Search

Background: Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) experience higher levels of peer victimization than their peers. However, it is not known if such associations reflect genetic and environmental confounding. We used a co-twin control design to investigate the association of language difficulties (DLD and separately poor pragmatic language) with peer victimization and compare the developmental trajectories of peer victimization across adolescence for those with and without language difficulties., Methods: Participants were 3,400 pairs of twins in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), a UK-based population birth cohort. Language abilities were assessed via online tests at age 11 and peer victimization was self-reported at ages 11, 14 and 16. Language difficulties were defined as language abilities at least -1.25 SD below the mean of the TEDS sample. We performed linear regressions and latent growth curve modeling at a population level and within monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twin pairs., Results: At population level, youth with DLD experienced higher levels of peer victimization at ages 11 (β = 0.27, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.20-0.35), 14 (β = 0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.27) and 16 (β = 0.17, 95% CI 0.03-0.32) and a sharper decline in peer victimization between ages 11 and 16 compared to their peers without DLD. The associations between DLD and peer victimization were reduced in strength and not statistically significant in within-twin models. Moreover, there was no difference in the rate of change in peer victimization between twin pairs discordant for DLD. Results were similar for the association of poor pragmatic language with peer victimization., Conclusions: Associations between language difficulties (DLD and separately, poor pragmatic language) and peer victimization were confounded by genetic and shared environmental factors. Identifying specific factors underlying these associations is important for guiding future work to reduce peer victimization among adolescents with language difficulties., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.)

Objective: An expert commission has proposed the term "profound" autism for children on the spectrum who are minimally verbal or nonverbal and have intellectual disability (ID), behavioral challenges, and co-occurring conditions. It is unknown whether parents' rating of "severe" autism aligns with the definition of "profound" autism. Using the National Survey of Children's Health, we sought to (1) estimate the prevalence of parent-reported severe autism, (2) identify child characteristics that are associated with severe autism, (3) compare health care utilization, and (4) compare caregiver stress and resilience between families of children with severe versus mild/moderate autism., Methods: Parent responses on the 2018 to 2019 NSCH were used to compare school-age children with parent-reported severe autism and those with mild/moderate autism. Descriptive statistics, χ 2 tests, and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis., Results: Among parents of 1,368 US children with autism, 10.1% characterized their child's autism as severe, a prevalence of 1 in 333. Parents of children with severe autism were more likely to report ID (45% vs 12.1%, p < 0.001), language delay (88% vs 58.7%, p < 0.001), and difficulties in dressing and bathing (67% vs 19.2%, p < 0.001). Children with severe autism had more behavioral problems and co-occurring conditions but were no more likely to see specialists or receive autism-specific behavioral therapy. Their caregivers reported more stress and less resilience., Conclusion: The characteristics of "profound" autism and parent-reported "severe" autism significantly overlap, allowing the use of the NSCH for studies of this vulnerable population. Children with profound/severe autism could benefit from more behavioral therapy, specialty care, and family support., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Written work prepared by employees of the Federal Government as part of their official duties is, under the U.S. Copyright Act, a “work of the United States Government” for which copyright protection under Title 17 of the United States Code is not available. As such, copyright does not extend to the contributions of employees of the Federal Government.)

Prevalence of hearing loss in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is uncertain, as it is more challenging to assess hearing function in children with developmental difficulties (DD). We aimed to determine the prevalence and profiles of hearing loss in preschool children with ASD in a Southeast-Asian population who passed newborn hearing screening. A retrospective study of preschool children with DD (ASD, Global Developmental Delay (GDD), and Speech and Language Delay (SLD)) attending the Child Development Unit (CDU) at our hospital was performed. Three hundred and thirty-three children (ASD: n = 129; GDD: n = 110; and SLD: n = 94) underwent hearing assessments. Of these, 10.8% of children (n = 36, comprising 15 with ASD, 12 with GDD and 9 with SLD) had confirmed hearing loss. Hearing loss was predominantly bilateral in children with ASD and GDD; in those with SLD, unilateral and bilateral hearing loss were equally common. Conductive hearing loss occurred as frequently as sensorineural hearing loss in children with ASD and SLD, but was the dominant subtype in those with GDD. Moderate to severe hearing loss (n = 2) was noted only in children with ASD. Children with ASD and GDD required significantly more audiology visits and procedures to obtain conclusive hearing test results, compared to those with SLD. The need to identify hearing loss and monitor for resolution is particularly important in vulnerable populations with communication deficits, such as in those with ASD., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: This study aimed to determine patterns of screen viewing time (SVT) in preschool children with developmental, behavioural or emotional (DBE) issues, and to identify its relationship with social-emotional development., Method: This cross-sectional study involved children aged 0-5 years who were referred to a developmental paediatric clinic for DBE issues. Parents completed a screen time questionnaire, and the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment-Clinical (DECA-C) question-naire which assessed the social-emotional competence of the children. Data were analysed using logistic regression, correlational analyses and tests of comparison., Results: Among 225 children (mean age: 32.4 months), mean daily SVT was 138 minutes. More than half (51.1%) of the children had clinical features of language delay, while 26.6% had features suggestive of autism spectrum disorder. Screen time was first introduced at a mean age of 13.8 months, with 32.4% of children previously experiencing higher SVT. Compared to SVT introduction after 1 year of age, SVT in the first 12 months was primarily to facilitate feeding ( P <0.05). Children with higher past SVT had poorer attention, more aggression, and increased behavioural concerns. Children with DBE issues have significantly more screen time than same-aged peers., Conclusion: Children with DBE issues are exposed to SVT at a very young age and have significantly more screen time than their peers. It is crucial to guide parents to reduce SVT in early childhood, particularly around mealtimes.

