IS01

Learning and Teaching about Grants and Scientific WritingSusan Ellis Weismer; University of Wisconsin-MadisonLisa Goffman; Purdue UniversityKarla McGregor; University of IowaElena Plante; University of ArizonaHolly Storkel; University of Kansas

This tutorial is intended for students and new investigators who are interested in learning how to secure grant funding for research and to improve scientific writing more broadly, as well as for those who are teaching and mentoring these skills. Five experienced child language disorders researchers/grantees from different universities (Iowa, Arizona, Kansas, Purdue, Wisconsin) will share their expertise on these topics. Following brief individual presentations, the panel of presenters will answer questions, providing multiple perspectives in response to questions. With regard to grant writing, topics will include identifying the appropriate funding mechanism and agency, outlining components of grants, demystifying the review process, and responding to reviews during resubmission. Scientific writing topics will focus on effective writing strategies associated with grants, technical reports, and manuscripts. Experts will provide tips on productivity and clarity in writing. Sample course syllabi will be shared, along with suggested texts and workbooks. SRCLD attendees with all levels of experience are encouraged to participate to exchange advice and best practices in writing of research proposals and publications. Funding for this presentation was provided by NIDCD/NICHD R13DC00167.

IS02

Language Research at NIH: Perspectives from NIDCD and NICHDJudith A. Cooper; NIDCD/NIHRuben P. Alvarez; NIDCD/NIH

NIH and the research community are facing a myriad of changes and challenges. It is critical for individuals seeking NIH funding to be current and knowledgeable, for the benefit of themselves and those they mentor. Researchers in child language ARE being funded and NIH maintains an ongoing commitment to supporting that research. This presentation will address topics of importance to new as well as more senior researchers. Discussion will include critical updates about NIH, NIDCD and NICHD; opportunities for beginning researchers; recent trends in language research; and where to go for help.

IS03

Genetic Contributions to Language, Reading, and ADHDShelley D. Smith; University of Nebraska Medical Center

Language Impairment (LI) and Reading Disability (RD) have distinct diagnostic criteria but may share some underlying liabilities, and children with early language problems are at increased risk for later reading problems. Both disorders show evidence of genetic influence, and several candidate genes have been described for each disorder individually, such as DCDC2 and KIAA0319 for RD and CMIP for LI, but subsequent

studies have shown that reading related abilities were associated with CMIP and language disabilities were associated with KIAA0319, suggesting that there are common etiologic factors. To tease apart these differences as well as commonalities, we have studied a panel of 19 candidate genes which have been associated with RD, LI, or another comorbid condition, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Families from three populations were studied: two ascertained with Language Impairment in collaboration with Dr. Mabel Rice at the University of Kansas, and a large population with Reading Disability and/or ADHD in collaboration with the Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center (Richard Olson, PI). All of the children had extensive phenotypic testing. The goals are to identify genes that affect each disorder separately, as well as genes associated with both disorders, and determine the abilities, or endophenotypes, associated with those genes. This should help define shared and unique deficits. The long-term goals of this line of research are to identify pathways of neuronal development that are shared by these disorders, and where they diverge. Understanding these conditions at a developmental level can lead to new ways of thinking about diagnosis and treatment.This research was funded by NIH:NIDCD R01DC001803 and NIH-NIDCD R01DC005226 to Mabel Rice and NIH-NICHD P50HD027802 to Richard Olson

IS04

How does the brain learn to read?James R. Booth; The University of Texas at Austin

Reading is fundamental to human society and the costs of illiteracy are enormous. In this lecture, I will discuss our attempts to uncover the mechanisms underlying the development of our amazing abilities to read. I will argue that general principles of brain development are key to reaching a deeper understanding in this field of inquiry. These principles suggest increases across development in (1) the specialization of brain regions for different computations and (2) the interaction between brain regions through enhanced connectivity. I will also review evidence suggesting that our growing knowledge of typical brain development is relevant for understanding why approximately 6% of children have reading disabilities. Finally, I will discuss our recent attempts at using brain imaging to predict subsequent gains in reading skill. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01 HD042049, R21 DC006149).

IS05

What Types of Linguistic Generalizations Persist Over Time?LouAnn Gerken; University of Arizona

Long-term generalization is a central goal of language intervention. What does infantartificial grammar learning contribute to understanding how to achieve this goal? Previous research from my lab and many others has demonstrated that infants who are typically developing generalize most linguistic rules with apparent ease. But does this generalization persist? And does determining what persists and what does not contribute

to our understanding of atypical learners? My talk will attempt to grapple with these questions, and it will consist of three parts. First I’ll provide an overview of different types of non-linguistic learning tasks that were described over half a century ago by Shepard, Hovland, and Jenkins (1961). These tasks include generalizing from input examples based on single features shared by all examples vs. family resemblance relations, as well as other bases. I will attempt to map different types of linguistic learning onto these Shepard et al. tasks. Next I’ll present work on infant linguistic rule learning. In this part, I’ll show how at least some infant learning appears to follow rational principles, is extremely rapid, but doesn’t appear to persist for even a few seconds. In contrast, other learning may occur via a different mechanism, takes somewhat longer, and appears to persist over time. Finally, I’ll suggest some new directions for infant artificial grammar learning research and how these directions may apply to the treatment of affected components of linguistic and non-linguistic processing in childhood language disorders.

SOP1-1

Neural Patterns Elicited by Syntactic Violations Uniquely Characterize Typical Development, SLI Recovery, and SLI Persistence

Eileen Haebig; Purdue UniversityLaurence Leonard; Purdue UniversityPatricia Deevy; Purdue UniversityJ. Bruce Tomblin; University of IowaChristine Weber; Purdue University

The trajectory of language impairments is important to study in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of this disorder. Therefore, this study examined behavioral and neural indices of sentence processing in adolescents with different language trajectories. Specifically, we compared accuracy performance and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) from adolescents who participated in a sentence processing task that included correctly agreeing verbs and violations of verb agreement (omission or commission of third person singular -s). Groups consisted of adolescents with normal language development (NL), adolescents with a history of language impairment (SLI-Recovered), and adolescents with persistent language impairment (SLI-Persistent). The NL and SLI-Recovered groups performed significantly better than the SLI-Persistent group. ERP data revealed that the SLI-Persistent group tended to have a smaller amplitude P600 elicited by verb-agreement violations, relative to the other groups. Additionally, each group had a unique neural pattern during the commission violation condition. Although behavioral data did not differentiate the NL and SLI-Recovered groups, ERPs suggest that adolescents in the SLI-Recovered group displayed less efficient neural processing of syntactic errors.Funding: P50 DC02746, T32 DC00030

SOP1-2

Gesture production in specific language impairment: It’s quality not quantity that matters

Charlotte Wray; Royal Holloway, University of LondonCourtenay Norbury; University College London

It is generally assumed that children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) use gesture to compensate for deficits in oral language competence. However, gesture is a complex task integrating social, cognitive and motor skills. Thus, the ability to use gesture effectively in populations in which these precursor skills may be compromised is uncertain. The present study investigated gesture use in children with SLI during imitated, elicited and spontaneous gesture production, relative to typically developing peers. The findings indicate that children with SLI gestured as frequently as peers, and in complex tasks produced more extending gestures to convey information they could not verbalise. Nevertheless, the gestures they produced in imitation and elicitation tasks were not as accurate as those of their peers. The results support the notion that gesture and language form a tightly linked communication system in which gesture deficits are seen alongside difficulties with spoken communication. This research suggests that the quality, not quantity of gestures will distinguish children with SLI from typical peers. This research is funded by the Wellcome Trust (WT094836AIA) and the Waterloo Foundation.

