SP25 PSYC 3350 Disorders of Language Pt 2 - Developmental

Question 1

What is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)?

Answer 1

Impairment in age-normed production or comprehension of language

DLD has a prevalence rate of 7% in children and is not due to low intelligence, hearing loss, or neurological damage.

Question 2

What are the common symptoms of DLD?

Answer 2

• Limited use of complex sentences
• Difficulty finding the right words
• Phonetic challenges
• Disorganized storytelling and writing
• Frequent grammatical and spelling errors

Symptoms can affect both expressive and receptive language.

Question 3

How does DLD differ from aphasia?

Answer 3

DLD is not caused by acquired brain damage like in aphasia

Aphasia is typically associated with injury or damage to the brain.

Question 4

What is a learning disability (LD)?

Answer 4

Specific to academic skills such as reading, writing, and math

Examples of LD include Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia.

Question 5

Does bilingualism affect the emergence of DLD?

Answer 5

No, bilingualism does not affect the emergence of DLD

DLD is an impairment in using language and is not specific to a particular language.

Question 6

What are the core symptoms related to in Developmental Language Disorders?

Answer 6

• Syntax
• Morphology
• Phonology

These symptoms are heterogenous but share common underlying issues.

Question 7

What are the three language trajectories in DLD?

Answer 7

• Early Start-up
• Rapid Growth
• Plateau

These trajectories describe the patterns of language development in children with DLD.

Question 8

Describe the Early Start-up period in DLD.

Answer 8

Children with DLD can be delayed by 1 or 2 years

For instance, preschoolers (~5 years old) may have language skills of ~3 year-olds.

Question 9

What characterizes the Rapid Growth period in DLD?

Answer 9

Rate of language development is similar in DLD

The slope or learning rates do not significantly differ from typical development.

Question 10

What happens during the Plateauing period in DLD?

Answer 10

Children with DLD do not ‘catch up’ in language skills

Their vocabulary development follows a similar pattern to typical development but remains behind.

Question 11

What are the core language cortical regions affected in DLD?

Answer 11

• Arcuate Fasciculus
• Wernicke’s Area
• Broca’s Area

These areas are critical for language comprehension and production.

Question 12

How is left-lateralization of language affected in DLD?

Answer 12

Reduced left-lateralization of Broca’s area in DLD

Controls show strong left-lateralization, while DLD participants may show stronger right-lateralization.

Question 13

Is the finding of lateralization differences in DLD reliable?

Answer 13

No, findings are not reliable; about half of studies show and do not show this

This illustrates the variability and complexity of research in this area.

Question 14

Is language procedural memory according to Ullman & Pierpont?

Answer 14

This is a question posed in their research

The discussion around whether language is procedural memory remains ongoing.

Question 15

What is the observed lateralization of Broca’s area in individuals with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)?

Answer 15

Stronger right-lateralization of Broca’s area

Controls show strong left-lateralization of Broca’s area

Question 16

What is the main hypothesis regarding the cause of DLD according to the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis?

Answer 16

Abnormalities in the procedural memory system, particularly the basal ganglia

PDH is a domain-general hypothesis

Question 17

What does domain-general refer to?

Answer 17

Cognitive processes that operate across multiple domains

Examples include attention and working memory

Question 18

What does domain-specific refer to?

Answer 18

Skills or processes specialized for a particular area of knowledge or behavior

Example includes face processing

Question 19

What is the role of procedural memory in language according to Ullman & Pierpont?

Answer 19

Supports rule-based actions like grammar

Especially evident in inflectional morphology

Question 20

What is a key task used to study procedural memory?

Answer 20

Mirror Drawing Task

Involves tracing an image by looking in a mirror

Question 21

What is the significance of reduced response time to sequences in individuals with DLD?

Answer 21

Represents procedural learning/memory

Task-related activation during sequential trials in basal ganglia supports this

Question 22

What percentage of recent studies showed atypical basal ganglia structure in individuals with DLD?

Answer 22

100%

According to a recent meta-analysis by Ullman et al., 2024

Question 23

Is autism classified as a language disorder?

Answer 23

No

Early DSM criteria included language deficits but autism itself is not solely a language disorder

Question 24

What are the three main deficits in the diagnostic criteria for autism?

Answer 24

1a. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity
* 1b. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors
* 1c. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships

Question 25

What is joint attention and its importance in language development?

Answer 25

Sharing gaze to a common object supports word learning ## Footnote It is one of the strongest predictors of language development in autism

Question 26

What is reduced in autism, affecting social interaction and language learning?

Answer 26

Social attention ## Footnote Sensitivity to gaze is also reduced

Question 27

What is the effect of reduced joint attention in autism on language learning?

Answer 27

Leads to poor object/word learning ## Footnote Example: understanding the word 'train'