<p>Language impairment affects the ability to communicate. Children with languageimpairment have difficulties in using language in interaction to various degrees, and the contributions of the conversational partner are of great importance. The use of languagein interaction can be analysed by means of conversation analysis. The purpose of thepresent study was to study interaction of a group of pre-school children with language impairment with four different conversational partners. These were a peer with languag eimpairment, a peer with typical language development, a pre-school teacher and a parent. This study also intended to analyze the conversations in terms of similarities and differences between the participation frameworks. In all, 12 conversations were analyzedby using conversation analysis. A number of phenomena of interest were identified. The frequency of occurence of some of these phenomena was calculated to complement the qualitative analysis. The results show a number of phenomena occurring where mutualunderstanding is present and when it is limited. These phenomena are sequencing in theform of initiative-response and question-answer, back-channelling, development of conversational topic, breakdown, non-sequencing, topic drift, repair, clarification requestand confirmation. The results also demonstrate differences in the conversations betweenthe participation frameworks with reference to the frequency and the distinction of thephenomena. The greatest differences are found between child-child and adult-childconversations. The pre-school teacher and the parents ask more questions and use more clarification requests and confirmations than the children with language impairment. The development of conversational topics is more distinct in child-adult conversations. The development of conversational topics also occurs to some extent in conversations between two children with language impaiment. In conversations between a child withlanguage impairment and a child with typical language development this phenomenon isgenerally indistinct. Utterances lacking topical coherence in relation to each other areonly distinctly occuring in conversations between two children with language impairment. The pre-school teacher and the parents all perform more distinct other repairsthan the children with language impairment.</p> / <p>En språkstörning påverkar den kommunikativa förmågan. Barn med språkstörning harolika grad av svårighet i språklig interaktion med andra människor och samtalspartnern spelar en betydande roll. Samtalsanalys är ett sätt att analysera den faktiskaspråkanvändningen. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att studera interaktion hos engrupp förskolebarn med språkstörning i fyra olika deltagarstrukturer. De olika deltagarstrukturerna var samtal med ett annat barn med språkstörning, ett barn medtypisk språkutveckling, en person ur förskolepersonalen samt en förälder. Vidare syftade studien till att analysera likheter och skillnader i samtalen mellan de olika deltagarstrukturerna. Totalt analyserades 12 samtal med samtalsanalys, conversationanalysis (CA). Under analysen valdes ett antal fenomen ut och kompletterandeberäkningar gjordes på några av de utvalda fenomenen i samtalen. Resultatet visar att detfinns ett antal fenomen som belyser samförståelse och begränsad samförståelse i samtalen. Dessa fenomen utgörs av sekvensering i form av initiativ-respons och frågasvar, återkoppling, utvecklande av samtalsämne, sammanbrott, icke-relevant svar, yttrande som inte ämnesmässigt koherent i förhållande till föregående yttrande, ämnesglidning, reparation, begäran om förtydligande samt bekräftande av föregående yttrande. I resultatet framkommer skillnader i samtalen mellan de olika deltagarstrukturerna med avseende på hur ofta dessa fenomen förekommer och hur tydliga de är. De största skillnaderna återfinns mellan barn-barn- och barnvuxensamtalen. Personalen och föräldrarna ställer fler frågor samt begär förtydligande och bekräftar föregående yttrande i större utsträckning än barnen med språkstörning. Utvecklande av samtalsämne är tydligast i barn-vuxensamtalen. Utvecklande av samtalsämne förekommer också i viss utsträckning i deltagarstrukturen barn med språkstörning-barn med språkstörning. I deltagarstrukturen barn med språkstörning-barn med typisk språkutveckling är detta fenomen generellt otydligt. Yttranden som saknar ämnesmässig koherens i förhållande till varandra är endast tydligt förekommande ideltagarstrukturen barn med språkstörning-barn med språkstörning. Personalen och föräldrarna utför tydligare annan reparationer än barnen med språkstörning.</p>