SOP1-3

Profiles of Memory Span: A Microanalysis of Span Elucidates Developmental Dyslexia With and Without Specific Language Impairment

Nelson Cowan; University of MissouriTiffany Hogan; MGH Institute of Health ProfessionsMary Alt; University of ArizonaSam Green; Arizona State UniversityKathryn Cabbage; MGH Institute of Health ProfessionsShara Brinkley; Arizona State UniversityShelley Gray; Arizona State University

Psychometric tests are useful for understanding developmental disorders, but their value can be greatly improved through close attention to how specific task demands affect well-defined subpopulations. We show that one can learn a great deal about working memory in children with dyslexia using simple memory span tasks, by varying participant characteristics, stimuli, procedures, and measures. The three participant groups included those with both dyslexia and specific language impairment (dyslexia+SLI), their peers with dyslexia only, and their peers with typical development. Three types of stimuli used for memory span tasks included spoken digits, spatial locations, and irregular shapes. For each type, memory test procedures included the traditional span task and running span, in which few mnemonic strategies can be used. Several complementary dependent measures were used (e.g., scoring that ignored or considered serial position information). These systematic combinations of conditions go far beyond previous studies. We show benefits of this tightly controlled subtest battery as a bridge between experimental and psychometric approaches and find language-specific factors in dyslexia along with

domain-general processing issues exacerbated by concomitant SLI. Funding: NIDCD-R01-DC010784

SOP2-1

The influence of low language proficiency and exposure to an additional language on executive functioning

Katie Whiteside; Royal Holloway, University of LondonDebbie Gooch; Royal Holloway, University of LondonCourtenay Norbury; Royal Holloway, University of London

While bilingualism is associated with executive functioning advantages and language impairment in monolingual children is associated with executive functioning deficits, little research has merged these lines of enquiry. This study explored the effects of language proficiency and bilingualism on executive functioning in 53 children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) and 53 monolingual peers who displayed either typical or low English language proficiency. Children completed measures of English language, selective attention, response inhibition, and verbal and visuospatial working memory during their second year of school in the UK (age 5-6). While children with EAL, regardless of language proficiency, displayed a response inhibition reaction time advantage relative to monolingual peers, no EAL advantages emerged on measures of selective attention or working memory. Low language proficiency was only associated with impaired response inhibition in monolingual children, and a similar trend was revealed for selective attention, highlighting that these measures may be particularly sensitive to language impairment rather than limited language experience. This research was supported by the Wellcome Trust (WT094836AIA) and a Crossland Scholarship awarded by Royal Holloway, University of London.

SOP2-2

Grammatical Morphology in Monolingual and Bilingual Children with and without Language Impairment: The Case of Dutch Plurals and Past Participles

Tessel Boerma; Utrecht UniversityFrank Wijnen; Utrecht UniversityElma Blom; Utrecht University

Grammatical morphology is a core deficit in children with Language Impairment (LI), but also often a locus of difficulty for bilingual children, complicating the diagnosis of LI in bilingual contexts. In contrast to previous research that mainly focused on tense and agreement markings on verbs, the present study investigated if and how plural and past participle formation could discriminate between monolingual and bilingual children with and without LI. Children were tested at two waves with a word formation task that elicited plural nouns and past participles. Results from the plural formation task showed overlapping language profiles of children with LI and bilingual children, both in terms of accuracy, error types as well as development over time. Past participle formation did not produce overlap between children with LI and bilingual children. Error analyses even showed that frequent omission of participial affixes may be indicative of LI, irrespective

of linguistic background. Past participle inflection may therefore contribute to a reliable diagnosis of LI in monolingual and bilingual learning contexts. This project was funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.

SOP2-3

Phonological transfer during word learning: Evidence from bilingual school-age Spanish-English-speaking children

Jessie Erikson; University of ArizonaMary Alt; University of ArizonaShelley Gray; Arizona State UniversityTiffany Hogan; MGH Institute of Health ProfessionsSamuel Green; Arizona State UniversityNelson Cowan; University of Missouri

Research on the phonological development of bilingual Spanish-English-speaking and monolingual English-speaking children has revealed that bilingual children may demonstrate differences in their English phonology during development due to transfer, or the application of rules from one language to the other (Fabiano-Smith & Goldstein, 2010). However, there is limited research on differences in phonological production for vocabulary acquired during the school-age years, particularly when most content is presented in English. We hypothesized that bilingual children would produce more errors on the consonants at the end of syllables (i.e., codas) legal in English only than those legal in both languages due to differences in the phonotactics of Spanish and English. We used data from an English-like nonword learning task to analyze differences in productions. Forty-three bilingual Spanish-English-speaking children ages 7-9 were matched with monolingual English-speaking peers for age, sex, mother's level of education, and Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation (GFTA-2) percentile scores. Results support the hypothesis, suggesting that phonological transfer may occur during the configuration state of word learning. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health NIDCD (R01 DC010784).

SOP3-1

Does developmental social pragmatic intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder influence parent language use?

Mary Ke Meng Wang; University of Western OntarioJanis Oram Cardy; University of Western OntarioDevin M Casenhiser; University of TennesseeStuart G Shanker; York UniversityAmanda Binns; University of Western Ontario

Parents and primary caregivers provide a key source of linguistic input early in the developmental process. The Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative Treatment (MEHRIT) is a developmental social pragmatic intervention that provides parents with training on supporting their child’s communication development. This study investigated whether MEHRIT training was associated with changes in parent language use following treatment. Preschool-aged children with ASD and their parents participated in a

randomized controlled trial. Fifteen minute parent-child interactions were videotaped pre-treatment and post-treatment, twelve months apart, and each parent utterance was assigned a code indicating its main function. Parents in the MEHRIT group outperformed the control group post-treatment in the use of skills taught by MEHRIT, using significantly more commenting and significantly fewer metalinguistic questions. Results of this study offer support for parent-implemented therapies, suggesting that parents have the potential to apply strategies obtained from coaching in the facilitation of communication with their children. This research was funded by: Harris Steel Foundation, Unicorn Foundation, Cure Autism Now, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Templeton Foundation

SOP3-2

A Multi-method Approach to Characterizing Pragmatic Development in Individuals with Down Syndrome

Michelle Lee; Northwestern UniversityLauren Bush; Northwestern UniversityGary Martin; St. John's UniversityMolly Losh; Northwestern University

This longitudinal study examined pragmatic language development and related abilities in boys and girls with Down Syndrome (DS), utilizing a multi-method design combining parent report, standardized assessment, and clinical ratings of semi-structured conversational interactions. Controlling for mental age, receptive and expressive vocabulary, and mean length of utterance (MLU), results indicated that across all time points, individuals with DS had greater difficulty than younger typically developing controls on parent-report and standardized measures; however, there were no differences on more detailed ratings of pragmatic violations during semi-naturalistic conversation. Individuals with DS demonstrated gradual improvements in pragmatic language but at a rate slower than controls. Analysis of the semi-naturalistic samples revealed considerable heterogeneity in patterns of change. Mental age, MLU, expressive and receptive vocabulary, theory of mind, and executive functioning correlated with pragmatic abilities, although these relationships varied by sampling context, highlighting the complex profile of skills underlying pragmatic development in DS. Funding for this study was provided by R01 HD038819, R01 HD044935, P30 HD03110.

SOP3-3

Quality of Syntactic Input is more Important than Depth of Dialect or Quantity of Talk in Predicting later Child Literacy Outcomes in Low-income African American Caregiver-Child Pairs

Evelyn Parker; Smith CollegeGabbi Zutrau; Smith CollegeMadeline Klein; Smith CollegeChristine Roh; Smith CollegeHope Wu; Smith CollegePeter de Villiers; Smith College

The language input from 38 low-income African American caregivers to their preschool children (mean age 4;6) was analyzed for its syntactic richness (using the IPSyn Sentence Structure Scale) and for the frequency of the caregivers’ use of distinctive features of AAE. Fifteen-minute conversational samples from caregiver-child pairs was collected in a free play situation. The syntactic richness of the caregivers’ language was unrelated to their use of AAE or MAE in their child-directed utterances. Regression analyses revealed that higher caregiver IPSyn scores from preschool conversations were significant independent predictors of better reading achievement in their children on the Woodcock-Johnson III at the end of first grade (at mean age 7;1), even when the children’s age, spoken language skills, and phonological awareness were controlled for. In contrast, caregivers’ depth of AAE dialect and number of utterances addressed to the child were not significant predictors of later reading skills. We conclude that the quality of the language input rather than amount of talk or mainstream dialect use is the critical contributor to later literacy development in low-income children (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015).Funding: NICHD Program Grant P01 HD048497

PS1F01

Prevalence of Literacy Impairments in Children with SLIKrystal Werfel; University of South CarolinaHannah Krimm; Vanderbilt University

Children with SLI are at greater risk for literacy impairment than children with typical language. The reported prevalence of specific types of literacy impairment within the population of children with SLI, however, varies widely across previous studies. Rarely has the prevalence of different types of literacy impairment been explored within a single group of children. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the distribution of different literacy impairments in children with SLI compared to that of children with typical language. Participants were 32 children with SLI and 40 children with typical language in grades 2 through 4. Participants completed a battery of language and literacy measures. Results suggest that the rate of literacy impairment in general is substantially higher in children with SLI than children with typical language. This difference appears to be driven largely by text-level deficits. Future research should continue to explore the nature of such literacy deficits in children with SLI. This study was funded by a Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship from the International Reading Association to the first author.