Background: Speech and language delay among children can result in social interaction problems, attention difficulties, decreased writing and reading abilities, and poor cognitive and behavioral development. Despite the mounting prevalence of speech and language delays in Ethiopia, there is a lack of literature addressing the factors contributing to this delay. Consequently, this study aims to identify determinants of speech and language delay among children aged 12 months to 12 years at Yekatit 12 Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Methods: We conducted an institutional-based at Yekatit 12 Hospital, unmatched case-control study with 50 cases and 100 controls aged 12 months to 12 years. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from the parents or caregivers of the participating children. Epi Info v7 was used for sample calculation, and SPSS v26 was used for analysis. The chi-square test was performed to determine the relationship between speech and language delay and determining factors, which was then followed by logistic regression. The significant determining factors were identified based on the adjusted odds ratio (AOR), with a 95% CI and p-value (< 0.05)., Results: Case group constituted 23 males and 27 females, totaling 50 children. Upon completing the multivariate analysis, birth asphyxia [AOR = 4.58, 95CI (1.23-16.99)], bottle-feeding [AOR = 4.54, 95CI (1.29-16.04)], mother-child separation [AOR = 2.6, 95CI (1.05-6.43)], multilingual family [AOR = 2.31, 95CI (1.03-5.18)], and screen time greater than two hours [AOR = 3.06, 95CI (1.29-7.28)] were found to be statistically significant determinants of speech and language delay., Conclusions: Our study found that birth asphyxia, bottle-feeding, mother-child separation, being from a multilingual family, and excessive screen time contribute significantly to speech and language delay. As a result, it is important to develop interventions that target these modifiable factors, while also ensuring that early diagnosis and treatment options are readily accessible., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This was a retrospective study that aimed to provide a first estimate of the prevalence of developmental language disorder (DLD) in Mexico, where there is currently a lack of epidemiological data on this disorder. Children aged 4;0 to 6;11 years in the cities of Mexico, Queretaro, and Monterrey were classified into two groups: those with DLD ( N  = 46) and those with typical language development ( N  = 497). The diagnosis of DLD was based on standardized norm-referenced assessment and language sample analyses. Children with other disabilities were excluded from the final sample. The final sample consisted of 543 children (55% male; 45% female) aged 4;0 to 6;11 years. The estimated prevalence of DLD was 8.5%. The study has clinical implications given that the prevalence of DLD in Mexico may raise awareness of this long-lasting disorder and may help health and educational authorities establish a system to early identify and diagnose children with DLD., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objective: 59% of Viennese day care children have a first language other than German. Lower proficiency in the second language German might be typical in multilingual settings, but might also be due to language disorder (ICD-10:F80 or comorbid). Diagnostic practise in Austria focuses on second language evaluation. This study describes a group of multilingual children with suspected language impairment at a specialized counselling hour and reflects the role of the first language in language evaluation., Method: Linguistic evaluation (typically developed, ICD-10:F80, comorbid language disorder) and sociodemographic parameters of 270 children (time period: 2013-2020) are investigated. Linguistic results are reported according to primary diseases. For children without primary disease the relation between the linguistic evaluation and sociodemographic parameters is assessed., Results: Overall, the children had 37 different first languages (74% were bilingual, 26% multilingual). The percentage of children with typical development and comorbid language development varied according to primary disease. Children without primary disease had higher chances of typical development the older they were at the examination, the earlier they produced first words, and if there was no heredity for ICD-10:F80., Conclusions: Results suggest that evaluating the children's first language is useful since it contributes to understanding the individual language development at different linguistic levels, despite the heterogeneity of the children, and, thus, allows practitioners to recommend the best possible support., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Despite young children's widespread use of mobile devices, little research exists on this use and its association with children's language development. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between mobile device screen time and language comprehension and expressive language skills. An additional aim was to examine whether three factors related to the domestic learning environment modify the associations., Methods: The study uses data from the Danish large-scale survey TRACES among two- and three-year-old children (n = 31,125). Mobile device screen time was measured as time spent on mobile devices on a normal day. Measurement of language comprehension and expressive language skills was based on subscales from the Five to Fifteen Toddlers questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the association between child mobile device screen time and language development and logistic regression to examine the risk of experiencing significant language difficulties. Joint exposure analyses were used to examine the association between child mobile device screen time and language development difficulties in combination with three other factors related to the domestic learning environment: parental education, reading to the child and child TV/PC screen time., Results: High mobile device screen time of one hour or more per day was significantly associated with poorer language development scores and higher odds for both language comprehension difficulties (1-2 h: AOR = 1.30; ≥ 2 h: AOR = 1.42) and expressive language skills difficulties (1-2 h: AOR = 1.19; ≥ 2 h: AOR = 1.46). The results suggest that reading frequently to the child partly buffers the negative effect of high mobile device screen time on language comprehension difficulties but not on expressive language skills difficulties. No modifying effect of parental education and time spent by the child on TV/PC was found., Conclusions: Mobile device screen time of one hour or more per day is associated with poorer language development among toddlers. Reading frequently to the child may have a buffering effect on language comprehension difficulties but not on expressive language skills difficulties., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Little is known about the relationship between sentence production and phonological working memory in school-age children. To fill this gap, we examined how strongly these constructs correlate. We also compared diagnostic groups' working memory abilities to see if differences co-occurred with qualitative differences in their sentences., Method: We conducted Bayesian analyses on data from seven- to nine-year-old children (n = 165 typical language, n = 81 dyslexia-only, n = 43 comorbid dyslexia and developmental language disorder). We correlated sentence production and working memory scores and conducted t tests between groups' working memory scores and sentence length, lexical diversity, and complexity., Results: Correlations were positive but weak. The dyslexic and typical groups had dissimilar working memory and comparable sentence quality. The dyslexic and comorbid groups had comparable working memory but dissimilar sentence quality., Conclusion: Contrary to literature-based predictions, phonological working memory and sentence production are weakly related in school-age children.

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the literature on velopharyngeal insufficiency, associated anomalies, and speech/language impairment in patients with craniofacial microsomia (CFM). A systematic search of the literature was conducted to identify records on VPI and speech impairment in CFM from their inception until September 2022 within the databases Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE, Ovid, CINAHL EBSCO, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Google Scholar. Seventeen articles were included, analysing 1,253 patients. Velopharyngeal insufficiency results in hypernasality can lead to speech impairment. The reported prevalence of both velopharyngeal insufficiency and hypernasality ranged between 12.5% and 55%, while the reported prevalence of speech impairment in patients with CFM varied between 35.4% and 74%. Language problems were reported in 37% to 50% of patients. Speech therapy was documented in 45.5% to 59.6% of patients, while surgical treatment for velopharyngeal insufficiency consisted of pharyngeal flap surgery or pharyngoplasty and was reported in 31.6% to 100%. Cleft lip and/or palate was reported in 10% to 100% of patients with CFM; these patients were found to have worse speech results than those without cleft lip and/or palate. No consensus was found on patient characteristics associated with an increased risk of velopharyngeal insufficiency and speech/language impairment. Although velopharyngeal insufficiency is a less commonly reported characteristic of CFM than other malformations, it can cause speech impairment, which may contribute to delayed language development in patients with CFM. Therefore, timely recognition and treatment of speech impairment is essential., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Neglected children are at high risk for significant difficulties in speech and language development. Because no longitudinal study has been conducted to date, the dynamic description of development during the preschool period is unknown., Objectives: Establish the developmental trajectories of speech sounds, receptive and expressive vocabulary, and morphosyntax among neglected children during the preschool years and compare them with those of non-neglected children., Participants and Setting: Participants are 69 neglected children and 99 same age non-neglected peers (37 and 46 males respectively) recruited at 36 months of age. Data were collected at home., Methods: Data were collected at six-month intervals between the ages of 3 and 5.5 years using psychometrically robust tools. Neglected and control groups were compared according to age using repeated measures ANOVAs on all variables. A discrete mixture model for clustering longitudinal data was used for testing the heterogeneity of the language trajectories among neglected children., Results: The language development of the neglected children as a whole group is lower than that of the control group for all variables. Two subgroups are identified within the neglected group: one with a developmental trajectory similar to that of the non-neglected children, and another whose trajectory is far below that of the control group. The effect sizes of these differences vary between 1.4 and 3 standard deviations under the mean., Conclusions: A large proportion of neglected children present significant speech and language difficulties from the age of 3, but some of them catch up and develop similarly to non-neglected children., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Developmental language disorder (DLD) is an underidentified neurodevelopmental disorder that affects, on average, one out of 11 kindergarten-age children (ages 4-6 years). Children with DLD can face academic, behavioral, psychiatric, emotional, and social challenges. Universal screening is seen as an effective way for public school districts to increase DLD identification rates. However, little is known about factors impacting implementation of school-based universal screenings for DLD. We partnered with a large suburban school district in the Intermountain West region of the United States to gather detailed perspectives from school personnel regarding the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of universal screening in their district., Method: Using a two-phase mixed-methods design, we first conducted focus groups to identify potential barriers and facilitators to universal screening. We then used the qualitative data from the first phase to develop a 20-item survey to assess agreement with the focus group results among a wider group of district speech-language pathologists and kindergarten teachers from the school district., Results: Our survey showed moderate levels of agreement with our focus group results. In particular, school personnel showed high levels of support for universal screening for DLD, with interesting interplay across various factors: (a) the negative impact of unmanageable workload on personnel under both referral- and universal-based identification formats, (b) the preference for paraprofessionals to administer screenings, (c) the role that Response to Intervention programs may play in offsetting workloads associated with universal screenings, and (d) the need for increased awareness and education about child language development and impairment among general education teachers and the public., Conclusion: Recommendations for incorporating these factors into more useful and applicable collaborative research-based efforts are presented., Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23661876.

