Understanding Developmental Language Disorders: From Theory to Practice

by of Oxford; University

• ISBN13: 9781841696669
• ISBN10: 1841696668
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-06-27
• Publisher: Psychology Pres

Summary

Developmental language disorders (DLD) occur when a child fails to develop his or her native language often for no apparent reason. Delayed development of speech and/or language is one of the most common reasons for parents of preschool children to seek the advice of their family doctor. Although some children rapidly improve, others have more persistent language difficulties. These long-term deficits can adversely affect academic progress, social relationships and mental well-being. Although DLDs are common, we are still a long way from understanding what causes them and how best to intervene. Understanding Developmental Language Disorders summarises the recent research developments in genetics and neuroimaging studies, assessment techniques and treatment studies to provide an overview of all aspects of DLD. The book investigates the possible genetic and biological causes of the disorder, how best to assess children's language skills to identify when and where communication breakdown occurs, what the long-term outcomes are for children who grow up with DLD, overlaps between DLD and other childhood disorders such as dyslexia and autism and how best to treat children with the disorder. Each chapter is written by a leading authority in the field in a format accessible to researchers, clinicians and families alike. This book, with its focus on both theory and practice, will be invaluable to students and researchers of speech-language pathology, psychology, psychiatry, linguistics and education. It will also be of interest to practicing speech-language pathologists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, educational psychologists, and teachers and parents of children with developmental language disorders.

Table of Contents

Contents	p. v
List of contributors	p. vii
Foreword	p. ix
A note on terminology	p. xiii
Assessment and investigation of children with developmental language disorder	p. 1
Short-term memory in children with developmental language disorder	p. 23
Using eye movements to investigate developmental language disorders	p. 39
Using magnetic resonance imaging to investigate developmental language disorders	p. 53
Specific language impairment, dyslexia, and autism: Using genetics to unravel their relationship	p. 67
The application of molecular genetics to the study of developmental language disorder	p. 79
Validating diagnostic standards for specific language impairment using adolescent outcomes	p. 93
Heterogeneity of specific language impairment in adolescent outcomes	p. 117
Inclusion versus specialist provision for children with developmental language disorders	p. 131
Improving grammatical skill in children with specific language impairment	p. 149
Reading intervention for children with language learning difficulties	p. 175
Intervention for children with pragmatic language impairments	p. 189
Diagnostic concepts and risk processes	p. 205
Author index	p. 217
Subject index	p. 225
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