PS1F02

Assistive Technology Interventions for Adolescents and Adults with Learning Disabilities: An Evidence-Based Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Bogi Takács; Word Learning Laboratory, University of IowaKarla K. McGregor; Word Learning Laboratory, University of IowaKatherine R. Gordon; Word Learning Laboratory, University of Iowa

There are more and more assistive technology (AT) interventions for adolescents and adults with learning disabilities. But are these interventions effective? What is learners' lived experience with these supports?

Our study assessed the peer-reviewed literature, with no temporal or geographic restrictions. We included qualitative and survey-based research in addition to group-design and single-subject intervention studies. This let us go beyond the purview of the usual systematic review and comment on the social context of these interventions, and the experience of the people receiving them.

We found several AT interventions with at least some effectiveness testing: text-to-speech and speech-to-text systems, interventions based on word processing (e.g., spell and grammar checkers), multimedia and hypertext interventions, smart pen use and other computer-based solutions. We performed a quality assessment of the publications. Where there were sufficient amounts of comparable studies about one intervention, we conducted statistical meta-analyses. Effect sizes (Hedges' g) ranged from negligible to large.

This research was supported by the University of Iowa Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship awarded to Bogi Takács and by NIH grant R01DC011742-02 awarded to Karla K. McGregor.

PS1F03

Using percent grammatical utterances for differentiating children with and without language impairment from four to nine years: Evidence from a narrative task

Ling-Yu Guo; University at BuffaloPhyllis Schneider; University of AlbertaSarita Eisenberg; Montclair State University

This study examined the diagnostic accuracy of percent grammatical utterances for identifying children with language impairment (LI) between four and nine years. Participants were 377 children (300 with typical language, 77 with LI) between the ages of 4;0 and 9;11. A narrative sample was collected from each child. Percent grammatical utterances (i.e., PGU; number of grammatical utterances divided by total number of utterances) was computed for each child.At each age level, the TL group produced higher PGU than the LI group. The sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios (i.e., the indices for diagnostic accuracy) for PGU were all at the acceptable or preferred levels at each age level, except for nine-year-olds. Taken together, our prior and current studies show that PGU is a sensitive tool for identifying children with LI between three and eight years. There is no robust evidence to support the use of PGU for nine-year-olds despite the group difference in PGU between children with and without LI.

PS1F04

Typicality Effect in Spanish-English Bilingual Children with and without Language Impairment

Prarthana Shivabasappa; University of Texas at AustinElizabeth Peña; University of Texas at AustinLisa Bedore; University of Texas at Austin

The present study examines the typicality effect using a category generation task in Spanish – English bilingual children with and without Primary Language Impairment (PLI). 37 children with PLI, matched pairwise with 37 typically developing (TD) children in the age range 7 to 9.11 years generated items belonging to seven semantic categories (three taxonomic and four slot-filler) both in Spanish and English. Five items produced most frequently for each category by 29 adult Spanish-English bilingual participants were identified as typical items. The items generated by children were analyzed for the number of typical items produced out of five identified typical items in each category. Children with PLI produced fewer typical items than children with TD. Children generated more typical items in taxonomic condition than in slot-filler condition in Spanish. Because typicality plays a major role in the organization of semantic categories, the differences presented by children with PLI suggest deficits in their organization of lexical-semantic categories.

PS1F05

Leveled Books for Adults with Intellectual or Developmental DisabilitiesMeredith Saletta; University of IowaJennifer Winberg; University of Iowa

There is a dearth of appropriate reading materials for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Most existing materials either address issues relevant to younger audiences, or are overly complex at the word and sentence levels. In this study, we aimed to write books which are both accessible and enjoyable. We created leveled books manipulating three variables: (1) complex versus simple/repetitive syntax and vocabulary; (2) a single illustration accompanying a single line of text on the page, versus symbols which accompany each word; (3) the engagement of single versus multiple modalities. We measured participants’ reading and vocabulary levels, as well as their reading accuracy and comprehension as they read each leveled book. Preliminary data show that although participants' reading levels are similar, these readers demonstrate great variability in their responses to our text-level manipulations. This response variability indicates that these readers use a wide variety of strategies, and that there may not be one uniform text-level manipulation which facilitates reading for everyone. Funding sources: University of Iowa’s departmental funds (Communication Sciences and Disorders) and the Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates.

PS1F06

Individual Differences in the Acquisition of Complement ClausesMaura Curran; University of Iowa, DeLTA CenterAmanda Owen Van Horne; University of Iowa, DeLTA Center

Although it is well known that vocabulary and grammar are tightly tied early in the process of language acquisition, the relationship between vocabulary and later grammatical development is less clear. In general, specific vocabulary measures (e.g.,

verb vocabulary size) have predicted related grammatical measures (e.g., past tense over-regularization). Here, acquisition of a specific grammatical construction by at-risk children, complement clauses, was examined across a ten-week interval. We evaluated the relationship between gains in two different subtypes of complement clause production and initial individual differences in grammatical skill, (mean length of utterance, subordination index) receptive vocabulary (PPVT-III), and working memory (nonword repetition). Results suggest that global vocabulary scores serve as the most effective predictor of type of structure to show growth, with vocabulary uniquely predicting change in finite complement clauses. Subordination index combined with vocabulary scores predicted growth in nonfinite complement clauses. Children may require a critical mass of vocabulary prior to demonstrating growth on later-acquired syntactic structures. Funding: U of Iowa Communication Sciences and Disorders Department

PS1F07

Measuring morphological development in preschool-aged Spanish-speaking English Language Learners

Irina Potapova; San Diego State University & University of California, San DiegoPhilip Combiths; San Diego State University & University of CA, San DiegoSonja Pruitt-Lord; San Diego State University

Understanding morphological development in typically-developing English Language Learners (ELLs) will improve practices in identifying language disorders in multilingual populations. To that end, the present work considered three measures of emergence and productivity that have successfully captured morphological development in English monolingual children (Hadley & Short, 2005; Gladfelter & Leonard, 2013), and investigated their utility for preschool-aged Spanish-speaking ELLs. Data were generated from language samples collected at the beginning and end of the academic year. Transcripts were analyzed using traditional language sample measures (e.g., mean length of utterance) and the three novel measures. Results indicate that all three novel measures 1) captured significant growth in morpheme use over the course of an academic year, and 2) were positively associated with traditional language sample measures. These findings thus suggest that Hadley and Short’s (2005) measures provide useful information about morpheme use by preschool-aged ELLs. Further, these findings illuminate typical patterns of morpheme use in Spanish-speaking ELLs, contributing to a knowledge base necessary for evaluating language in diverse populations. Funding: NIH training grant [T32 DC007361], NIH NIDCD RO3 [DC012141], Price Charities research grant

PS1F08

Grammatical Movement Demonstrates a Stronger Effect than Length on Children’s Recall of Who-questions

Theresa Pfaff; University of UtahSean Redmond; University of Utah

Linguistic processing and grammatical knowledge deficits have been offered as explanatory mechanisms associated with specific language impairment (SLI). The purpose of this study was to test the relative merits of RDDR (van der Lely & Battell, 2003) and linguistic processing limitations (Deevy & Leonard, 2004) in explaining the errors children with SLI produce when they recall who-questions. Sentence recall tasks represent a particularly apt context by placing demands on both grammatical and processing/memory skills and yield data which can quantify further the effects of these two factors on children’s performance. Children with SLI and typically developing (TD) children matched on nonverbal IQ and age were asked to recall short and long subject and object who-questions. Key findings include: (1) children’s recall of who-questions was more affected by manipulations of syntax than by length, (2) performance on object who targets was exacerbated for children with SLI, and (3) children with SLI produced more auxiliary errors than TD children. Otherwise, the pattern of errors produced by both groups was very similar. These results are congruent with predictions based on the RDDR account. NIDCD R01DC011023 "Co-occurrence of Language and Attention Difficulties in Children".

