non-verbal intelligence and grammatical comprehension were the strongest predictors of mathematical ability.
• SLPOther2026A Concurrent Validity Study of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventory (CDI) in Infants with an Elevated Likelihood or Diagnosis of Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFor 14-month-olds, scores from the Mullen Scales (MSEL) and the MacArthur-Bates CDI only moderately match each other. This agreement holds whether the infant is autistic, at risk, or typical. Do not assume a child’s language profile is fully captured by one measure alone.
• SLPOther2025Social robots in cognitive and speech rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy: a scoping review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSocial robots were feasible and engaging for speech, language, cognitive and play therapy in children with cerebral palsy, but the reviewed studies were small, short and mixed in design, so they do not prove clinical effectiveness.
• SLPOther2026The Effects of Phonological Complexity on Word Production in French-Speaking Children.Language and speechFor French-speaking children aged 2 to 3, complex words are harder to produce, matching English-based indices. For ages 3 to 4, those indices lose sensitivity because most sounds are mastered, except alveopalatal fricatives, which remain difficult.
• SLPOther2025Is the Association Between Emotion Recognition and Social Functioning Mediated by Cognitive Empathy and Emotional Language? An Examination of School-Aged Autistic Children.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn autistic children, better emotion recognition linked to more peer initiatives on the playground only when mediated by cognitive empathy and emotional language. Parent reports of social skills did not correlate with these measures. Targeting empathy and emotion words may matter more than cue recognition alone.
• SLPCohort2025Heritage language development in Spanish-English-speaking preschoolers: Influences on growth and challenges in the first year of English-only instruction.Journal of child language26 Spanish-English preschoolers kept gaining Spanish words and utterances through their first year of English-only preschool. Their utterances were still short, and errors remained in verbs, object clitic pronouns and prepositions.
• SLPOther2026How Templatic Is Arabic Input to Children? The Role of Child-Directed-Speech in the Acquisition of Semitic Morpho-Phonology.Language and speechLebanese Arabic input to toddlers is less 'Semitic' than adult speech, with only 27% of frequent words having stable triliteral roots. This suggests children may not develop early sensitivity to word patterns, challenging assumptions from Hebrew.
• SLPOther2025Predictors of sentence recall performance in children with and without DLD: Complexity matters.Journal of child languageIn children with DLD, exact sentence repetition depended on working memory, morphology and phonological short-term memory, and harder sentences taxed these resources earlier than in typical peers. Morphology predicted ungrammatical recalls and tense errors in both groups.
• SLPCohort2025Consonant articulation accuracy in paediatric cochlear implant recipients.Clinical linguistics & phoneticsChildren with cochlear implants show variable speech accuracy. While most sounds improved over historical norms, the nasal /m/ was unexpectedly inaccurate, often substituted with an alveolar /n/. This specific error pattern suggests clinicians should not assume all early-acquired sounds are mastered in this population.
• SLPOther2026Leamos Juntos! Bilingual books support Latine parents' Spanish language use during book-sharing interactions.Journal of child languageLatine parents used significantly more Spanish in their own talk when sharing English-Spanish bilingual books compared to English-only books. This occurred regardless of the parent's Spanish proficiency level. Bilingual text appears to prompt home language use during shared reading.