Neben der Frequenz eines cues ist es dessen Zuverlässigkeit, die Kindern hilft, die an sie gerichtete Sprache zu segmentieren, Worteinheiten zu erkennen sowie diese syntaktisch zu kategorisieren. Im Deutschen weist die Subsilbe „Langvokal+Konsonant+/t/“ (z.B. in fehlt, wohnt) zuverlässig auf eine -t-flektierte Verbform hin. Die in kindgerichteter Sprache höher frequente Subsilbe „Kurzvokal+Konsonant+/t/“ (z.B. in Feld, Hemd, fällt, rund) gibt hingegen keinen derartig eindeutigen Hinweis. Es wurde der Frage nachgegangen, inwiefern diese unterschiedlichen Zuverlässigkeiten und Frequenzen der Subsilben auf die Nomen-, Verb- und Verbflexionsverarbeitung einwirken. Drei Altersgruppen wurden untersucht: achtzehn Monate alte Kinder, drei- bis fünfjährige sprachunauffällige und -auffällige Kinder sowie erwachsene Sprecher. Einflüsse der unterschiedlichen Zuverlässigkeiten und Frequenzen der ausgewählten Subsilben konnten für alle Probandengruppen gefunden werden. Die Subsilbe stellt damit eine linguistische Größe dar, die in der frühen Sprachwahrnehmung als cue dienen sowie die Sprachverarbeitung Erwachsener lenken kann und auch für die Sprachdiagnostik und -therapie sprachauffälliger Kinder berücksichtigt werden sollte. / Frequency and reliability have an impact on children’s reliance on cues for the segmentation and syntactic categorization of words. In German, the subsyllable “long vowel+consonant+/t/” reliably indicates that a word containing this type of subsyllable is an inflected verb form, e.g. “fehlt” (to lack, 3rd pers. sing.) or “wohnt” (to live, 3rd pers. sing.) In contrast, the more frequent subsyllable “short vowel+consonant+/t/” is not a reliable cue to word class as it occurs not only in inflected verb forms but in monomorphemic nouns and adjectives as well, e.g. “fällt” (to fall, 3rd pers. sing.), “Hemd” (shirt), “Feld” (field) or “rund” (round). This study addresses the question to what extent the different cue properties of subsyllables (i.e. reliability and frequency) have an impact on the processing of nouns, verbs and verb inflection. Participants of three different age groups were recruited: eighteen-month-old children, three- to five-year-old children with typical and atypical language acquisition and adults. Impacts of the different subsyllabic reliabilities and frequencies were found for all groups. This indicates that the subsyllable is a linguistic unit that provides relevant cues for early language acquisition and for language processing in adults. Therefore, it should also be considered for assessment and treatment of children with atypical language acquisition.

Language impairment affects the ability to communicate. Children with languageimpairment have difficulties in using language in interaction to various degrees, and the contributions of the conversational partner are of great importance. The use of languagein interaction can be analysed by means of conversation analysis. The purpose of thepresent study was to study interaction of a group of pre-school children with language impairment with four different conversational partners. These were a peer with languag eimpairment, a peer with typical language development, a pre-school teacher and a parent. This study also intended to analyze the conversations in terms of similarities and differences between the participation frameworks. In all, 12 conversations were analyzedby using conversation analysis. A number of phenomena of interest were identified. The frequency of occurence of some of these phenomena was calculated to complement the qualitative analysis. The results show a number of phenomena occurring where mutualunderstanding is present and when it is limited. These phenomena are sequencing in theform of initiative-response and question-answer, back-channelling, development of conversational topic, breakdown, non-sequencing, topic drift, repair, clarification requestand confirmation. The results also demonstrate differences in the conversations betweenthe participation frameworks with reference to the frequency and the distinction of thephenomena. The greatest differences are found between child-child and adult-childconversations. The pre-school teacher and the parents ask more questions and use more clarification requests and confirmations than the children with language impairment. The development of conversational topics is more distinct in