Understanding Language Development and Developmental Language Disorder from Language Sample Analysis

Abstract

Speech-language therapists (SLT) conduct norm-referenced tests and informal observation, and use clinical judgement to make diagnosis of DLD. Before therapy, the SLT will typically collect a conversational sample of the child’s language, and systematically analyze his/her grammar. From the language sample, the SLT can identify error productions, and productions that are not expected for the child’s age. From these productions, the SLT conduct criterion-referenced probes and identify grammatical targets for therapy. In this talk, I will describe a framework for describing and analysing conversational language samples. The framework was developed on the basis of functionalist constructivist theories of language development (e.g., Bates & MacWhinney, 1982; Goldberg, 2006; Tomasello, 2000, 2007, 2009) with reference to description of Cantonese grammar in Matthews and Yip (2011) and Cheung (2007). I will show that the framework is valid as scores obtained from the analysis capture developmental changes in typical children as well as differences between children with typical language and children with DLD. I will also present observation of grammatical errors in children with DLD and discuss possible interpretations.