Thesis (M.S.L.T)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-105). Also available via the World Wide Web

Thesis (B.Sc)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / "A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Speech and Hearing Sciences), The University of Hong Kong, June 30, 2005." Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis, PlanA (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

The research literature has substantiated that many children diagnosed as having oral language impairments demonstrate reading problems at school-age. Few studies, however, have investigated the achievement of language-impaired children on individual reading skills, or the relationship between type of language deficit and type of reading disability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of children with receptive language impairments (Receptives), children with expressive language impairments (Expressives), and children with no identified language or learning problems (Controls) on the reading skills of word attack, word recognition, vocabulary and comprehension. The subjects, ages 10-0 to 12-11, were 29 children enrolled in self-contained classes for the severely language impaired (SLI), and 37 normal children. The SLI subjects were categorized as Receptives (n = 24) or Expressives (n = 5) based on their performance on the Test of Language Development-Intermediate (TOLD-I). Reading scores were obtained for four subtests of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised (WRMT-R) and for two subtests of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). Results of univariate analyses demonstrated Controls performed significantly (p < .05) better on all of the reading subtests than did either of the language-impaired groups. No difference was found between the Receptives and the Expressives on any subtest, possibly due to the small number of Expressive subjects. Because no differences were found between the language-impaired groups, they were combined to form a single group. Results of correlational analyses demonstrated correlations above .45 among all reading subtests for the Controls, indicating they measure similar abilities. For the SLI group, the subtests of the WRMT-R were highly correlated with each other (r < .65), but shared moderate correlations (.27 to .49) with the ITBS subtests. For the SLI group, the two ITBS subtests shared a low (.24) correlation. The Control group demonstrated reading achievement within normal limits, whereas the SLI group scored at least 2.4 years below the Controls on all subtests. For each group, profiles of subtest performance were flat, indicating that neither group demonstrates particular reading strengths or weaknesses.

Background: The diagnostic and clinical differentiation between children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and children with pragmatic language impairments (PLI), two populations that share a similar linguistic profile, was examined in school-aged children. Charting the behavioral and cognitive profiles of these populations can serve to aide diagnostic differentiation and educational intervention. Objectives: The objectives of this study were two-fold. One, to compare scores on diagnostic measures of autism between school-age children with ASD and those with PLI Two, to investigate differences between children in these groups and typically developing children in the areas of social cognition and executive function (EF). Methods: The participants included 22 school-age children diagnosed with ASD (mean age = 10.2; 18%female), 19 children with PLI (mean age = 9.6; 11% female) and 35 typically developing (I'D) comparisons (mean age =10.5, 23% female) matched on non-verbal IQ and language age. All of the participants had fluent language and an IQ above 80. In study 1, the participants with ASD and PLI were tested on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). In study 2, the participants in all three groups were tested on the measures of three hierarchical levels of Theory of Mind (ToM), a planning measure, and a response inhibition measure. Results: There was a significant difference between diagnostic groups in the level of the severity of behaviors represented by the Communication and Reciprocal Social Interaction subdomains on both diagnostic measures. However, in the sub domain of Repetitive and Rigid Behaviors, the difference between groups was subtler and not useful as a differentiating factor. While both the children with ASD and those with PLI violated more rules on the 'planning in problem solving' task than the typically developing group, only the children in the ASD group demonstrated impaired functioning on the planning measure. Performance on the inhibition task was significantly impaired in both atypical groups compared to the typically developing group. The findings of the study suggest that children with PLI may be more vulnerable than children with ASD to developmental lags in understanding false belief but less vulnerable in planning and monitoring behavior. Conclusions: The diagnostic differentiation between ASD and PLI is complex, especially in school-age populations. Behavior symptoms may be more subdued in school-age children and thus should not be used as a tool for diagnostic differentiation. Social communication delays are generally more severe in children with ASD, with some children with PLI presenting with comparable levels of severity. Educational planning for these two populations must be informed by both group similarities (e.g., difficulty forming theories about the false beliefs and desires of others in order to predict future behavior) and group differences (e.g., planning in problem solving) in cognitive and social development. Thus, the development of individual education plans should be created within the general framework of known areas of strengths and weaknesses related to diagnostic categorization and then further tailored to childrens' personal profiles based on an assessment of skills.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-146).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-158).

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2007. / Title from title screen. Rose A. Sevcik, committee chair; MaryAnn Romski, Lauren B. Adamson, Roger A. Bakeman, committee members. Electronic text (59 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed October 5, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-49).

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