Language Impaired or Learning Disabled: Same Children Labeled Differently or Different Children

Authors

Nickola Wolf Nelson, Ph.D., CCC‐SLP
Michele A. Anderson, Ph.D., CCC‐SLP
E. Brooks Applegate, Ph.D.
Western Michigan University

Conference

TILLS
Council for Exception Children
April 9, 2015
San Diego, CA

Acknowledgments/Disclosure

• Many graduate students, colleagues, test administrators
• Nelson, N. W., Plante, E., Helm‐Estabrooks, N., & Hotz, G., (2015). Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing, Inc. (with potential royalties)
• U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research for TILLS research. (Grant R324A100354)
• Nelson, W. (2010). Boston, Language and Allyn Literacy Disorders: Infancy through Adolescence MA: & Bacon.

Questions

• Relationships of language disorders and learning disabilities
• Different children?
• Same children labeled differently?

Data from Mashburn & Myers (2010)

Questions re shifts in proportions

• Any children with written language problems without co‐occurring oral problems?
• Some of both?
• What happens?
• Do the young students no longer have disorders?
• Do their language problems now involve reading and writing? Overlaps?

Mashburn, A. J., & Myers, S. S. (2010). Advancing research on children with speech‐language impairment: An introduction to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort. LSHSS, 41, 61‐69.

• Different students, newly classified? Some of both?

Relationships

• Thinking
• Writing
• Reading
• Speaking
• Listening

Two-Dimensional Quadrant Model

• Evidence for differences by language level (vocabulary & sentence use) but not receptive & expressive (Tomblin & Zhang, 2006)
• Two dimensions may explain relationship between dyslexia and specific language impairment (SLI)
• Phonological skills (sound/word level)

Phonological Skills

• Perceiving and saying complex words
• Phonemic awareness
• Reading
• Spelling decoding

Nonphonological Skills

• Sentence and discourse comprehension level
• Sentence and discourse level formulation

(Bishop & Snowling, 2004; Catts, Adlof, Hogan, & Weismer, 2005)

Applying the Quadrant Model

• High listening comprehension, sentence formulation
• Low reading decoding, fluency & spelling
• Low in both: word reading (real words), impaired accuracy and/or rate in lists or passage context, word decoding (pseudowords)

Family Genetics Studies of Dyslexia & Dysgraphia

• Exclusion criteria: Normal range on cognition and memory, no preschool history of problems in oral language milestones or primary oral language disability
• Dyslexia: First signs in Kdg or 1st grade, naming letters, associating sounds with them

Silliman, E. R., & Berninger, V. W. (2011). Cross‐disciplinary dialogue about the nature of oral and written language problems in the context of developmental, academic, and phenotypic profiles. Topics in Language Disorders, 31(1), 6‐23.

Learning Profile

• Impaired phonological loop
• Impaired accuracy in reading and spelling

Developmental Profile

• Preschool history of oral language delay, persisting oral and written language problems
• Specific language learning profile

Evidence from a New Test

Overview of Groups and TILLS Subtests

1. Vocabulary Awareness

   • Dog, cat, bone: Both animals/pets (not dogs chase cats)
   • Light, sun, feather: Sun gives light/both bright

2. Phonemic Awareness

• Example of removing sounds to form new words.

3. Story Retelling

• Instructions to retell an age-appropriate story.

4. Nonword Repetition

• Sample format of nonword repetition tasks.

5. Nonword Spelling

• Instructions to spell nonword prompts.

6. Listening Comprehension

• Directions to listen and respond to stories.

7. Reading Comprehension

• Tasks involving comprehension of assigned texts.

Comments

• Are there different profiles?
• Importance of individual differences?

References

• Finley, B. L. (2005). Rethinking developmental neurobiology. In M. Tomasello & D. I. Slobin (Eds.), Beyond nature‐nurture: Essays in honor of Elizabeth Bates (pp. 195‐218). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Fisher, S. A. (2006). Tangled webs: Tracing the connections between genes and cognition. Cognition, 101, 270‐297.
• Meng, H., Smith, S. D., Hager…., & Gruen, J. R. (2005). DCDC2 is associated with reading disability and modulates neuronal development in the brain. PNAS, 102(47), 17053‐17058.
• Various studies providing insight into speech and language disorders.