Childhood speech and language concerns are commonly encountered in the primary care setting. Family physicians are integral in the identification and initial evaluation of children with speech and language delays. Parental concerns and observations and milestone assessment aid in the identification of speech and language abnormalities. Concerning presentations at 24 months or older include speaking fewer than 50 words, incomprehensible speech, and notable speech and language deficits on age-specific testing. Validated screening tools that rely on parental reporting can serve as practical adjuncts during clinic evaluation. Early referral for additional evaluation can mitigate the development of long-term communication disorders and adverse effects on social and academic development. All children who have concerns for speech and language delays should be referred to speech language pathology and audiology for diagnostic and management purposes. Parents and caretakers may also self-refer to early intervention programs for evaluation and management of speech and language concerns in children younger than three years.

Background: Very preterm children are at increased risk of language delays. Concerns have been raised about the utility of standardised English language tools to diagnose language delay in linguistically diverse children. Our study investigated the incidence of language delay at 4 years in linguistically diverse very preterm children., Methods: Very preterm children born in South Western Sydney, Australia, between 2012 and 2016, were assessed with the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool-2 (CELF-P2) tool at 4 years of age. We sought to determine the incidence of language delay in this cohort using language scores from the CELF-P2 assessment tool, and explore potential predictors associated with language delay., Results: One hundred and sixty very preterm children attended the 4-year assessment out of the included 270 long-term survivors. At 4 years, 76 (52%) very preterm children had language delay diagnosed using the CELF-P2 assessment tool. Children who preferred a language other than English had lower average core language scores on the CELF-P2 assessment tool (75.1±14.4) compared with children that preferred English (86.5±17.9); p=0.002. Very preterm children growing up in households that preferenced a language other than English and those who were born from multiple births had higher odds of language delay at 4 years (AOR 10.30 (95% CI 2.82 to 38.28); p<0.001 and AOR 2.93 (95% CI 1.20 to 7.14); p=0.018, respectively). Assessing these children using an English language tool may have affected language scores at 4 years., Conclusions: In this metropolitan setting, very preterm children from linguistically diverse backgrounds were found to be vulnerable to language delays at 4 years. Further large-scale studies evaluating the language outcomes of linguistically diverse preterm children with more culturally appropriate tools are warranted. We question the utility of standardised English language tools to assess language outcomes of linguistically diverse populations., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None Declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: It is well-documented that children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) have a higher likelihood of experiencing anxiety, as well as other socio-emotional and behavioural (SEB) difficulties. Despite this, there is little consensus as to how these difficulties manifest. This study aims to understand the prevalence of broader SEB difficulties and anxiety, informing intervention development by understanding the relationships between them., Methods: A mixed-methods, case-control study was conducted. First, an online survey was completed by 107 parents of either children with DLD ("DLD sample"; n = 57) or typically developing children ("typical sample"; n = 50), aged 6-12 years old. Binary SEB statements informed by previous qualitative work (e.g. "my child requires routine/sameness"; "my child has frequent tantrums") provided an insight into the prevalence of SEB difficulties in both DLD and typical samples. Validated measures of anxiety, emotion regulation, intolerance of uncertainty, insistence on sameness, family stress and coping mechanisms were also collected. Correlation and mediation analyses were run using these validated measures to understand the manifestation of anxiety in children with DLD in more detail. Qualitative interviews were then carried out with a select panel of survey respondents (n = 4)., Results: The DLD sample scored significantly higher on all binary SEB statements than the typical sample: experiencing anxiety (80.7%, p < .05), requiring routine and sameness (75.4%, p < .001) and emotional dysregulation (75.4%; p < .001) were the most common difficulties reported for children with DLD. Using the validated scales, family stress and coping mechanisms were found to only correlate with the manifestation of anxiety in the typical group, not the DLD group. "Intolerance of uncertainty" and "insistence on sameness" were found to fully mediate the relationship between DLD diagnosis and symptoms of anxiety. Parent's interviews provided contextual support for the analysis, as well as highlighting sensory sensitivities as a focus for future research., Conclusions: Parents of children with DLD appear to cope well with their children's complex SEB needs. Intervention focussing on intolerance of uncertainty may help the management of difficulties with anxiety. Behaviours such as insistence on sameness should be investigated further, as potential indicators for anxiety amongst children with DLD., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is characterized by enduring low language abilities with a significant functional impact, in the absence of biomedical conditions in which language impairment is part of a complex of impairments. There is a lack of awareness of DLD even among healthcare professionals. Here we estimated the prevalence of DLD and its links to reading and learning difficulties and physical and mental health in the Danish Blood Donor Study (N = 46,547), where DLD-related information is based on questionnaires (self-report). We compared the questionnaire-derived DLD status with the relevant language-related diagnoses from hospital registers. We also investigated the genetic architecture of DLD in a subset of the cohort (N = 18,380). DLD was significantly associated with reading and learning difficulties and poorer mental and physical health. DLD prevalence was 3.36%-3.70% based on questionnaires, compared with 0.04% in hospital registers. Our genetic analyses identified one genome-wide significant locus, but not a significant heritability estimate. Our study shows that DLD has health-related implications that may last into adulthood, and that DLD may be undiagnosed in general healthcare. Furthermore, DLD is likely more genetically heterogeneous than narrower developmental language phenotypes. Our results emphasize the need to raise awareness of DLD and consider criteria for molecular studies of DLD to reduce case heterogeneity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors do not have competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Public awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is lower than other neurodevelopmental disorders, despite its high prevalence of 7.6%. This lower awareness means recruitment for DLD research studies is difficult. DLD is both underfunded and under-researched, resulting in relatively limited research investigating individuals with DLD. Engage with Developmental Language Disorder (E-DLD) is a response to these considerations. E-DLD is the first international participant database of those affected by DLD. Parents of children with DLD under 16 and young people and adults over 16 from anywhere in the world can sign up to be a part of the E-DLD., Aims: This paper aims to describe the families of children with DLD and adults with DLD in the database thus far., Methods & Procedures: E-DLD members sign up via our website, reporting demographic characteristics as part of this procedure. We request all E-DLD members subsequently fill in a yearly survey. The content of the yearly survey changes dependent on the age of the child, while the yearly survey for adults remains consistent. We measure a wide range of domains, such as speech and language therapy (SLT) support, school support, socialisation skills, and early developmental milestones for our youngest members, and health care support and mental well-being measurements for our adults. We also collect parent and self-reported reflections on strengths and challenges for the person with DLD using open-ended questions and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire., Outcomes & Results: The database currently consists of 196 parents of children with DLD and 20 individuals over the age of 16 with DLD or suspected DLD across a range of socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Our initial results confirm that E-DLD members meet the linguistic profile of DLD in relation to self- or parent-rated language difficulties. Both children and adults show increased rates of psychosocial difficulties compared to established norms, consistent with past research on clinical samples of people with DLD., Conclusions & Implications: The findings indicate that a participant database for DLD research is feasible and useful. The rates of emotional, behavioural and sleep difficulties among the child probands are higher than reported rates amongst typically developing children. Initial data indicate that adults with DLD have poorer well-being than their peers. The E-DLD is a useful collection of data on those affected by DLD and is a promising method for connecting people with DLD with academic researchers., What This Paper Adds: What is already known on this subject Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is characterised by expressive and/or receptive language difficulties in the absence of another biomedical condition that could explain these difficulties. It is critically under-researched and underfunded. As such, there is a lack of public awareness and difficulty recruiting sufficient sample sizes for DLD research studies. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Engage with Developmental Language Disorder (E-DLD) is the first international participant database of individuals with DLD. This paper provides a preliminary report on the profile of linguistic and psychosocial skills among the individuals on the database, adding to current understanding of DLD across age groups. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Our aim is that the E-DLD will provide much-needed facilitation of research into DLD. E-DLD will enable those with DLD and their families more readily to shape research agendas and to participate in studies that interest them. Families may be recruited into research that could directly translate to better clinical treatment of DLD. We also believe that the E-DLD yearly survey holds potential to provide key information on the development and longitudinal experience of children and adults with DLD., (© 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.)

