Chapters written by leading authorities offer current perspectives on the origins and development of language disorders. They address the question: How can the child's linguistic environment be restructured so that children at risk can develop important adaptive skills in the domains of self-care, social interaction, and problem solving? This theory-based, but practical book emphasizes the importance of accurate definitions of subtypes for assessment and intervention. It will be of interest to students, researchers, and practitioners in the field of developmental language disorders.

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.

Chapters written by leading authorities offer current perspectives on the origins and development of language disorders. They address the question: How can the child's linguistic environment be restructured so that children at risk can develop important adaptive skills in the domains of self-care, social interaction, and problem solving? This theory-based, but practical book emphasizes the importance of accurate definitions of subtypes for assessment and intervention. It will be of interest to students, researchers, and practitioners in the field of developmental language disorders.

This book contains contributions from eminent clinicians and researchers in the field of language impairment, and crosses the bridge between children and adults. It reflects the developments that have taken place in Speech and Language Therapy over the past 10 years and focuses on issues in SLT that have recently come into ascendancy. These include: personal and social consequences of language disability, and how to measure these; the evidence base for speech and language therapy interventions; language processing and the interplay between language and cognition; and the degree to which impairments in one affect the other. There is a growing concern about the needs of adolescents who have language difficulties - a group who, by their age, development and experience straddle the child/adult divide. It extends the themes by looking at future implications and sets out the challenges ahead for the speech and language therapy profession.

Language Development and Language Impairment offers a problem-based introduction to the assessment and treatment of a wide variety of childhood language developmental disorders. Focuses for the most part on the pre-school years, the period during which the foundations for language development are laid Uses a problem-based approach, designed to motivate students to find the information they need to identify and explore learning issues that a particular speech or language issue raises Examines the development of a child’s phonological system, the growth of vocabulary, the development of grammar, and issues related to conversational and narrative competence Integrates information on typical and atypical language development

The acquisition of language is one of the most remarkable human achievements. When language acquisition fails to occur as expected, the impact can be far-reaching, affecting all aspects of the child’s life and the child’s family. Thus, research into the nature, causes, and remediation of children’s language disorders provides important insights into the nature of language acquisition and its underlying bases and leads to innovative clinical approaches to these disorders. This second edition of the Handbook of Child Language Disorders brings together a distinguished group of clinical and academic researchers who present novel perspectives on researching the nature of language disorders in children. The handbook is divided into five sections: Typology; Bases; Language Contexts; Deficits, Assessment, and Intervention; and Research Methods. Topics addressed include autism, specific language impairment, dyslexia, hearing impairment, and genetic syndromes and their deficits, along with introductions to genetics, speech production and perception, neurobiology, linguistics, cognitive science, and research methods. With its global context, this handbook also includes studies concerning children acquiring more than one language and variations within and across languages. Thoroughly revised, this edition offers state-of-the-art information in child language disorders together in a single volume for advanced undergraduate students and graduate students. It will also serve as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in speech-language pathology, audiology, special education, and neuropsychology, as well as for individuals interested in any aspect of language acquisition and its disorders.

Perspectives on the Classification of Specific Developmental Disorders is an up-to-date review of the controversy surrounding the classification of such disparate disorders as reading, spelling, writing, and language disorders. Severe and specific impairments in these functions do exist and appear to follow a developmental course. How to identify children presenting with such problems and how to operationalize the disorders has long challenged professionals. This text grew from an international symposium held in the Netherlands, but all chapters have been specially prepared for the publication. Described in the foreword by Sir Michael Rutter, FRS, as ` ... thoughtful and well informed discussions ... that may serve as a basis for a problem-solving set of both research strategies and practical steps that will ensure real resolutions of the dilemmas outlined here', the text should serve as a stimulating source for debate of the many issues involved.

Developmental Language Disorders: From Phenotypes to Etiologies is based on the recent conference of the same name sponsored by the Merrill Advanced Studies Center of the University of Kansas. In the past 10 years, considerable advances have taken place in our understanding of genetic and environmental influences on language disorders in children. Significant research in behavioral phenotypes, associated neurocortical processes, and the genetics of language disorders has laid the foundation for further breakthroughs in understanding the reasons for overlapping etiologies, as well as the unique aspects of some phenotypes. Too often the findings are disseminated in a fragmented way because of the discrete diagnostic categories of affectedness. This volume attempts to assimilate and integrate the findings of the transdisciplinary research toward a more coherent picture of behavioral descriptions, brain imaging studies, genetics, and intervention technologies in language impairment. The contributing authors are all scholars with active programs of research funded by the National Institutes of Health involving diverse clinical groups of children with language impairments.

Communication disabilities are common, although their precise nature and degree of severity vary greatly among individuals. They are among the most handicapping of disabilities because they isolate a person and in so doing restrict social, educational, and occupational opportunities. One of the purposes of this book was to bring together theoretical, practical, and clinical knowledge from several disciplines that bear on language and communication into some reasonably accessible form. The intent is to provide a broad and multi-faceted view of language development and language disorders. Thus, contributions from education, linguistics, psychology, pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, neuropsychology, and speech therapy are included. They describe our current knowledge of language development, suggest classifications for language pathology, outline what is known of the epidemiology of language difficulties, consider assessment and therapy, alternative communication systems and the impact of the new technology on communication aids. The variety of perspectives that it provides will make it particularly useful to the range of specialists who are concerned with the development of communication skills and language disorders.

Based on the conference of the same name, this volume attempts to assimilate and integrate the findings of the transdisciplinary research toward a more coherent picture of behavioral descriptions, brain imaging studies, genetics, and intervention technologies in language impairment.