Language and Cognitive Processes in Developmental Disorders by Dorothy Bishop

Language and Cognitive Processes in Developmental Disorders by Dorothy Bishop

This Special Issue encompasses studies of a wide range of developmental disorders, including Specific Language Impairment (SLI), reading disability, Williams Syndrome, hearing impairment and autistic disorder. Chiat contributes a theoretical analysis of the underlying nature of Specific Language Impairment, questioning whether it is appropriate to focus on a narrow domain of linguistic functioning, such as morphosyntax, and suggesting instead that we need to see how children are able to carry out mapping operations between the domains of phonology, syntax and semantics. Three papers focus primarily on aspects of grammatical morphology: Van der Lely and Ullman consider past tense morphology in children with SLI and Thomas et al use similar tasks with children with Williams Syndrome, questioning the theoretical interpretation of deficits that has previously been made. Volterra et al remind us that a focus solely on English-speaking children can be misleading - they uncover intriguing grammatical deficits in Italian-speaking people with Williams Syndrome, and note how these contrast with the pattern found in deaf individuals learning oral language. Dockrell et al and Nation et al both consider a relatively underinvestigated topic - children's naming errors, examining evidence for phonological and semantic bases to word-finding difficulties in contrasting groups: children with SLI in the case of Dockrell et al, and those with reading disability in the case of Nation et al. Traditionally, SLI and autistic disorder have been regarded as quite separate, but this view is questioned by Kjelgaard and Tager-Flusberg, who note intriguing parallels between the linguistic deficits found in these two syndromes. Finally, Evans et al investigate the neglected topic of how gesture is integrated with speech in conveying information, noting that these modes of expression may diverge in children with SLI. Overall, the research reported in this Special Issue emphasises the importance of studying how language difficulties manifest in development, and show that there are many different routes to language acquisition, some more efficient than others.

"The book offers a unique opportunity for researchers and professionals delving into language difficulties in development to acquire an in-depth background into a wide range of developmental disordersIt provides a balanced selection of research both on traditional topics such as grammatical difficulties and novel approaches such as the interaction between gestures and speech. Additionally, it highlights how multifaceted language acquisition and development are and the need for extensive investigations that are not limited in one disorder, one linguistic modality or one language."

- Efstratia Papoutselou, NAPLIC

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781841699103
ISBN 10	1841699101
Title	Language and Cognitive Processes in Developmental Disorders
Author	Dorothy Bishop
Series	Special Issues Of Language And Cognitive Processes
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Taylor & Francis Ltd
Year published	2001-05-10
Number of pages	228
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.