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, occurring in about 3% to 7% of preschoolers, that can impair communication and negatively impact educational and social attainments, in spite of adequate neurological, cognitive, emotional, social development, and educational opportunities for language learning. Significant risk factors for DLD are male sex, familial history of early language delay, low parental education, and various perinatal factors. A strong sex effect with a higher prevalence of language delay and DLD in males than in females has been consistently reported. Neurobiological and environmental risk factors, interacting with each other, are probably responsible for the phenotypic expression of DLD. The aim of this brief review is to further the knowledge of the role of sex in early language delay and DLD by analyzing the evidence from four significant sources: epidemiological studies, studies on twins, family aggregation studies, and studies on sex chromosome trisomies. Data pertaining only to sex differences (biological and physiological characteristics of females and males) will be analyzed. Studies on family aggregations and twins confirm the role of genetic factors and of sex in determining language abilities and disabilities, but genes alone do not determine outcomes. Sex chromosome trisomies represent a unique example of the relationship between a genetic alteration and a language disorder. Clarification of how sex acts in determining DLD could provide new information on early risk factors and, thus, contribute to improve diagnosis and clinical management., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: Researchers estimate the prevalence of developmental language disorder (DLD) in 5-year-olds to be between 7% and 12%. Current identification systems in public schools typically favor referral identification formats over targeted or universal screenings. Public schools face unique challenges when assessing the value of screening measures for DLD that include real-world considerations such as administration, time, and resource constraints. This study used the positive predictive value (PPV) of the Redmond Sentence Recall (RSR) to assess its fidelity when administered by special education paraprofessionals. Our obtained PPV was compared across three areas: (a) previous studies that have utilized the RSR, (b) rates extrapolated from the participating school district's preexisting referral system from a previous study, and (c) expectations based on DLD prevalence., Method: Language screenings were conducted in two elementary schools using the RSR administered by school-based paraprofessionals trained on the screener protocol. One hundred sixty-four kindergarten students (age range: 5-6 years) were screened. Confirmatory testing was completed on all students who failed the screener., Results: Of the 164 students screened, 19 failed the RSR (11.5%), and 14 met criteria (8.5%) for DLD (PPV = .74). Our PPV was similar to previously published studies that utilized the RSR using research assistants and was higher than the PPV associated with teacher-based referrals from the participating school district., Conclusion: The RSR represents a potentially useful screener for identifying children at risk for previously unidentified language disorders in public schools., Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22044479.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2) for measuring social-pragmatic communication deficits and to ascertain their prevalence and functional impact in a community sample., Methods: We used parent and teacher responses to the CCC-2 to approximate inclusion (poor social-pragmatic skills) and exclusion (poor structural language skills or autistic symptomatology) criteria for social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD). We tested the prevalence of social-pragmatic deficits in a population-based sample of children (n = 386) aged 5-6 years old using CCC-2 algorithms. We also investigated the academic and behavioural profiles of children with broadly defined limitations in social-pragmatic competence on the CCC-2., Results: Regardless of the diagnostic algorithm used, the resulting prevalence rates for social-pragmatic deficits indicated that very few children had isolated social-communication difficulties (0-1.3%). However, a larger proportion of children (range: 6.1-10.5%) had social-pragmatic skills outside the expected range alongside structural language difficulties and/or autism spectrum symptoms, and this profile was associated with a range of adverse academic and behavioural outcomes., Conclusions: A considerable proportion of children in the early years of primary school has social-pragmatic deficits that interfere with behaviour and scholastic activity; however, these rarely occur in isolation. Exclusionary criteria that include structural language may lead to underidentification of individuals with social-pragmatic deficits that may benefit from tailored support and intervention., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.)