child-adult conversations. The development of conversational topics also occurs to some extent in conversations between two children with language impaiment. In conversations between a child withlanguage impairment and a child with typical language development this phenomenon isgenerally indistinct. Utterances lacking topical coherence in relation to each other areonly distinctly occuring in conversations between two children with language impairment. The pre-school teacher and the parents all perform more distinct other repairsthan the children with language impairment. / En språkstörning påverkar den kommunikativa förmågan. Barn med språkstörning harolika grad av svårighet i språklig interaktion med andra människor och samtalspartnern spelar en betydande roll. Samtalsanalys är ett sätt att analysera den faktiskaspråkanvändningen. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att studera interaktion hos engrupp förskolebarn med språkstörning i fyra olika deltagarstrukturer. De olika deltagarstrukturerna var samtal med ett annat barn med språkstörning, ett barn medtypisk språkutveckling, en person ur förskolepersonalen samt en förälder. Vidare syftade studien till att analysera likheter och skillnader i samtalen mellan de olika deltagarstrukturerna. Totalt analyserades 12 samtal med samtalsanalys, conversationanalysis (CA). Under analysen valdes ett antal fenomen ut och kompletterandeberäkningar gjordes på några av de utvalda fenomenen i samtalen. Resultatet visar att detfinns ett antal fenomen som belyser samförståelse och begränsad samförståelse i samtalen. Dessa fenomen utgörs av sekvensering i form av initiativ-respons och frågasvar, återkoppling, utvecklande av samtalsämne, sammanbrott, icke-relevant svar, yttrande som inte ämnesmässigt koherent i förhållande till föregående yttrande, ämnesglidning, reparation, begäran om förtydligande samt bekräftande av föregående yttrande. I resultatet framkommer skillnader i samtalen mellan de olika deltagarstrukturerna med avseende på hur ofta dessa fenomen förekommer och hur tydliga de är. De största skillnaderna återfinns mellan barn-barn- och barnvuxensamtalen. Personalen och föräldrarna ställer fler frågor samt begär förtydligande och bekräftar föregående yttrande i större utsträckning än barnen med språkstörning. Utvecklande av samtalsämne är tydligast i barn-vuxensamtalen. Utvecklande av samtalsämne förekommer också i viss utsträckning i deltagarstrukturen barn med språkstörning-barn med språkstörning. I deltagarstrukturen barn med språkstörning-barn med typisk språkutveckling är detta fenomen generellt otydligt. Yttranden som saknar ämnesmässig koherens i förhållande till varandra är endast tydligt förekommande ideltagarstrukturen barn med språkstörning-barn med språkstörning. Personalen och föräldrarna utför tydligare annan reparationer än barnen med språkstörning.

No description available.

I samhället idag framkommer det allt fler barn som har någon form av språkstörning. Kunskapen bör därför hållas uppdaterad bland logopeder och talpedagoger med flera och att det även finns tillgång till stöd och hjälp för dessa barn. Kommunens översikt över behovet av hjälp är också viktigt för att barnen ska få de bästa möjliga förutsättningarna. Kommunen bör sedan göra det som krävs för att hjälpen för barn med språkstörning ska finnas tillgänglig i kommunen. I denna studie är vårt syfte att se vad det finns för hjälp för barn med språkstörning i olika kommuner och om hjälpen skiljer sig åt beroende på om kommunen är större eller mindre. Den frågeställning vi valt till denna undersökning är: Skiljer sig hjälpen åt för barn med språkstörningar i större respektive mindre kommuner och i så fall varför? Denna studie är kvalitativ och består av en strukturerad intervju. Frågorna har här bestämts i förväg och skickats ut till sju olika kommuner som är strategiskt utvalda. Den strukturerade intervjun har skickats iväg till kommunerna via mejl tillsammans med ett missiv efter ett telefonsamtal med oss där vi ville ha ett godkännande till att skicka frågeformuläret och missivet till dem. Resultatet visade på att större kommuner har språkförskolor medan mindre kommuner inte har inrättat några, men det visade också på att vissa större kommuner inte heller har någon sådan verksamhet. Resultatet visade också på att orsaker till att mindre kommuner inte har någon språkförskola är att barnantalet är för litet eller att de inte har så många barn med språkstörning i kommunen så att det skulle löna sig att ha denna verksamhet.

