Abstract

Two studies are proposed. The first study will seek to clarify the extent to which preschoolers with specific language impairment (SLI) have speech processing deficits. The second study seeks to determine whether the relative superiority of two language interventions in children with SLI depends on pretreatment speech processing ability and its behavioral correlates. Sixty children with SLI in Brown's stage I - IV will be recruited in this project. Additionally, 60 typically developing children matched for age, gender, ethnicity, and SES will be used to address the questions for Study 1. At entry into the study, language and speech processing will be tested. Speech processing will be measured with event-related potential and behavioral measures. For study two, the SLI children will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: Milieu Language Teaching (MLT) or Broad-Target Recast (BRT) treatment. These children will receive treatment in a 1:1 format for 30 minutes/session, 3/week for 6 months. Grammar will be tested again twice during the treatment phase, immediately after treatment, and at two follow-up periods. General measures of expressive and receptive language and speech processing will be repeated at the last period. Multiple regression, multivariate permutation tests, and growth curve analyses will be used to test the research questions. Five years of funding are requested.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC005994-03
Application #
6985343
Study Section
Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes 3 (BBBP)
Program Officer
Cooper, Judith
Project Start
2004-01-01
Project End
2008-11-30
Budget Start
2005-12-01
Budget End
2006-11-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$597,159
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Education
DUNS #
004413456
City
Nashville
State
TN
Country
United States
Zip Code
37212

  Publications

Yoder, Paul J; Molfese, Dennis; Murray, Micah M et al. (2013) Normative topographic ERP analyses of speed of speech processing and grammar before and after grammatical treatment. Dev Neuropsychol 38:514-33
Yoder, Paul J; Molfese, Dennis; Gardner, Elizabeth (2011) Initial mean length of utterance predicts the relative efficacy of two grammatical treatments in preschoolers with specific language impairment. J Speech Lang Hear Res 54:1170-81
Barnes, Maria E; Huss, Elizabeth A; Garrod, Krista N et al. (2009) Impairments in attention in occasionally snoring children: an event-related potential study. Dev Neuropsychol 34:629-49