Background: Preschool language skills and language delay predict academic and socioemotional outcomes. Children from deprived environments are at a higher risk of language delay, and both minority ethnic and bilingual children can experience a gap in language skills at school entry. However, research that examines late talking (preschool language delay) in an ethnically diverse, bilingual, deprived environment at age 2 is scarce., Methods: Data from Born in Bradford's Better Start birth cohort were used to identify rates of late talking (≤10th percentile on the Oxford-Communicative Development Inventory: Short) in 2-year-old children within an ethnically diverse, predominantly bilingual, deprived UK region (N=712). The relations between known demographic, maternal, distal and proximal child risk factors, and language skills and language delay were tested using hierarchical linear and logistic regression., Results: A total of 24.86% of children were classified as late talkers. Maternal demographic factors (ethnicity, born in UK, education, financial security, employment, household size, age) predicted 3.12% of the variance in children's expressive vocabulary. Adding maternal language factors (maternal native language, home languages) and perinatal factors (birth weight, gestation) to the model predicted 3.76% of the variance. Adding distal child factors (child sex, child age) predicted 11.06%, and adding proximal child factors (receptive vocabulary, hearing concerns) predicted 49.51%. Significant risk factors for late talking were male sex (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.38 to 3.09), receptive vocabulary delay (OR 8.40, 95% CI 4.99 to 14.11) and parent-reported hearing concerns (OR 7.85, 95% CI 1.90 to 32.47). Protective factors were increased household size (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.95) and age (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.96)., Conclusions: Almost one in four children living in an ethnically diverse and deprived UK area have early language delay. Demographic factors explained little variance in early vocabulary, whereas proximal child factors held more predictive value. The results indicate further research on early language delay is warranted for vulnerable groups., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

This article reviews the current knowledge state on pragmatic and structural language abilities in autism and their potential relation to extralinguistic abilities and autistic traits. The focus is on questions regarding autism language profiles with varying degrees of (selective) impairment and with respect to potential comorbidity of autism and language impairment: Is language impairment in autism the co-occurrence of two distinct conditions (comorbidity), a consequence of autism itself (no comorbidity), or one possible combination from a series of neurodevelopmental properties (dimensional approach)? As for language profiles in autism, three main groups are identified, namely, (i) verbal autistic individuals without structural language impairment, (ii) verbal autistic individuals with structural language impairment, and (iii) minimally verbal autistic individuals. However, this tripartite distinction hides enormous linguistic heterogeneity. Regarding the nature of language impairment in autism, there is currently no model of how language difficulties may interact with autism characteristics and with various extralinguistic cognitive abilities. Building such a model requires carefully designed explorations that address specific aspects of language and extralinguistic cognition. This should lead to a fundamental increase in our understanding of language impairment in autism, thereby paving the way for a substantial contribution to the question of how to best characterize neurodevelopmental disorders., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Language impairment is comorbid in most children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but its neural basis is poorly understood. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the present study provides the whole-brain comparison of both volume- and surface-based characteristics between groups of children with and without ASD and investigates the relationships between these characteristics in language-related areas and the language abilities of children with ASD measured with standardized tools. A total of 36 school-aged children participated in the study: 18 children with ASD and 18 age- and sex-matched typically developing controls. The results revealed that multiple regions differed between groups of children in gray matter volume, gray matter thickness, gyrification, and cortical complexity (fractal dimension). White matter volume and sulcus depth did not differ between groups of children in any region. Importantly, gray matter thickness and gyrification of language-related areas were related to language functioning in children with ASD. Thus, the results of the present study shed some light on the structural brain abnormalities associated with language impairment in ASD., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Aim: This study sought to determine the prevalence of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in Australian school-aged children and associated potential risk factors for DLD at 10 years., Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design to estimate the prevalence of DLD in Generation 2 of the prospective Raine Study. Participants included 1626 children aged 10 years with available language data. Primary outcomes included variables matching diagnostic criteria for DLD. Associations of other potential prenatal and environmental variables were analysed as secondary outcomes., Results: The prevalence of DLD in this sample was 6.4% (n = 104) at 10 years. This sub-cohort comprised 33.7% (n = 35) with expressive language deficits, 20.2% (n = 21) with receptive language deficits, and 46.2% (n = 48) with receptive-expressive deficits. No significant difference in sex distribution was observed (52.9% male, p = 0.799). Children who were exposed to smoke in utero at 18 weeks gestation were at increased risk of DLD at 10 years (OR = 2.56, CI = 1.23-5.35, p = 0.012)., Conclusions: DLD is a relatively prevalent condition in Australian children, even when assessed in middle childhood years. These findings can inform future research priorities, and public health and educational policy which account for the associations with potential risk factors., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).)