Theories of bilingual language production suggest that codeswitching is either a characteristic of limited language or a productive characteristic suggesting enhanced executive control and language proficiency. Since codeswitching patterns of typically developing and language impaired bilingual children are not thoroughly understood, utterances with codeswitches may be disregarded during language evaluations. Codeswitching frequency and types of codeswitches were analyzed in language samples of 12 bilingual children at high and 12 at low risk for specific language impairment (SLI). Results indicated that the frequency of codeswitching was similar for both risk groups in Spanish, but not in English. In English, the high risk group codeswitched significantly more than the typically developing group (18.76% vs 7.20%, p<.05). The types of codeswitches most often produced also differed by language and risk group. In Spanish, single-word lexical codeswitches were preferred significantly more than syntactical or lexical-syntactical, but no differences were found between risk groups. In English, syntactical codeswitches were preferred significantly more than lexical or lexical- syntactical. That the children at high risk for SLI codeswitched more in their second language and that their patterns were similar to the typically developing group might suggest that codeswitching in bilingual children with SLI might be used as a productive strategy to fill in linguistic ‘gaps’ and that codeswitching should be recognized and given credit for in language evaluations. / text

Föreliggande studie syftar till att med hjälp av interaktionsanalys utifrån CA-principer (Conversation Analysis) undersöka interaktion i logopedisk gruppbehandling för barn med språkstörning samt att undersöka huruvida behandling implementeras i hemmiljö. Interaktion mellan såväl barn, logopeder som vårdnadshavare belyses. Materialet i föreliggande studie samlades in på en logopedmottagning i södra Sverige samt i deltagarnas hemmiljö. Totalt filmades sju behandlingstillfällen, fördelat på två olika grupper. Fem behandlingstillfällen filmandes från en av grupperna varav de resterande två spelades in i den andra gruppen. Totalt deltog tre logopeder, åtta barn och elva vårdnadshavare. Två av de deltagande logopederna intervjuades. Utöver detta genomfördes intervjuer med två av de deltagande vårdnadshavarna via telefon. Filmer från två av de deltagande barnens hemmiljö samlades in varpå samtliga filmer grovtranskriberades och delar valdes ut för fintranskription och vidare analys utifrån CA-principer. I studien framkommer att logopeder använder sig av eliciteringsstrategier i form av imitationsbaserade strategier samt modellmeningar för att elicitera språklig produktion. Behandlingsstrategier som förekommer är tecken till tal samt omformuleringar. Ytterligare fenomen som belyses är reparationer, återkopplingar samt ansiktsbevarande interaktionsstrategier. Studien visar att det finns en asymmetri i interaktionen mellan barn och logopeder, men att interaktionen stundvis avviker från samtal av det institutionella slaget. Utifrån hemmafilmer indikeras att behandlingsstrategier i form av tecken har implementerats hos en av vårdnadshavarna samt att omformuleringar används i interaktionen mellan två av vårdnadshavarna och deras barn. / The study objective was to investigate interaction in speech and language therapy groups for children with language impairment and to investigate whether treatment was implemented in the home environment. The material was collected from a speech and language therapy center in the south of Sweden and from the participants’ home environment. In total, seven video recordings were made of speech and language therapy sessions in two different groups. Five sessions were recorded in one of the groups, and the remaining two were recorded in the second group. Three SLPs, eight children and eleven parents participated in the study. Interviews with two of the participating SLPs and two of the participating parents were conducted. Video recordings from a home setting were collected from two of the participating children. All of the collected video recorded material was transcribed and analyzed according to principles of Conversation Analysis. The results show that the SLPs in therapy use imitation-based and modelling strategies to elicitate language production. Manual signs and recasts were found to be used as treatment strategies. Other phenomena in treatment were repairs, feedback and face-saving strategies. The study highlights the asymmetry in the interaction between children and SLPs, but also shows that the interaction sometimes departs from interaction of an institutional kind. The results indicate that one of the participating parents has implemented manual signs in the interaction during treatment as well as in the home environment. The study shows that two parents use recasts in the interaction with their children.