PS1F09

Processing of code-switched sentences in noise by bilingual childrenHaliee Patel; University of Wisconsin-MadisonMegan Gross; University of Wisconsin-MadisonMargarita Kaushanskaya; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Concerns are often raised about exposing children to code-switching, a common bilingual behavior that involves the alternation of languages within a conversation. However, the effects of code-switching on auditory comprehension in children remain unclear. Previous work with typically-developing bilingual children identified speed but not comprehension costs associated with processing code-switched sentences. However, most previous studies that have examined the effects of code-switching on auditory processing did so in a quiet laboratory setting. Yet, these ideal listening conditions do not reflect the everyday demands faced by children in a noisy classroom. Therefore, in the current study, we examined whether bilingual children are challenged while processing code-switched sentences in the presence of noise. We tested 7-11 year old simultaneous Spanish-English and English-L1 sequential bilingual children using an auditory moving window paradigm in four conditions: English, Spanish, English-to-Spanish code-switching and Spanish-to-English code-switching. Preliminary findings suggest that listening to code-switched sentences in noise yields consequences for both processing speed and for offline comprehension, although the observed costs vary by the direction of the switch and by type of bilingualism. Funding: R01 DC011750, F31 DC013920

PS1F10

Receptive Language Deficits in Children with SLI

Trianna Oglivie; University of ArizonaMarja Liisa Mailend; University of ArizonaElena Plante; University of Arizona

This study was designed to examine the prevalence of receptive language deficits in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and the ability to identify these deficits via different receptive language tests. Three tests of receptive language were administered to 78 children, half with SLI. Seventy-two percent of children in the SLI group were identified as having receptive language deficits on at least two of the tests. Tests varied in their sensitivity to low SES status. These results suggest that receptive deficits may be much more prevalent in SLI than typically thought.

PS1F11

Concurrent and predictive relationships between executive functions, working memory, and literacy in young, at-risk English Language Learners

Maura Moyle; Marquette UniversityJohn Heilmann; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive processes that involve attentional control, planning, and working memory. Research suggests that EF skills predict reading achievement in school-age children. The current study examined relationships between EF and working memory (WM) measures in at-risk English Language Learners (ELLs). In addition, we investigated concurrent and predictive relationships between EF, WM and literacy skills. Participants included 22 low-income ELLs ages 5 to 9. A battery of assessments was administered at baseline and at follow-up. Results indicated no clear pattern of concurrent relationships between the EF and WM measures. While one measure of EF significantly predicted concurrent literacy scores, the strongest unique prediction of literacy was provided by the WM task. None of the cognitive measures were effective in predicting longer-term emergent literacy outcomes; however, one EF measure and the WM measure predicted which children would make literacy gains. In conclusion, results from EF, WM, and literacy assessments are quite fluid in young ELLs from at-risk backgrounds. These measures may not be “pure” assessments of each construct in this population. This research supported by Marquette University.

PS1F12

Does Narrative Fluency Differ Between Personal and Fictional Narratives?: A Study of School-age African American Children

Monique Mills; The Ohio State UniversityJennifer Lundine; The Ohio State UniversitySara Comer; The Ohio State UniversityCorrin Richels; Old Dominican University

Rationale: To determine whether fluency measures are sensitive to changes in the processing load required to generate two types of narratives and whether African

American children’s ability to generate fluent narratives was related to their language variation.Methods: 48 African American school-age children produced two narratives: a personal story elicited from a story prompt in addition to a fictional story elicited from a wordless book, Frog, Where Are You?. Phrase revisions within each narrative were used to measure fluency. The DELV-S determined children’s language variation status.Results: Significant differences in narrative fluency existed across narrative type, such that children produced a greater proportion of phrase revisions in fictional than in personal narratives. Language variation scores were not related to narrative fluency. Conclusions: Results are consistent with previous research indicating that fluency is compromised in narrative tasks that include visual stimuli, which may be cognitive taxing. Further, narrative fluency was unrelated to children’s language variation. This work was funded by a Social and Behavioral Sciences Small Grant from The Ohio State University.

PS1F13

Design & Validation of a Parent Report Measure of Bilingual Language Input to Toddlers

Christina Meyers; University of Colorado-BoulderThis study was designed to develop a parent survey of the amount of language input a young bilingual child receives in each language and to describe the relationship between parent report using a survey and an objective measure of language input. The Language Input Survey data provided by parents of Spanish-English bilingually-exposed toddlers was compared to a measure of approximate input in each language gathered through two day-long recordings using the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) digital recorder, automated analysis, and a sampling procedure. Spearman’s Rho was calculated to describe the level of agreement between the two sources of language input data for this sample (R = 0.7, p = 0.188), which was not significant for the group. Some parents were able to use the Language Input Survey to provide information that reliably reflected actual language input, but others were not. A notable finding was that the total amount of language input varied drastically, indicating the need to measure quantity in addition to relative input in children exposed to two languages. This work was supported by the ASH-Foundation (SRG).

PS1F14

Preschoolers with autism treat nonwords and mispronunciations differentlyTristan Mahr; University of WI-MadisonCourtney Venker; University of WI-MadisonElizabeth Premo; University of WI-MadisonSusan Ellis Weismer; University of WI-MadisonJenny Saffran; University of WI-MadisonJan Edwards; University of WI-Madison

While delays in word learning have been observed in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), little is known about phonological representations of words in children

with ASD. Typically developing (TD) preschoolers respond differently to nonwords and mispronunciations of familiar words; TD children are more likely to map nonwords to novel objects, compared to mispronunciations. We asked whether a similar pattern would hold in children with ASD. Using a looking-while-listening paradigm, we found that children with ASD looked to familiar objects when given a familiar word, looked to unfamiliar objects when given a nonword, and looked back and forth between the familiar and unfamiliar objects when given a mispronunciation. Further, they looked just as much to an unfamiliar object when given a nonword as they looked to a familiar object when given a correctly-produced familiar word, an indication that participants reliably mapped nonwords onto novel objects. This same pattern is observed in TD preschoolers, suggesting similarities between the phonological representations of children with ASD and their TD peers. Research funded by R01 DC012513, P30 HD003352, and UW Graduate School Grant #130416

PS1F15

Pupillometry reveals increased processing demands in children with specific language impairment during sentence comprehension

Jarrad Lum; Deakin UniversityThis study used pupillometry to investigate mental/attentional effort associated with sentence comprehension in children with specific language impairment (SLI; n = 18 per group; mean age 6-years) and their typically developing (TD) peers (n = 18 per group; mean age 6-years). Increases in pupil diameter of up to .5 mm correlate with mental or attentional effort. Children were presented with a sentence comprehension task comprising items designated as ‘easy’ or ‘hard’ which differed in syntactic complexity and length. Pupil diameter was recorded using an eye-tracker. Pupil diameter for the SLI group was larger than the TD groups for the easy items, but comparable on hard items. Within the TD group, pupil diameter was larger for the hard items compared to easy. This difference was not significant for the SLI group. In SLI, comprehension of short, syntactically simple sentences requires levels of mental effort observed in non-language impaired children when they are presented with relatively more complicated structures. This difference is speculated to arise from processing limitations previously identified in SLI. Funding Source: Central Research Grant Scheme (Grant #: 25178 ) awarded by Deakin University to Dr Jarrad Lum.

PS1F16

Auditory cortical maturation in children with SLI: comparing three analysis approaches

Elaine Kwok; Western UniversityEdwin Dovigi; Western UniversityLisa Archibald; Western UniversityJanis Oram Cardy; Western University

Immature cortical processing of sounds has been proposed to contribute to specific language impairment (SLI) but has been inconsistently supported by neurophysiologic findings. Variability in experimental design and heterogeneity in SLI samples have been highlighted as likely contributors to equivocal findings. Another contributor receiving little consideration in the literature to date is whether the choice of data analysis method has contributed to discrepancies across studies. We explored the ability of three auditory evoked potential (AEP) analysis methods (peak amplitude/latency, time-frequency, and global waveform resemblance) to characterize brain responses to sound in 33 children (n=12 with moderate-severe SLI, n=9 with mild SLI, n=12 with typical development). Results revealed that auditory immaturity in children with moderate-to-severe SLI was suggested by global waveform resemblance analysis but not by peak amplitude/latency or time-frequency analysis. Variability in analyses methods may be an important factor underlying inconsistent findings in the literature. This study was funded by The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

PS1F17

Why would we collaborate?: Interdisciplinary practices of speech language pathologists and school psychologists

Dan Koonce; The Chicago School of Professional PsychologyLexia Collins; The Chicago School of Professional PsychologyShante Shaw; The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Children and adolescents experience psychological and communication problems that interfere with their normal development, impede their day-to-day social relationships and academic performance, and hinder their overall well-being. Although the prevalence of speech and language disorders and emotional disorders varies significantly among school-aged children, speech language pathologists (SLPs) and school psychologists (SPs) share common professional practices and frameworks, including employment of hypothesis-testing models and conducting multi-disciplinary, multi-informant assessments. One concern is the dearth of literature reporting the collaborative efforts of SLPs and SPs in addressing the needs of children who demonstrate difficulties across the domains treated by these two professions. The current study adopted a survey methodology to examine the factors influencing the collaborative practices of school psychologists and speech language pathologists working co-jointly in school settings serving in districts within Illinois and Wisconsin. The responses from the SLPs and SPs were compared using one-way ANOVAs across areas of sharing assessment data and collaboration beliefs. The findings revealed statistically significant differences in the sharing of assessment data. The specific findings of the results will be presented in the poster.