Objective: To describe risk factors for speech and language delay in a diverse population of children with aural atresia., Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed from 2012 to 2020 at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital to identify children with aural atresia evaluated for speech, language, or auditory skills delays. Ninety-five children with aural atresia, conductive hearing loss, and assessment of speech, language, or auditory skills delay were included. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed to identify predictors of speech and language delay. Cohort and case-control analyses were performed to determine risk factors for delayed intervention, and for ultimate delays in speech, language, or auditory skills., Results: Children exhibited a wide diversity of race/ethnicity, primary home language, geography, and insurance status. Eighty-nine percent had unilateral aural atresia. Forty-eight percent had delays in speech, language, or auditory skills. Most children used hearing aids (84%), had educational accommodations (84%), and received speech therapy (63%). In a univariate retrospective cohort analysis, public-insured ( p = 0.004), non-English speaking ( p = 0.002) and non-white/non-Hispanic children ( p = 0.007) were found to be significantly less likely to be fit with hearing aids in infancy. Children with delays were fit with hearing aids at later ages. In a multivariate case-control analysis, primary home language was a significant predictor for presence of delays [OR, 3.9 (95% CI: 1.2-13.2), p = 0.03]., Conclusions: Disparities due to insurance type, primary language, and race/ethnicity are associated with delays in hearing aid fitting for children with aural atresia. Earlier, hearing amplification is correlated with reduced risk for speech, language, and auditory skills delay. These findings can help identify at-risk children for targeted support., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Language development disorders (in German: Sprachentwicklungsstörungen, SES) are the most common developmental disorders in childhood. In contrast to "secondary SES," "primary SES" (prevalence about 7%) are not (co-)caused by other developmental disorders or diseases. In the German modification of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10-GM-22), primary SES are referred to as "circumscribed developmental disorders of speech and language" (in German: USES; international previously known as Specific Language Impairment SLI), with an intelligence quotient (IQ) < 85 as an exclusion criterion, among other criteria. In ICD-11, primary SES are listed as "developmental language disorders" (DLD).German-speaking speech and language therapists would now like to replace the term "USES" with "DLD" using the diagnostic criteria proposed by the international CATALISE consortium (Criteria and Terminology Applied to Language Impairments Synthesizing the Evidence), in an effort to redefine the disorder. However, according to this conceptualization, only children with an intellectual disability (IQ < 70) would be excluded from the diagnosis. This change in the diagnostic criteria would most likely result in an increase in prevalence of DLDs. This makes the issue of early detection more important than ever. This discussion paper explains that the public health relevance of primary SES is growing and that systematic early detection examinations will play an even more important role. With early diagnosis and treatment, risks in the areas of mental health, behaviour and skill development can be mitigated.Currently, diagnosis (and therapy) are usually carried out relatively late. The way out could lie in the application of neurobiological parameters. However, this requires further studies that examine child cohorts for early indicators in a prospective longitudinal design. The formation of an early detection index from several indicators should also be considered., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Current research suggest that motor and language impairments are common and closely related in infants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In older children, less is known about how these impairments are related to each other., Aims: The current study explored the co-occurrence and potential impact of motor and language impairments in a sample of school-aged children evaluated for ASD by Norwegian specialist health services., Methods: Besides clinical evaluation for ASD, all participants (N = 20, mean age 10.7 (SD = 3.4) years) underwent a standardized test of motor performance (MABC-2), parent report measures of current motor (DCDQ'07), language (CCC-2), and social (SRS) skills, and a caregiver interview on everyday functioning, providing an overall impairment score (DD-CGAS)., Results: The majority (85%) had motor and/or structural language deficits in addition to their social impairment. All children identified with motor impairment on both measures (39%) also had structural language deficits. Better motor performance was strongly correlated with better structural language skills (r = .618, p = .006)., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that co-occurring motor and structural language deficits should be anticipated and assessed when evaluating children for ASD. These deficits may need specific interventions that complement those targeting social skills deficits and other ASD core symptoms., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Motor impairments are pervasive and persistent in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) throughout childhood and adolescence. Based on recent studies examining motor impairments in children with ASD between 5 and 15 years (i.e., SPARK study sample), 87-88% of this population is at-risk for a motor impairment, these problems persisted until 15 years, and related to their core (social communication skills and repetitive behaviors [RBs]) and comorbid (language, cognitive, and functional) impairments. Persistent motor impairments extending into adolescence/adulthood could negatively impact their independent daily living skills, physical fitness/activity levels, and physical/mental health. While multiple studies have examined relations between motor dimensions and core/comorbid impairments in young children with ASD, few studies have examined such relations in school-age children/adolescents with ASD. This paper conducts a further multidimensional study of which motor domains (i.e., gross-motor including visuo-motor or multilimb coordination/planning, fine motor [FM] or general coordination [GC] skills) best distinguish subgroups of school-age children/adolescents with ASD and help predict core and comorbid impairments after accounting for age and sex. Visuomotor, FM and certain GC skills were better at explaining variations in/predicting social communication impairments whereas FM skills were slightly better at explaining variations in/predicting RB severity. Multilimb coordination/planning and FM skills explained variations in/predicted cognitive delays whereas visuomotor and FM skills explained variations in and better predicted language delays. All three motor dimensions explained variations in/predicted functional delays. This study provides further evidence for inclusion of motor impairments within the ASD definition (criteria or specifiers). LAY SUMMARY: Gross-motor skills were related to social communication and functional delays of children with ASD (visuomotor skills related to language delays and multilimb coordination/planning skills related to cognitive delays). Fine-motor skills were related to repetitive behavior severity, language, cognitive, and functional delays in ASD. Diagnosticians should recommend systematic motor screening, further evaluations, and treatments for children at-risk for and diagnosed with ASD. Motor advocacy and enhanced public/clinical community awareness is needed to fulfill the unmet motor needs of children with ASD., (© 2022 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background/purpose: Having siblings is a crucial ecological factor in children's language development. Whether siblings play a role in the language development of children with developmental delays remains unknown. This study therefore aimed to assess the association between sibling presence and changes in language trajectories of children with developmental delays before reaching early school age., Methods: This retrospective cohort-sequential longitudinal study analyzed data from an institution designated by Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare for assessing and identifying young children with developmental delays between December 2008 and February 2016. We included 174 children, aged 10-58 months (mean [standard deviation (SD)], 31.74 [10.15] months), with developmental delays who underwent at least three waves of evaluation. The final evaluation occurred at 37-90 months of age. Data collection spanned over an age from 10 to 90 months. The primary outcome was language delays as determined by board-certified speech-language pathologists., Results: Of the 174 participants (131 boys), 64.94 % (n = 113) had siblings. The likelihood of both receptive language delay and expressive language delay for participants with siblings increased gradually from 10 to 90 months and exceeded that of participants without siblings, respectively (adjusted odds ratios [aOR], 1.04, 1.04; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.07, 1.01-1.07; P = 0.014, 0.020)., Conclusion: Having siblings does not necessarily positively associate with language development in children with developmental delays. Clinicians should consider the association of sibling presence with language development for these children in a broader familial-ecological context before they reach early school age., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article., (Copyright © 2021 Formosan Medical Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Convergent evidence associates exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with major human diseases, even at regulation-compliant concentrations. This might be because humans are exposed to EDC mixtures, whereas chemical regulation is based on a risk assessment of individual compounds. Here, we developed a mixture-centered risk assessment strategy that integrates epidemiological and experimental evidence. We identified that exposure to an EDC mixture in early pregnancy is associated with language delay in offspring. At human-relevant concentrations, this mixture disrupted hormone-regulated and disease-relevant regulatory networks in human brain organoids and in the model organisms Xenopus leavis and Danio rerio , as well as behavioral responses. Reinterrogating epidemiological data, we found that up to 54% of the children had prenatal exposures above experimentally derived levels of concern, reaching, for the upper decile compared with the lowest decile of exposure, a 3.3 times higher risk of language delay.