BACKGROUND: Oral communication impairments (OCIs) are a common childhood problem with often long-term negative outcomes for both the child and society. Despite the growing body of knowledge about the epidemiology of this problem, the shift from traditional treatment approaches to population based approaches to management has been slow. One suggested reason for this is a lack of community based population data on such problems with which to plan services more broadly. AIM: The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the population knowledge of children with OCIs by developing and trialing a data collection method at a community level. LITERATURE REVIEW: One of the major issues in understanding OCIs from a population perspective is the disparate and often incongruent nature of epidemiological data reported in the literature. Five areas of epidemiological research were reviewed in order to critically evaluate the existing evidence base and identify gaps for further research. The five areas reviewed were: Prevalence (Regardless of the methodology used to collect prevalence data, OCIs have been described as a common childhood problem), Life Course (Children with OCIs often have ongoing communication problems and are at risk for poorer life outcomes in social, educational and occupational domains), Comorbidities (OCIs rarely occur in isolation and most children will have other developmental or health issues), Risk factors (There is no one easily definable cause of OCIs, however, genetic and environmental factors appear to increase the risk of OCI in the general population), and Service use (Only around half of children with recognised OCIs will access specialist intervention services).The review concluded that local community data measuring the 'burden', or impact, of the problem, comorbidities and service use in children with and without OCIs would assist in service planning. Therefore a methodology would need to be developed which addressed these issues.A further review of the literature considered this methodology development with specific reference to the issues of study design, sampling and identification of OCIs. The review concluded that a cross-sectional survey design of a community sample could provide the necessary data. Parent and teacher report was suggested as a method for identifying OCIs in surveys, however, a tool needed to be developed and trialed to ensure this method was effective, valid and reliable. PILOT STUDY: A survey tool for parents was designed which included the Child Health Questionnaire (PF - 28), questions relating to socio-demographic features, health and development conditions, service use and specifically developed questions regarding OCIs. The survey methodology was trialed in one school and one childcare centre. The results of the study were reviewed and suggestions made for methodological changes before a community trial was carried out. The reliability and validity of the questions designed to identify OCIs was assessed in a number of ways. Test-retest reliability of parent completed questionnaires proved to be good. Interrater reliability was examined by comparing parent and teacher responses. Parents and teachers agreed on identification of OCI in over 75% of cases for each of the OCIs studied. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing parent report to speech pathologist evaluation in a clinical sample and by comparing parent and teacher report to screening assessments of communication skills in a school sample. Both parents and teachers tended to over-identify children, however, when parent and teacher reports were considered together the validity approached that of the 'gold standard'. Construct validity was assessed by comparing reported OCIs with reports of other developmental conditions known to be commonly comorbid with OCIs. Once again using both parent and teacher report proved to be the most valid method of identifying OCIs using the developed tool. COMMUNITY STUDY: A targeted community survey of 3 to 7 year old children was conducted in a regional centre in Queensland, Australia. Children were sampled through schools and childcare centres. Information letters were distributed to the parents of 898 eligible children. Completed questionnaires were received for 397 children. Teachers completed questionnaires on 375 children which was 42% of the population sampled. Parents and teachers identified OCIs in 16% of the children. However, only 3% of the population were rated by parents or teachers as having severe problems. Over 70% of parents and teachers of children with a reported OCI rated the problem as having an impact on the child's life. Ratings of impact were not related to parent/teacher ratings of severity. Children with OCIs were reported to have significantly more health, developmental and behaviour problems than their peers. Children with OCIs were rated lower by their parents on most aspects of the Child Health Questionnaire (PF-28). In particular, parents reported impacts on their own time and family activities due to the child's problems. No significant differences were found between children with and without reported OCIs on any of the socio-demographic variables studied. Children with reported OCIs used more health and educational services than their peers. Around 60% of children with reported OCIs had seen a speech pathologist, but many parents had also sought advice from a range of other health and educational professionals. Those with two or more OCI conditions were more likely to have seen a professional, however socio-demographic variables did not generally predict service use. Parents reported that the type of service they chose was most commonly influenced by advice from a doctor or teacher. The limitations of this methodology for collecting this type of data are discussed. However despite these limitations data were collected which has major implications for the provision of population based services for children with OCI. CONCLUSION: This thesis has contributed to the understanding of children with OCIs by researching the development of a methodology to study this problem in a defined community sample. The information gained from the literature review and the community study were considered within two models of service provision. The models encompass service delivery from individualised to more population based approaches to the management of OCIs in children. From these models, specific suggestions for the community involved in the study were discussed. This thesis, therefore, provided a survey methodology that is resource efficient in the collection of community data useful in suggesting improved services for children with oral communication impairments.