No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Linguistic dysfluencies known as mazes have been interpreted clinically as reflecting breakdown in language formulation. Nevertheless, the relatively limited available research has suggested that maze frequency increases with linguistic complexity and that mazes are produced more frequently by children with specific language impairment (SLI) than normal language (NL) peers. This study examined the hypothesis that greater maze production by children with SLI results from their processing limitations. Language samples of school-age children with SLI (n = 9) and NL (n = 11) were collected in contexts varying in task demands: conversation, narration and expository discourse. Both groups produced significantly more mazes in the more demanding contexts than in conversation. However, no significant group effect was noted for age-matched or MLU-matched groups. These results suggest that mazes should not be viewed primarily as an indication of processing limitations or a clinical marker for SLI, but more appropriately as a byproduct of linguistic complexity across groups.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references. Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Online version available on the World Wide Web.

This thesis is comprised of three manuscripts, each concerned with the narrative abilities of school-aged French-speaking children as assessed with the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument (ENNI). The three studies involved the same three groups of participants: one group of 12 children with SLI between the ages of eight year three months and nine year nine months, 12 typically-developing children of the same age and 12 typically-developing children matched on language abilities. Each child completed narrative tasks, language abilities tasks and cognitive tasks during one experimental session at their home. / The first manuscript compares the ENNI narrative production (story grammar and referential expression) of school-aged French-speaking children to those of English-speaking children of the same age. It also provides data on the use of the ENNI with the school-aged French-speaking population with specific language impairment (SLI) by comparing their performance to the performance of their typically-developing (TD) peers. The second manuscript aims to identify which linguistic and cognitive skills contribute to narrative production of children with and without SLI at two levels: the micro- and the macro- levels. Finally, the third manuscript investigates the impact of variations in syntactic demand on the narratives produced by French-speaking children with SLI in comparison to the narratives produced by their age- and language- matched peers. The discussion summarizes the characteristics of French-speaking children's narrative production, the factors contributing to competency in narrative production, and explores the implications of these findings for language processing of children with and without SLI.

Thesis (Ph.D.). / Written for the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/05/12). Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Language is integrally involved in all stages of the learning process. Children who have a language disability are therefore likely to have difficulty with their schooling. The Centre for Language and Hearing Impaired Children was established to provide these children with an optimal start to their education and to maximize the impact of early intervention. The aim of this retrospective study was to obtain follow-up information about the pupils who attended this language-rich nursery school environment, and to discover if their progress reflected significant long-term improvements in their education. The study design involved both quantitative aspects, for which it became necessary to create an educational outcome scoring system in order to objectively assess children’s outcomes, and descriptive components to understand the children’s progress. The data collection involved two phases, where the initial data provided the basic demographics of 94 children who attended the Centre, and the second stage considered information obtained in the follow-up interviews with 32 families that could be traced. The latter data showed that, in spite of previously reported improvements while at the Centre, significant disabilities persisted in 56.25 % of the children, where they were unable to reach mainstream education. In addition, there were significant numbers (81.25%) that attended or passed through remedial/special education during their formal school career, reinforcing the need for supportive, therapeutic forms of education for children with language impairments.

A identificação precoce de crianças com comprometimentos nos processos de aquisição e/ou desenvolvimento da linguagem oral é positiva e fundamental. Profissionais que participam do desenvolvimento da criança (no âmbito da saúde e educação) desempenham um papel importante nesse contexto. Este estudo buscou verificar as condutas de profissionais das áreas da saúde e educação frente a crianças que apresentem fatores de risco para desenvolver alterações de linguagem ou que já apresentem sinais dessas alterações; e identificar instrumentos ou procedimentos específicos que esses profissionais utilizam em suas práticas para a identificação dessas crianças. Foi elaborado um questionário especificamente para o estudo, que foi disponibilizado de forma on-line aos participantes. O link de acesso ao questionário foi publicado em um site institucional e também divulgado em listas de contato eletrônico. Não houve possibilidade de se estabelecer o número de participantes deste estudo, uma vez que o acesso ao questionário era livre e irrestrito e por ter sido difundido via Web. Cada um dos questionários respondidos foi analisado e as informações fornecidas foram tabuladas para que as respostas fossem agrupadas e os resultados apresentados de maneira descritiva. Cento e oitenta e sete profissionais, entre eles: Fonoaudiólogos, Professores, Enfermeiros, Médicos, Psicólogos, Agentes Comunitários de Saúde, Técnicos em Enfermagem, Fisioterapeutas, Dentistas, Nutricionista, Assistentes Sociais, Biólogo s Terapeuta Ocupacional, responderam o questionário. Ao receberem queixas dos pais em relação a uma possível alteração no desenvolvimento de linguagem da criança, 55,6% dos profissionais respondeu que encaminha a criança para um fonoaudiólogo. Quanto aos fatores de risco relacionados ao desenvolvimento de fala-linguagem da criança, a pouca estimulação foi o mais citado pelos participantes. Em relação à identificação desses fatores de risco no histórico da criança, 75,4% relatou que os identifica por meio de anamnese, 19,3% dos profissionais não identificam esses fatores em sua prática profissional e 5,3% utilizam protocolo específico. Quanto à conduta adotada quando a criança apresenta em seu histórico fatores de risco para desenvolver alterações de linguagem, 54,5% dos participantes não respondeu a pergunta, dos que respondeu, a maioria referiu que realiza encaminhamento para um fonoaudiólogo. Concluiu-se que profissionais da saúde e educação que identificam fatores de risco para linguagem em suas práticas profissionais o fazem por meio de anamnese. Diante da presença desses fatores, as crianças são encaminhadas a um fonoaudiólogo, que é o profissional legalmente habilitado para avaliar e reabilitar as alterações na aquisição e desenvolvimento da linguagem. / Early identification of impairments in a childs oral language acquisition and/or developmental process is positive and fundamental. Professionals who are part of the childs development (in the range of health and education) have an important role in this context. This study aimed to verify the conducts of health and education professionals when facing children with language development disorder or who have risk factors of developing it, also, to identify specific instruments and procedures used by the professionals to recognize these children. A questionnaire elaborated specially for the study was available online in an institutional website and through a list of e-mail contacts, so the participants could easily access them. It was not possible to establish a participant number for this study as the questionnaires could be accessed freely in the web. Each of the filled in questionnaires were analyzed and the provided information tabulated, so the answers could be grouped and results presented descriptively. One hundred eighty seven professionals answered the questionnaire, among themwere: Speech Language Pathologists, Teachers, Nurses, Medical Doctors, Psychologists, Community Health Workers, Nursing Technicians, Physical Therapists, Dentists, Nutritionists, Social Workers, Biologists and Occupational Therapists. When receiving a parent / caregiver complain regarding a childs language development, 55,6% of the professionals claimed torefer the child to a Speech Language Pathologist. As for the risk factors related to speech and language development, little stimulation was the most quoted by participants. Regarding the identification of risk factors in childs history, 75,4% reported identifying it within anamnesis, 19,3% did not identify these factors during their professional practice and 5,3% use a specific protocol. As for the conduct adopted when a risk factor for language development disorder is identified in a childrens history, 54,5% did not answer the question, most of the participants who did answer it, claimed to refer the child to a Speech Language Pathologist. It was concluded that health and education professionals whom identify language disorders in their professional practice do it through anamnesis. While facing these factors the common conduct is to refer these children to a speech language pathologist, which is the legally qualified professional to evaluate and rehabilitate language acquisition and developmental disorders.