Aim: To explore family-reported neurodevelopmental functioning and quality of life in 6-year-olds who had screened positive for developmental language disorder at age 2.5 years., Methods: Parents of 85 6-year-old children completed questionnaires about child neurodevelopmental difficulties and quality of life. The children were interviewed regarding quality of life, and their language was assessed by speech and language pathologists. Test results at 6 years identified three subgroups: children with developmental language disorder (n = 68) or speech sound disorder (n = 6) and children with no current language disorder (n = 11)., Results: Out of the 68 children with developmental language disorder, 33 (48%) had significant parent-rated problems with language, executive functions 17 (25%), perception 15 (22%) and/or motor skills 15 (22%). Four (67%) of the children with speech sound disorder had significant problems with language. Significant problems were reported with language in five (45%) and with perception in four (36%) children with no current language disorder. The parents reported no impaired quality of life, whereas the children themselves reported impairment mainly with school functioning., Conclusions: Overlap between language difficulties and other neurodevelopmental problems was higher in 6-year-olds who had screened positive for developmental language disorder about 3 years earlier, than in the general population. The parent and child reports of quality of life were not consistent., (© 2021 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Studies suggest excessive screen time (use of smartphones, televisions, computers and/or video games) is linked to speech and language delay. This study explored the sociodemographic characteristics of children with speech delay in Kuantan, Malaysia, and the association of screen time with speech and other developmental delays., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between July and November 2019 at the child psychiatry and speech therapy clinics, at Kuantan Hospital, Pahang, Malaysia. Parents of children with speech delay aged <72 months provided information on their children's and their own screen times. Speech and other developmental skills were assessed using the Schedule of Growing Skills II with scores reported as developmental quotient (DQ) level., Results: The study included 91 children (67 boys, 24 girls) of whom 54.9% had primary speech delay and 45.1% had neurodevelopmental disorders; their mean age was 39.9 ± 11.52 months. The children's mean screen time was 2.26 ± 1.98 h daily, with 36.3% exceeding 2 h. Higher children's screen time was moderately correlated with higher parental screen time (r s = 0.479, P < 0.01). Household income was positively correlated with screen times of the children and the parents (r s = 0.243, P = 0.02 and r s = 0.390, p < 0.01, respectively). Parents who intended to reduce their children's screen time reported higher screen time in their children (t(89) = 2.322, P = 0.023). Children's age was positively correlated with the number of types of screen media (r s = 0.225, P = 0.032). The mean speech DQ was 54.76 ± 24.06%. Lower speech DQ was associated with lower DQs in other skills (P < 0.01). No significant correlation was shown between children's and parents' screen time with DQs of speech and other skills (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: The correlation between parent and child screen time provides an opportunity for possible intervention, where necessary. Larger studies are required to examine this correlation further., (© 2021 Japan Pediatric Society.)

Background: Studies from primarily English-speaking countries have shown that specific language impairments can lead to disadvantages in educational and professional development. Corresponding studies for Germany have not been published. This study surveys the educational and language outcomes of adolescents and young adults who were treated in an inpatient setting during childhood., Materials and Methods: A total of 193 young adults who had received inpatient treatment between 1998 and 2005 at the Department of Communication Disorders of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery (ENT) of the Mainz University Medical Center were assessed. The cohort was contacted by telephone and interviewed about aspects of their educational and language development using a specially developed questionnaire. It was possible to include 70 participants in the study., Results: Almost half (48.6%; n = 34) of the participants had attended a regular elementary school and 50% (n = 35) attended a special school with a focus on speech-language development (others: 1.4%, n = 1). Regarding school-leaving qualifications, 31.5% (n = 22) finished school with an Abitur/Fachabitur (high-school-level certificate), 33% (n = 23) with a Realschulabschluss (secondary school certificate), 30% (n = 21) with a Hauptschulabschluss (lower secondary certificate), and 4% (n = 3) with a special school certificate. Only one participant left school without a qualification. Of the interviewed participants, 71% (n = 50) do not feel any speech language limitations anymore., Conclusion: The results indicate a positive educational and language development of children with SLI after inpatient treatment in Germany. Over 90% of the participants finished school with a regular certification and most of them do not feel any speech and language limitations anymore., (© 2021. Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

49,XXXXY is a rare chromosomal variation characterized by deficits in motor, language, and cognitive domains. This study reports on the neurological function and dysmorphic features in the largest cohort to date. Seventy-two boys with 49,XXXXY were evaluated on a variety of domains including a neurological examination and neuromotor assessments including the Beery Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, Sixth Edition, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III), and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition. Results supported previous literature by describing high occurrences of truncal and extremity hypotonia, which significantly impacts on motor milestones and ambulation in this population. The boys presented with dysmorphic features including epicanthal folds, frontal bossing, and synophrys. Visual perception skills were mildly impaired and cranial nerves were typically intact, however capabilities in motor coordination and fine motor precision were greatly delayed, supporting deficits in refined and controlled hand movements versus widespread visual deficits. Preschool boys treated with testosterone replacement had significantly increased scores when compared to the untreated group on the BSID-III Psychomotor Development Index, further supporting previous research indicating that testosterone replacement may have a positive impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes in males with additional X chromosomes. Boys with 49,XXXXY may benefit from hormonal treatment in conjunction with early intervention services to address their significant motor deficits., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Language plays a major role in human behavior. For this reason, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in which linguistic ability is impaired could have a big impact on the individual's social interaction and general wellbeing. Such disorders tend to have a strong genetic component, but most past studies examined mostly the linguistic overlaps across these disorders; investigations into their genetic overlaps are limited. The aim of this study was to assess the potential genetic overlap between language impairment and broader behavioral disorders employing methods capturing both common and rare genetic variants., Methods: We employ polygenic risk scores (PRS) trained on specific language impairment (SLI) to evaluate genetic overlap across several disorders in a large case-cohort sample comprising ~13,000 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases, including cases of childhood autism and Asperger's syndrome, ~15,000 attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cases, ~3000 schizophrenia cases, and ~21,000 population controls. We also examine rare variants in SLI/language-related genes in a subset of the sample that was exome-sequenced using the SKAT-O method., Results: We find that there is little evidence for genetic overlap between SLI and ADHD, schizophrenia, and ASD, the latter being in line with results of linguistic analyses in past studies. However, we observe a small, significant genetic overlap between SLI and childhood autism specifically, which we do not observe for SLI and Asperger's syndrome. Moreover, we observe that childhood autism cases have significantly higher SLI-trained PRS compared to Asperger's syndrome cases; these results correspond well to the linguistic profiles of both disorders. Our rare variant analyses provide suggestive evidence of association for specific genes with ASD, childhood autism, and schizophrenia., Conclusions: Our study provides, for the first time, to our knowledge, genetic evidence for ASD subtypes based on risk variants for language impairment., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Turner syndrome (TS) is a genetic disorder associated with complete or partial absence of an X chromosome affecting approximately 1/2000 live female births. Available evidence suggests that, in the school-age years, girls with TS often require speech and language services; however, little is known about the language development of infants and toddlers., Method: This study (N = 31) explored the language profiles of 12- and 24-month-old girls with TS, as well as the percentage of girls who might be "at risk" for language delays. We also followed a subset of 12-month-old girls with TS to 24 months of age to determine the stability of the 12-month findings., Results: Although all mean scores were within the average range at both time points, results revealed a higher prevalence of 24-month-old girls with TS "at risk" for receptive language difficulties. In addition, expressive language skills significantly exceeded receptive language skills at both time points. We found 12-month-old girls to be "at risk" for social and symbolic difficulties based on clinical assessment; only symbolic difficulties were significant based on caregiver report. At 24 months, clinical assessment indicated greater use of speech sounds and words than normative expectations. Caregivers reported greater use of speech sounds, and also, greater use of gestures. Although some changes occurred over a 1-year time span (12 to 24 months), all mean test scores remained within the average range and the changes in the percentage of girls manifesting "at risk" status on either the PLS-4 or CSBS-DP were non-significant., Conclusions: Although within normal limits, receptive language skills were found to be significantly lower than expressive language skills at both ages. Social and symbolic communication skills also were in the average range, with both showing significant improvement from 12 to 24 months based on clinical assessment. Caregiver report found that use of gestures and production of speech sounds not only improved from 12 to 24 months, but also exceeded normative expectations. Findings suggest the presence of relatively intact speech and language abilities during the first 2 years of life, with perhaps some emergent concerns for receptive language development. Ongoing developmental surveillance will be important., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objective: To explore the language characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at different developmental levels. Methods: The clinical data of 103 children with ASD who attended the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2018 to December 2020 was analyzed retrospectively. They were divided into typical development and abnormal development (including mild and moderate or severe) groups based on developmental diagnostic scale results, and also devided into 2-3, 4-6, and 7-8 years of age groups based on age. The language characteristics of children with ASD at different developmental levels and different ages were compared by Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's exact probabilty test, t test, analysis of variance, or Kruskal-Wallis H test. The relationship between language ability and core symptoms of ASD was analyzed by Pearson correlation test. Results: Among 103 children with ASD, 86 were males and 17 were females, with an age of (5.5±1.5) years. A total of 61 children were charactered as typical development and 42 as abnormal (32 mild and 10 moderate or severe). There were no significant differences in developmental scale, overall language, receptive, expressive, syntax, and semantics scores among the three different age groups (all P >0.05). The detection rate of abnormal language ability in the typical development group was significantly lower than that in the abnormal development group (49.2% (30/61) vs. 100.0% (42/42), P <0.01). Receptive, expressive, semantics, and syntax scores of the typical development groups were significantly higher than those of the mildly and moderately or severely abnormal group (89±13 vs. 76±11 vs. 71±8, F =18.61, P <0.01; 80±12 vs. 66±8 vs. 58±7, F =29.69, P <0.01; 92±14 vs. 78±14 vs. 71±11, F =17.26, P <0.01; 83±10 vs. 71±8 vs. 64±5, F =29.35, P <0.01). Within the abnormal development group, there were no significant correlations between language ability and the core symptoms of ASD ( r =-0.02-0.58, all P >0.05). Within the typical development group, there were no significant correlations between language ability and social interaction, repetitive stereotypes, and limited interests ( r =0--0.22, all P >0.05). However, overall language, receptive, semantics, and expressive language abilities were negatively correlated with communication ( r =-0.28--0.36, all P <0.05), and there was no significant correlation between syntax and communication ( r =-0.24, P >0.05) in typical developmental group. Conclusions: The majority of children with ASD manifest language development disorders, mainly in the aspects of expressive and syntax language. Children with ASD with more delayed developmental level have more severe language disorder. About half children with ASD with normal development have language development disorders. The language ability of children with ASD is minimally correlated with ASD core symptoms.