PS1F18

The Effect of STS/VP on Single-Word Decoding of First GradersJeffrey Knox; St. Ambrose UniversityKrupke David; St. Ambrose University

See The Sound/Visual Phonics (STS/VP) is a gestural strategy, using hand shapes, to represent American English sounds. There is little information on its use with children in regular education classes.Forty-two children, twenty girls and twenty-two boys, were assigned to two first grade classrooms. One class (experimental group) was taught by a teacher familiar with the use of STS/VP as an adjunct to her literacy instruction. The other class (control group) was taught by a teacher who did not use STS/VP. Curriculum based probes, based on the spelling curriculum, were used to measure the ability of the two groups to acquire, maintain, and generalize single word decoding skills. Six probes, three acquisition, two maintenance, and one generalization probe, were administered to each child per spelling unit. Probes were administered from October, 2014 to May, 2015.Comparisons were made using mean and standard deviation values of first-try accuracy and second-try accuracy. Results were reported as grouped data. Tentative results indicated a trend for the children in the experimental group to have a higher mean accuracy rate than the children in the control group.

PS1F19

A New Task to Study Procedural Learning in PreschoolersMariam Kavakci; University of Texas at Dallas

This study investigated the PAL, a short, auditory word-based procedural learning task designed for preschool-age children. In the PAL, children use a touchscreen to respond to four blocks of a spoken four-word sequence for a total of 48 trials. In all but the third block a consistent sequence of the words (boy, shoe, tree, cow) was presented auditorily three times; in the third block, the words were presented pseudo-randomly. Accuracy and RT to touch the corresponding picture are recorded using E-Prime, with slowed reaction time (RT) in the third block taken as the index of procedural learning. Sixteen preschoolers (age 3;10 to 5;11; mean 4;7) participated in the four-minute task. Accuracy was high (89%) and RT increased significantly at the pseudo-random block (p < .001; d =1.45; 95% CI .96, 1.94). Fourteen of the sixteen children showed expected RT patterns. The PAL’s success in detecting a procedural learning effect with so few trials is encouraging for future studies of implicit learning mechanisms in even younger children, including those with disorders such as specific language impairment and speech sound disorders.

PS1F20

Artificial Grammar Learning in Preschoolers with and without SLILeah Kapa; University of ArizonaElena Plante; University of ArizonaRebecca Vance; University of Arizona

Preschoolers with and without SLI completed standardized cognitive and language measures, executive function tasks, and an artificial grammar learning paradigm. Participants were exposed to an aX grammar in which a was constant (e.g., poe) and X varied across 24 exemplars (e.g., zibkoe, jabsa) and were then tested on generalization of the language rules. Subsequently, participants learned a more complex, abX grammar in

which both a and b were constant (e.g., poe koo) and X varied across 24 exemplars. Children with and without SLI performed equally on the grammar learning tasks, but the skills that correlated with performance differed. In the SLI group, receptive vocabulary and cognitive shifting were negatively correlated with aX grammar performance, whereas short term verbal memory was negatively correlated with abX outcomes. Conversely, among the typical language group, there were positive correlations between short term verbal memory and aX grammar learning and cognitive shifting and abX learning. These findings suggest that although children with and without SLI achieve similar learning outcomes in the artificial grammar paradigm, the underlying skills involved in learning differ between the two groups. Research supported by NIDCD F32DC014188

PS1F21

The Ability of Children with ASD and SLI to Detect Grammatical ErrorsSusan Ellis Weismer; University of Wisconsin-MadisonMeghan Davidson; University of Wisconsin-MadisonHeidi Sindberg; University of Wisconsin-MadisonMargarita Kaushanskaya; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and specific language impairment (SLI) display deficits in morphosyntactic processing as well as deficits in working memory (WM). This study employed a real-time grammatical judgement (GJ) task incorporating early vs. late errors within sentences to explore two different explanations of grammatical processing: a) WM account and b) Wrap-up account. Ninety-five school-age children participated: 37 TD, 27 ASD, and 31 SLI children matched on age, nonverbal IQ, and SES. Two nonverbal measures of WM were also administered. There were no significant group differences in WM. On the GJ task, the TD group significantly outperformed the SLI (but not ASD) group in detecting grammatical errors. All groups displayed more sensitivity and faster RTs to late errors than early errors. These findings support the Wrap-up account which emphasizes contextual facilitation effects within sentences. Nevertheless, nonverbal WM significantly predicted morphosyntactic processing (sensitivity to errors and/or RTs), with the specific profile of associations differing across groups. Together, these results suggest contributions of both contextual facilitation and WM in grammatical processing. Funding sources: NIH R01DC011750, P30 HD003352.

PS1F22 WITHDRAWN

Language Measures Predict Non-Adjacent Dependency Learning in Cantonese-Speaking Children With a History of Specific Language Impairment

Lai-Sang Iao; Nottingham Trent UniversityLai Yan Ng; University of Hong KongMei Yin Wong; University of Hong KongOi Ting Lee; University of Hong Kong

This study investigated whether language proficiency explains later non-adjacent dependency learning in children with a history of Specific Language Impairment (SLI-H) and children with typical language development (TLD). Sixteen children with SLI-H and 16 children with TLD (mean age = 9 years 9 months; SD = 6.25) were tested with a non-adjacent dependency learning task. Previous data on various language measures, including vocabulary, grammar, textual comprehension and narrative retell, from the participants were probed as potential predictors of non-adjacent dependency learning. Results suggested that children with TLD discriminated between trained and untrained non-adjacent dependencies and generalized the trained non-adjacent dependencies to novel stimuli whereas children with SLI-H did not. Early language measures explained 49% of the variance in non-adjacent dependency learning and narrative retell was a significant predictor in children with SLI-H but not in children with TLD. These findings suggested that an atypical language profile may predict further difficulties in learning non-adjacent dependencies in children with SLI-H, highlighting the importance of early identification and intervention in protecting children with language impairment from further learning difficulties. University of Hong Kong.

PS1F23

A Comparison of tense errors produced by Chinese-English speaking first graders and those children from other language backgrounds on three grammatical measures

Kimberly Huang; St. John's UniversityPeggy Jacobson; St. John's UniversityYan Yu; St. John's University

Tense omission errors are considered to be clinical identifiers of speech language impairment (SLI). However, children who do not use tense in their first language may show prolonged acquisition for learning English tense morphology. Given the need for information regarding the profiles of typically developing Chinese-English (C-E) bilinguals, performance on three grammatical measures was compared in first grade children from Chinese (14) and Other linguistic backgrounds (38) including Spanish, Haitian Creole, and West Indian English. All participants were typically developing based on parent / teacher reports. We compared the number of tense omission errors (TOE) produced on a regular past tense elicitation task, the scaled score of the CELF-4 Sentence Recall (SR) subtest, and the number of different conjugated verbs (NDCV) produced during a narrative retell task. A multifactorial ANOVA revealed significantly lower scaled scores on the SR task, and a higher number of TOE on the elicited production task. No difference was obtained for the NDCV. The interpretation of English grammatical measures need to be modified when assessing Chinese-English bilinguals. Error patterns specific to C-E bilinguals will be discussed.

PS1F24

How much information is too much when introducing new verbs: Insights from typically-developing 3-year-olds

Angela Xiaoxue He; Boston UniversitySudha Arunachalam; Boston University

The linguistic contexts in which verbs appear provide useful information about their meanings. We examined how much information in the subject determiner phrase (DP) is most supportive for learning a novel verb downstream. A preferential-pointing task with typically-developing 3-year-olds showed the following: a) children successfully learned novel verbs presented with light subjects (e.g., ‘the girl was pilking’), but not with heavy subjects (e.g., ‘the nice tall girl was pilking’); and b) the difficulty with heavy subjects seems to come from the processing load imposed by the modified DP, rather than its pragmatic (over)informativeness. These results shed light on what constitutes an optimal linguistic context for verb learning. Young children, whose processing capacity is limited, may benefit more from shorter sentences. Funding: NIH K01 DC013306.

