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Enhancing Syntactic Knowledge in School-Age Children With Developmental Language Disorder: The Promise of Syntactic Priming.

Enhancing Syntactic Knowledge in School-Age Children With Developmental Language Disorder: The Promise of Syntactic Priming.

Authors :
Montgomery, James W.
Gillam, Ronald B.
Plante, Elena
Source :
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology; Mar2024, Vol. 33 Issue 2, p580-597, 18p
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Purpose: We propose that implicit learning, including syntactic priming, has therapeutic promise to enhance the syntactic knowledge of children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Method: We review the chunk-based learning framework of syntactic learning, the developmental evidence in support of it, and the developmental literature on syntactic priming as an instance of chunk-based statistical learning. We use this framework to help understand the nature of the syntactic learning difficulties of children with DLD. We then briefly review the available explicit treatments for syntactic deficits and end by proposing an implicit training activity that integrates syntactic priming with the principles of statistical learning. Results: Statistically induced chunk-based learning is a powerful driver of syntactic learning, and syntactic priming is a form of this learning. Repeated priming episodes during everyday language interactions lead children to create abstract and global syntactic representations in long-term memory. We offer some thoughts on an implicit language intervention approach with syntactic priming at its center. Conclusions: Children's learning of syntactic structures is influenced by repeated syntactic priming experiences. Including a syntactic priming activity in our language intervention toolbox has the promise to enhance children's syntactic knowledge and sentence comprehension and production abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
10580360
Volume :
33
Issue :
2
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
175973981
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-23-00079