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a storybook retell technique to facilitate vocabulary acquisition in children educated in Māori immersion class settings. A second aim of the study was to explore the cultural responsiveness and pedagogical appropriateness of the intervention approach and the importance of relationship building (whakawhanaungatanga) to successful interventions. Nine children participated in the study. These children (aged between 5 and 8 years) were recruited from two Kura Kaupapa Māori settings in differing urban areas in New Zealand. The children entered the study on a rolling basis in groups of three. The first three participants to enter the study were recruited from the one classroom on the basis of their demonstrating specific language impairment (SLI). The second group of three participants attended a different classroom and these participants were recruited into the study as a result of identified delayed reading development (RD). The third group of three participants from a third classroom was selected as the participants exhibited typical spoken and written language development (TD). The intervention technique utilized in this study adopted a structured approach to teaching the meaning of pre selected vocabulary items that were embedded in class story books. Three different books were selected and each book was read by the teacher to the whole class three times during a one week period. The target vocabulary was highlighted each time it occurred in the story through the following techniques: an adult definition was given for the word, an antonym or synonym was given, and the meaning was acted out by the teacher or the picture detailing the meaning of the word in the book was highlighted. A single subject research design using pre-intervention, intervention and post intervention assessment probes for the target vocabulary items was employed to examine the effectiveness of the intervention in teaching the children the targeted vocabulary. Teacher interviews were also carried out to assess the appropriateness of the intervention in relation to the philosophy of the Kura Kaupapa and its pedagogical appropriateness and cultural responsiveness. The results suggested that the children in all three groups (SLI, RD and TD) made moderate gains in the acquisition of the target vocabulary supporting the hypothesis that targeting vocabulary in story book retelling at a whole class level will lead to acquisition of the vocabulary by the participants' exposed to the intervention. However, using a Two Standard Deviation method to evaluate the significance of each participant's change, the gains made for the RD and SLI participants were not significant. The TD participants did demonstrate a significant difference in the number of words correct. The teachers of the participants involved in the study reported positively on the effectiveness and appropriateness of the intervention for inclusion within the Kura Kaupapa and classroom programme. In particular, teachers' reported that as the intervention included each child in the class (as opposed to a withdrawal intervention model) the intervention was more appropriate for the philosophy of the Kura Kaupapa. The teachers' also reported the effectiveness of the intervention for the development of collaboration and relationship building between the teacher and researcher (a speech-language therapist. The data showed that the intervention investigated in this study was culturally responsive and pedagogically appropriate. It could be included as a component of the class programme as it was responsive to the philosophy of the Kura Kaupapa. The participants' did make moderate gains in the acquisition of the vocabulary (although not at a level to be considered significant for children with delayed development). Further research is necessary to explore the effectiveness of what may potentially be a useful intervention to enhance vocabulary development for children in Kura Kaupapa.

Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) have difficulties in acquiring language in the absence of other neurodevelopmental issues (e.g. autism, hearing impairment) and despite growing up in an adequate language-learning environment. Previous characterisations of DLD have focused on grammatical processing, phonological memory or rapid auditory processing. This thesis approaches the language-learning difficulties of children with DLD from a novel perspective by considering the potential contribution made by differing levels of sensitivity to the rhythmic properties of language. Children with DLD have been shown to have reduced sensitivity to some of the acoustic cues present in speech which are thought to be important for rhythmic perception. Since rhythm forms the basis of language processing in early development, poorer sensitivity to language rhythm may result in later language problems. To investigate whether children with DLD demonstrate difficulties in processing language rhythm, this thesis explores five areas of language processing which could be affected by poor rhythmic sensitivity: locating word-boundaries, processing novel words, storing lexical stress patterns, representing sentence level structures and the integration of rhythm and syntax. As part of the investigation, measures were also taken of acoustic threshold sensitivity to see whether task performance related to acoustic sensitivity. A parallel strand of the study investigated whether provision of an entraining rhythm prior to task stimuli could support task performance. Three groups of children participated in the study: children with DLD, age-matched TD children (AMC) and younger, language-matched TD children (YLC). The results indicate that rhythmic manipulation of language stimuli affects task responses across the five language areas under investigation. The findings are then discussed in terms of the contribution made to our understanding of the role of rhythm in language and language disorder.