PS1F25

Narrative macrostructure and microstructure in Mandarin-speaking children with language impairment

Ying Hao; University of Texas at AustinLi Sheng; University of Texas at Austin & Shanghai Children’s Medical Center

Affiliated with the Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityYiwen Zhang; Shanghai Children’s Medical Center Affiliated with the Medical

School of Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityFan Jiang; Shanghai Children’s Medical Center Affiliated with the Medical

School of Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityLucy Xueman Liu; University of Texas at Dallas & Bethel Hearing and Speaking

Training CenterWendy Lee; University of Texas at Dallas & Bethel Hearing and Speaking

Training CenterJill de Villiers; Smith College & Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center

Narrative evaluation is informative in understanding language performance of children with Language Impairment (LI). Little is known about narrative skills in Mandarin-speaking children with LI. In this study, we addressed two questions: 1) what are the differences between Mandarin-speaking children with LI and their typically developing (TD) peers in the performance of macrostructure and microstructure? 2) How does story picture comprehension relate to performance on macrostructure and microstructure? Seventeen Mandarin-speaking children with LI (mean age 6;1) and 17 TD age matches told three stories depicted on three wordless picture series. Following each story, a question was asked to examine the understanding of pictures. A macrostructure assessment scale and a microstructure assessment scale were used to evaluate narrative production. The results showed that the LI group demonstrated less inclusion of important macrostructure elements and less frequent usage of some microstructure elements. Picture story comprehension was correlated with macrostructure but not microstructure scores. These findings have implications for the assessment and intervention of Mandarin-speaking children with LI.

Funding was provided by the China National Health and Family Planning Commission Project (201002006).

PS1F26

Morpho-Syntactic Error Correction in Swedish: Implications for Measuring Metalinguistic Skills

Anna Eva Hallin; New York UniversityMorpho-syntactic error correction tasks are often used as measures of metalinguistic awareness: success is assumed to depend on error detection and explicit application of grammatical rules. In this study, Swedish-speaking 10-year-olds (N=42) with a range of language abilities (CELF composite score 72-117, M=98) participated in error correction, error detection and ungrammatical repetition tasks. Accuracy of four target errors (plural, indefinite article omission, regular and irregular past tense) was analyzed using repeated measures ANCOVAs with CELF scores included as a covariate. Results showed an interaction that indicated that children with average/below average CELF scores were affected by error type to a greater extent than children with above average CELF scores. The indefinite article omission was associated with lower detection and repetition accuracy, even though correction accuracy was similar to the other target error types. The results challenge the notion of the error correction task as a blanket measure of explicit metalinguistic awareness, and will be related to characteristics of language impairment in Swedish and theories of metalinguistic awareness and development. This project was supported by the NYU Steinhardt Doctoral Dissertation Grant.

PS1F27

Children with Dyslexia and Concomitant Dyslexia and SLI Show Different Phonological Processing Deficits, but not Visual Recall Deficits, During Word Learning

Shelley Gray; Arizona State UniversityMary Alt; University of ArizonaTiffany Hogan; MGH Institute of Health ProfessionsShara Brinkley; Arizona State UniversityNora Schlesinger; Arizona State UniversitySamuel Green; Arizona State UniversityNelson Cowan; University of Missouri - Columbia

To test the hypothesis that specific language impairment may be associated with different phonological and visual processing deficits than dyslexia, we compared word learning in second-graders with dyslexia (n=82) and concomitant SLI and dyslexia (SLI+dyslexia; n=40) to peers with typical development (TD; n=167) by manipulating the phonemic characteristics of words, word length, similarity of visual referents, and referent location in a series of word learning experiments with nouns and verbs. Children learned names for cartoon monsters in five computer-based tasks. Naming and visual-feature recall were analyzed for each condition. Results suggest that children with dyslexia and SLI demonstrate overlapping, but also unique phonological processing deficits. Although both groups had difficulty with similar sounding words, only the SLI+dyslexia group had

difficulty with word length manipulations, suggesting a short-term phonological memory deficit. Further, only the SLI+dyslexia group showed a verb learning deficit. There were no between-group differences on the visual feature recall tasks, which will be discussed in relation to short-term visuospatial working memory demands. This work was funded by NIH NIDCD Grant R01 DC010784.

PS1F28

Phonological working memory and Vocabulary: A reexamination of the relationship between phonological working memory, vocabulary and lexical processing in children with and without SLI

Julia Evans; University of Texas, DallasJames Montgomery; Ohio UniversityRonald Gillam; Utah State University

The ability to repeat nonwords is linked to vocabulary in typical children; with the link being strongest during the early states of vocabulary acquisition. In children with SLI, nonword repetition is a key feature of the deficit, however with respect to the link to vocabulary, findings are equivocal. This study investigated the relationship between nonword repetition and receptive and expressive vocabulary knowledge in 117 children with SLI and 117 without, propensity matched on age, gender, income, and mother’s education. Children’s performance on a nonword repetition task was compared to receptive and expressive vocabulary. For typically developing children, nonword repetition ability was related to expressive vocabulary in older children (9;4 – 11;11) but not younger children (7;0 - 9;3). Nonword repetition ability was not related to either expressive or receptive vocabulary for either the younger (7;0 – 9;3) or older (9;4 – 11;11) children with SLI. These findings suggest that the link between nonword repetition and vocabulary is neither as straightforward nor transparent as originally hypothesized for either younger or older children with or without SLI. Supported by grant (R01 DC010883) from NIDCD.

PS1F29

Linking Eye Gaze and Language in Fragile X Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Laura Friedman; University of Wisconsin - MadisonAudra Sterling; University of Wisconsin - MadisonEmily Wagner; University of Wisconsin - MadisonKellie Willis; University of Wisconsin - MadisonSusen Schroeder; University of Wisconsin - Madison

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and idiopathic autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are both associated with pragmatic deficits, including eye gaze avoidance and perseverative language patterns. We coded eye gaze and perseverative language patterns of 10 boys with FXS and 10 boys with idiopathic ASD. Preliminary trends indicate that individuals with idiopathic ASD produce more eye gaze avoidance than individuals with FXS. Perseverative language data coding is ongoing and will be presented relative to eye gaze

data. This study will inform the relationship between eye gaze and perseverative language in FXS and ASD.This research was supported in part by grants R03 DC011616 (Sterling), and P30 HD03352 (Mailick), as well as start-up funds from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

PS1F30

Clinical Measurement Core: Supporting Applied Research through Centralized High-Quality Clinical Evaluation Services

Sara Robinson; Boys Town National Research HospitalSarah Al-Salim; Boys Town National Research HospitalBarb Peterson; Boys Town National Research HospitalMary Pat Moeller; Boys Town National Research Hospital

Boys Town National Research Hospital was supported by NIH to develop a Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), entitled the Center for Perception and Communication in Children. This grant provides support for junior faculty in the process of developing independent programs of research related to the central topics of perception and communication. Participating researchers are provided with a well-structured mentoring program and access to CORE programs within an integrated, collaborative research environment. This presentation focuses on one of the CORE support programs, the Clinical Measurement Core (CMC). The CMC comprises an interdisciplinary team of skilled, experienced clinicians, who provide advisement to lab directors and centralized administration of a wide range of clinical measures. Prior to the availability of the CMC, each of the laboratories would hire and train research assistants to collect needed clinical data. The centralized solution offers a higher level of quality control and expertise than this previous approach. Data tracking and sharing are managed through a centralized data repository. The CMC is designed to promote research efficiency and productivity. Project funded by: NIH-NIGMS 5 P20 GM109023-02

PS1F31

The role of speech production as it relates to phonological awareness development in preschool children.

Michelle Erskine; University of Wisconsin- MadisonPatrick Reidy; University of Wisconsin- MadisonBenjamin Munson; University of MinnesotaJan R. Edwards; University of Wisconsin- Madison

Because phonological awareness (PA) is one of the strongest predictors of later literacy, it is critical to determine what child-level factors contribute to PA development during the preschool years. While many studies have found that both speech perception and receptive vocabulary predict PA, few studies have discovered a role for speech production. Young children produce more variability in speech production than older children; we hypothesize that this increased variability may result in an observable effect of speech production on PA in younger children. Regression analysis was used to

evaluate whether measures of vocabulary, speech perception, and speech production at age 3 predicted PA at age 5. This study found that the relationship between speech perception (at age 3) and phonological awareness (at age 5) significantly decreased when a measure of speech production (at age3) was included in the model. These results suggest a complex relationship between lower-level phonological knowledge and phonological awareness. This research was supported by the NIDCD Grant R01-02932 to Jan Edwards, Mary E. Beckman, and Benjamin Munson and by NICHD Grant P30-HD03352 to the Waisman Center.

