Diagnostic accuracy of nonword repetition and sentence repetition in Cantonese-speaking children with specific language impairment (SLI)

Abstract

The study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of nonword repetition (NWR) and sentence repetition (SR) tasks in Cantonese-speaking children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Thirteen children with language impairment (LI) and 17 of their typically developing (TD) peers were recruited from local kindergartens with integrated programs. The SLI group was a subsample of the LI group, which contained 9 children. All the children were compared on NWR and SR tasks. The use of i) clinical status, ii) the children’s Hong Kong Cantonese Grammar (HKCG) subtest scores as the grouping variable was explored. The TD group scored significantly higher than the SLI group on NWR and SR when (ii) was used as the grouping variable. In terms of diagnostic accuracy, both NWR and SR failed to achieve a value of above 80% for both sensitivity and specificity. Theoretical and clinical implications of the results obtained are discussed.