Background: There is extremely limited population-based research on social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD). Population-based samples have the potential to better characterize the SCD phenotype by mitigating confounds and biases that are typical of convenience and clinical samples., Aims: The aims of this preliminary epidemiologic study were to advance our understanding of the SCD phenotype relative to developmental language disorder (DLD), obtain an estimate of prevalence, identify risk factors and lay the groundwork for future population level research of SCD., Methods & Procedures: We analysed existing data from the EpiSLI Database to examine social communication skills in 393 8th grade (13-14 years) children with and without a history of DLD. The primary measure used to evaluate SCD was the Children's Communication Checklist (CCC-2). Two case definitions of SCD reflecting DSM-5 criteria were examined. Both definitions involved significant pragmatic impairment, employing a commonly adopted clinical cut-point of 1.5 SD. In one case, pragmatic deficits could occur along with structural language deficits and, in the other case (established using principal component analysis), pragmatic and social skills were disproportionately lower than structural language abilities., Outcomes & Results: When using the first case definition, SCD was much more common in children with a history of DLD than without DLD and history of language disorder at kindergarten was a significant risk factor for SCD in adolescence. However, it is important to note that SCD could be found in children with no prior deficits in other aspects of language. When the second definition was employed, SCD was equally distributed across children with and without a history of DLD. Male sex was a significant risk factor using this case definition of SCD. The estimated prevalence of SCD ranged from 7% (SE = 1.5%) to 11% (SE = 1.7%), acknowledging that prevalence depends on the cut-point selected to determine communication disorder., Conclusions & Implications: These findings contribute to our understanding of the association between SCD and DLD by recognizing varying profiles of pragmatic and social communication difficulties, which in turn may help refine our diagnostic categories. Preliminary prevalence estimates of SCD can serve as an initial guidepost for identification and planning for intervention services for this condition., What This Paper Adds: What is already known on this subject There is considerable debate about the diagnostic category of SCD and its relation to other neurodevelopmental disorders. What this study adds to existing knowledge Using data from a US-based epidemiologic sample of DLD, this study offers new information about the association between SCD and DLD, provides preliminary estimates of SCD prevalence, and identifies risk factors for SCD. Clinical implications of this study Improved understanding of possible profiles of pragmatic and social communication deficits will help to clarify diagnostic categories and preliminary prevalence estimates may assist with ensuring availability of adequate intervention services., (© 2021 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.)

Introduction: Many patients with glioma experience surgery-related language impairment. This study developed a classification system to predict postoperative language prognosis., Methods: Sixty-eight patients were retrospectively reviewed. Based on their location, tumors were subtyped as follows: (I) inferior frontal lobe or precentral gyrus; (II) posterior central gyrus or supramarginal gyrus (above the lateral fissure level); (III) posterior region of the superior or middle temporal gyri or supramarginal gyrus (below the lateral fissure level); and (IV) insular lobe. The distance from the tumor to the superior longitudinal fasciculus/arcuate fasciculus was calculated. The recovery of language function was assessed using the Western Aphasia Battery before surgery, and a comprehensive language test was conducted on the day of surgery; 3, 7, and 14 days after surgery. Our follow-up information of was the comprehensive language test from telephone interviews in 3 months after surgery., Results: Thirty-three patients experienced transient language impairment within 1 week of surgery. Fourteen patients had permanent language impairment. Type II tumors, shorter distance from the tumor to the posterior superior longitudinal fasciculus/arcuate fasciculus, and isocitrate dehydrogenase mutations were risk factors for surgery-related language impairment. Regarding the presence or absence of permanent surgery-related language impairments, the cut-off distance between the tumor and posterior superior longitudinal fasciculus/arcuate fasciculus was 2.75 mm., Conclusions: According to our classification, patients with type II tumors had the worst language prognosis and longest recovery time. Our classification, based on tumor location, can reliably predict postoperative language status and may be used to guide tumor resection., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)