PS1F32

The Impact of Context on the Language Samples of Children with PLI or ASDHannah Julien; University of Minnesota, Twin CitiesLizbeth Finestack; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of sampling context on the language samples of children with PLI or ASD between the ages of 4 and 8 years. We compared language performance with and without the provision of a clinician model across two language sampling contexts (i.e., expository discourse and personal narrative). Primary variables of interest included TNU, MLUm, and average number of mazes per utterance. Results suggest group level differences in average number of mazes produced in some sampling conditions, but did not revel differences in linguistic productivity or complexity. The demands of different language sampling contexts may interact differently with the unique cognitive and behavioral profiles of children with PLI and ASD. Study supported by: NIH R03DC011365

PS1F33

Sensitivity to Morphosyntactic Information in DO questions in Children with Typical Language Development

Patricia Deevy; Purdue UniversityLaurence Leonard; Purdue University

This study tested typically-developing (TD) children’s processing of questions with fronted auxiliaries, a potential source in the input of children’s nonfinite sentences. For children with SLI, difficulty understanding restrictions placed by earlier-appearing forms (e.g., the inverted auxiliary) on the subject-verb sequence that follows (e.g., Does the bear dance?) could contribute to prolonged inconsistency in finiteness marking.In a previous study using the looking-while-listening paradigm, we found that preschoolers could use early-appearing finiteness information in their comprehension of auxiliary be questions. In this study, we tested auxiliary do. Pairs of drawings (e.g., one bear, two lambs) were accompanied by questions with or without an early-appearing finiteness cue to the target (e.g., Does the nice little bear dance?; See the nice little bear dance?). Proportion looking to the target was examined. Both groups showed sensitivity to the initial auxiliary, although the timing of this sensitivity differed. This study

indicated that auxiliary do sensitivity can be tested in comparison studies with children with SLI, but showed also that different auxiliaries will yield different sensitivity values.Support: Grant R21 DC013334 from NIDCD, NIH

PS1F34

With the touch of a screen: A new language assessment for children ages 3 through 5

Jill de Villiers; Smith CollegeAquiles Iglesias; U. DelawareRoberta Golinkoff; U. DelawareMary Wilson; Laureate Learning SystemsKathy Hirsh-Pasek; Temple UniversityRatna Nandakumar; U. DelawareAmy Pace; U. Washington, SeattleGiovanna Morini; U. DelawareKristina Strother-Garcia; U. DelawareNatalie Brezack; U. Delaware

The validity and reliability of a new touchscreen-based language comprehension screener are reported. Stimuli are presented and narrated on a computer and scoring is automatic in a 15 minute test that can be given by teachers. Final versions tested on over 1000 3-6- yr-old children across the US, are in English (48 items) and Spanish-English bilingual (45 items in each language), comprising scales of Vocabulary Product, Grammar Product, and Process. Rasch analysis demonstrated that the tests and their subcomponents have high internal consistency. Convergent validity is reported by comparing performance on existing tests: the PLS-5 and the PPVT in English, and the PLS and BESOS in Spanish and English for the bilingual children, revealing strong intercorrelations. Taking the Best Score on the bilingual tests is well correlated with a Best Score taken from the Spanish-English PLS. Test-retest reliability results confirm that the tests are quite stable over time. A small study compared 16 children who are already receiving services for language delay with 213 neurotypically developing children on the English monolingual test, with promising results.Funding source: IES

PS1F35

The Development and Validation of the Grammaticality for Language Impairment Identification Scale

Anny Castilla-Earls; University of HoustonKatrina Fulcher-Rood; Fredonia State University of New YorkEmily Donals; Fredonia State University of New YorkMarissa Michalski; Fredonia State University of New YorkSarah De Cock; Fredonia State University of New York

This study examines the utility of the Grammaticality for Language Impairment Identification (Glii) Scale. The goal of this scale is to provide an online rating of grammaticality and sentence length of a pre-recorded story retell. This study included 100 early school-aged monolingual English-speaking children between the ages of 4 and 6 years of age. The grammaticality and sentence length scores from the Glii were correlated with MLU in words and percentage of grammatical utterances derived from language sample analysis. The results of this study show high correlations between the Glii scores and language sample measures for grammaticality (above .70) and sentence length (above .88). It takes approximately 10 minutes on average to complete the Glii scale. The Glii has the potential to be a feasible tool for speech-language pathologists to use in clinical practice. This project was partially funded by the NIDCD 1R15DC013670-01A1.

PS1F36

Jump Start Vocabulary: Teaching Shape Bias to Increase Expressive VocabularyTim Brackenbury; Bowling Green State UniversityHannah Niese; Bowling Green State University

Shape bias is a lexical principle that suggests shape is the primary feature by which concrete noun labels apply to other objects. It helps children generalize the labels of newly encountered words to other referents. Shape bias typically develops around two-years of age and has been linked with increases in expressive vocabulary. Smith, Jones, Landau, Gershkoff-Stowe, and Samualson (2002), for example, found significant increases in 17-month-olds’ noun vocabularies following an intervention that taught shape bias. The present study applied the same intervention to two-year-olds with low expressive vocabularies. The four participants were exposed to novel objects, associated nonsense spoken labels, and objects that did and did not match their shape. Pre- and post-treatment expressive vocabularies were measured through the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory. The children increased their expressive vocabularies by 18 to 61 words, with the majority of increases being nouns. These results suggest that vocabulary can be improved by teaching this developmental skill, as opposed to targeting specific words. This research was funded by the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Bowling Green State University.

PS2F01

Establishing the Validity of a Kindergarten Language Screening MeasureRachael Smyth; University of Western OntarioJanis Oram Cardy; University of Western OntarioChristine Stager; Thames Valley District School BoardMonica DaSilva; University of Western OntarioLisa Archibald; University of Western Ontario

The high variation in the language, literacy and numeracy abilities of kindergarten children can make it difficult for educators to identify those at risk for later learning difficulties. One promising method for providing educators with information on students’

strengths and weaknesses is the use of a comprehensive screening battery. This study aimed to validate language screening measures from a kindergarten screening battery. The language screening measures included a vocabulary task and a sentence recall task. Results showed a high level of agreement between the screening measures and the gold standard tests. Difference scores and diagnostic accuracy estimates suggested that while the vocabulary screening measure may not be sensitive enough to capture smaller differences in children’s vocabulary ability, the sentence recall screening measure appeared to be a valid task for estimating language ability and, potentially, for identifying children at risk for language impairment.Funding: NSERC 371201-2009 and NSERC 418406-2012

PS2F02

Spoken Sentence Comprehension in Children with SLIJames Montgomery; Ohio UniversityRonald Gillam; Utah State UniversityJulia Evans; University of Texas-Dallas

This study examined the comprehension of canonical (subject-verb-object [SVO], subject relative [SR]) and noncanonical (passive, object relative[OR]) sentences in 117 children with SLI and 117 typically developing (TD) children (7-11 years) propensity matched on age, gender, mother education, and family income. Children listened to semantically implausible sentences and selected the agent of the sentence immediately after the sentence. Focusing on semantically implausible sentences allowed us to illuminate children’s syntactic processing abilities. The SLI group performed more poorly on all four types of sentences than the TD group. Both groups showed the same comprehension pattern: SVO= SR > Passive = OR. The TD group showed developmental improvement across all sentence types. The SLI group, by contrast, showed age-related improvement only for SVO and SR comprehension, not for passives and ORs. Overall, children with SLI demonstrate marked syntactic comprehension limitations through age 11, and no age-related improvement in noncanonical sentence comprehension between 7 and 11 years of age.

PS2F03

Comparison of Language Skills in Speakers of Nonmainstream American English on Two Standardized Measures.

Elizabeth Eernisse; Cardinal Stritch UniversityHeather Pauly; Cardinal Stritch University

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between a comprehensive language measure designed for Nonmainstream American English (NMAE) users (the DELV-NR) and a comprehensive language measure that was not developed for NMAE users, but can be adjusted for such purposes (CELF-P2). Understanding the relationship between these two assessments as well as adjusted and unadjusted scores will clarify the importance of score adjustment in the clinical evaluation of language skills. Participants were 36 typically-developing speakers of NMAE enrolled in an urban 4-K and 5-K

program. Correlational analyses suggest a weak, yet significant relationship between performance on the CELF-P2 Core Language and DELV-NR Total Language. Further statistical analysis showed a moderate, significant relationship between performance on the CELF-P2 Language Structure and DELV-NR Total Language subsets, with scores adjusted for dialect on the CELF-P2 Language Structure subset. No relationship was found between the DELV-NR Syntax Domain and the CELF-P2 Language Structure subset. These results support further investigation of the use of standardized measures with NMAE users. Funded by Cardinal Stritch University Faculty Development Grants to both authors.

PS2F04

Three possible modality differences betweens signed and spoken echolaliaFrances Cooley; The University of Texas at AustinAaron Shield; Miami UniversityRichard Meier; The University of Texas at Austin

In this study, we were interested in whether or not modality has an impact on echolalia in deaf children with autism. We had a cohort of 19 native signing deaf children with clinical diagnoses of autism, 7 of whom demonstrated manual echolalia. Our data comes from various tasks and assessments that were conducted in ASL with the children, including the ADOS-2, which was used to verify ASD diagnosis. We propose three possible modality differences:Cylicity: this refers to an increase of movement repetitions as compared to the input sign. This characteristic is unique to signed echolalia compared to spoken echolaliaDirectionality: this refers to a difference in person agreement within directional verbs. We propose that directional signs can be echoed as either pure echoes (where person still agrees, eg. YOU-COPY-ME echoed as YOU-COPY-ME) or mitigated echoes, where person agreement changes (eg. YOU-COPY-ME echoed as I-COPY-YOU)Timing: this refers to a temporal overlap of echoed sign and input sign, not see in spoken echolalia

PS2F05

Contributions of Morphological Knowledge and Vocabulary to Reading Comprehension

Jacob Feldman; Vanderbilt University School of MedicineC. Melanie Schuele; Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Vocabulary and morphological knowledge contribute to reading comprehension proficiency. The purpose of this study was to explore the shared and unique influences of morphological knowledge, as measured by the Test of Morphological Structure (TMS; Carlisle, 2000), and vocabulary knowledge, as measured by the PPVT-4 and EOWPVT-4, on reading comprehension. Fifty-two third graders completed the TMS and measures of vocabulary knowledge (EOWPVT-4, PPVT-4, WORD-2), reading comprehension (WRMT-III), and word identification (WRMT-III).

Multiple regression analyses were completed to examine the variance in reading comprehension after controlling for participants’ age and word identification abilities. The shared influence of morphological knowledge and vocabulary accounted for the largest portion of the variance in reading comprehension. The unique contribution of the morphological knowledge was greater than the unique contribution of vocabulary. Morphological knowledge and vocabulary knowledge jointly accounted for a moderate proportion of the variance in reading comprehension, whereas morphological knowledge uniquely accounted for more of the variance in reading comprehension than vocabulary knowledge.This study was supported by Preparation of Leadership Personnel grants from the US Department of Education (H325D080075, H325D140087; PI: Schuele).

PS2F06

Structural Differences of the Reading Network in Adults with DyslexiaNatalie S Dailey; University of ArizonaDianne Patterson; University of ArizonaElena Plante; University of Arizona

Developmental dyslexia is a prevalent disorder characterized by impaired phonological processing in the absence of frank neurological infarcts or intellectual deficits (Shaywitz, 1998). This study aims to identify structural differences in gray matter regions and connecting white matter pathways within the reading network for adults with developmental dyslexia. A novel technique, bidirectional iterative parcellation (BIP) (Patterson et al., 2014) was applied to identify relevant white matter tracts and gray matter regions. Preliminary data on 12 native English speakers, including six with developmental dyslexia and six age and gender matched peers, participated in the experiment. Diffusion weighted images were obtained and the arcuate fasciculus was targeted as a prominent pathway in the reading network. The endpoints of the arcuate fasciculus included the inferior frontal gyrus and the temporal parietal region. Gray matter volume of the inferior fontal gyrus was significantly larger on the left and smaller on the right in adults with dyslexia. These findings provide insight into the neural network relied upon for reading in adults with dyslexia. This work was supported by a grant from NIDCD 1R01DC011276.

PS2F07

How school-based speech language pathologists arrive at diagnostic decisions: Results discovered through a think aloud protocol

Katrina Fulcher-Rood; Fredonia State University of New YorkAnny Castilla-Earls; University of HoustonMarissa Tomczak; Fredonia State University of New YorkKearstin Derrenbacher; Fredonia State University of New York

This study examined the language diagnostic decisions of 14 school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). SLPs were asked to examine assessment data for five case studies. The five cases represented the following combinations of formal and informal language data: a) within normal limits (WNL) for both formal and informal, b) below

normal limits (BNL) for both formal and informal, c) WNL for informal but BNL for formal, d) BNL for informal but WNL for formal, and e) borderline results for both formal and informal. As the SLPs examined the assessment information, they were asked to say what they were thinking (think aloud) regarding the data. After reviewing the assessment data, the SLPs determined a diagnosis for each case study. The results of this study showed that the SLPs agreed on a diagnosis when both formal and informal assessment data were WNL or BNL. However, when the results of formal and informal testing differed, the SLPs used the formal language data (standardized test) to guide their decisions. The results of this study suggest that SLPs rely on standardized testing when making diagnostic decisions.

PS2F08

A Comparison of the Use of Linguistic Mazes by Children with ASD or ADHDKatherine Bangert; University of Minnesota, Twin CitiesLizbeth Finestack; University of Minnesota, Twin CitiesSomer Bishop; University of California-San Francisco

Children with language impairment often produce elevated rates of linguistic mazes (i.e., filled pauses, repetitions, revisions) in their expressive language. In this study, we compared maze use by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during narrative and conversational portions of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Twenty-four children with a diagnosis of ASD (n = 8) or ADHD (n = 16) aged 5 through 12 years participated in the study. We found a significant difference between ADOS contexts with more filled pauses in the conversation context than the narrative context. Additionally, MLUm was greater in the narrative ADOS context than the conversation context. It is important to note that this effect was only significant for the ADHD group when examined by group. Other investigators have suggested that filled pauses could be a pragmatic indicator that a speaker has not finished with their message. Thus, children with ADHD may be more aware of the pragmatic need to “hold the floor.” Study supported by a Grant-in-Aid Award from the University of Minnesota and R01HD065277-01 from NIH.

PS2F09

An At-Home Enrichment with Late Talking and Typically Developing ChildrenLauren Goode; University of Colorado BoulderEliana Colunga; University of Colorado Boulder

Smith and colleagues (2002) showed that after 9 weekly visits to the lab in which 17- month-old children repeatedly played with and heard names for members of unfamiliar object categories organized by shape, children generalized novel nouns by shape. These children showed a dramatic increase in acquisition of new object names outside of the laboratory during the course of the study. The present study attempted to influence children’s vocabularies with an at home enrichment by giving them themed boxes of toys and books about vehicles (organized by shape) and foods (organized by material and shape). The question is, will minimally altering children’s home environments change

children’s vocabulary composition and word learning? Altogether these results show that it is possible to shift children’s vocabulary by minimally changing their environment. However, the effects of this shift on subsequent word learning may depend on initial vocabulary size of percentile.This work was funded by NICHD grant R01 HD067315 to Eliana Colunga.

PS2F10

Evidence of Distributional Learning Ability by College Students with Language Impairment

Jessica Hall; University of Iowa Amanda Owen Van Horne; University of IowaKarla McGregor; University of Iowa,Thomas Farmer; University of Iowa

Individuals with language impairment (LI) have shown difficulty learning linear-type information in statistical learning experiments, but less is known about their ability to learn non-linear information, like a word’s distribution, for example. Distributional information can be useful in language acquisition for forming grammatical categories. In this study, we aim to determine the extent to which individuals with LI differ from individuals with no diagnosis (ND) in using distributional information. We adapted an artificial grammar learning task from Reeder, Newport, and Aslin (2013) to test whether college students with LI showed similar category formation to adults with ND in a novel linguistic context. Following a brief exposure to the artificial language, participants judged whether novel sentences were consistent with the grammar of the language, a task that requires the formation of categories for success. Both groups’ performance suggested robust category formation. A linear mixed effects model revealed no significant differences between groups. Similar performance across groups may be associated with task or population-related particularities of this study. Research was supported by NIDCD of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01DC011742.

PS2F11

Bilingual preschoolers: First language loss and longitudinal shift of grammaticalityLindsey Hiebert; University of Texas at DallasRaúl Rojas; University of Texas at DallasSvenja Gusewski; University of Texas at Dallas

Rationale: This longitudinal project mapped dual language development in a sample of primarily sequential bilingual (Spanish-English) children enrolled in an English immersion school, with a specific focus in detecting whether the children experienced first language loss (L1 loss) over time. Spanish-English bilingual children represent an increasing proportion of the school-age population; however, research on this population is relatively limited. This study advances the L1 loss evidence base with the addition of longitudinal observation of typically developing bilingual children in the context of an English immersion academic setting.

Methods: Narrative retell language samples from 37 bilingual preschoolers were collected in Spanish and English over three consecutive semesters. Participants listened to and retold the same story using wordless picture storybooks. The language samples were coded for proportion of grammatical utterances.Results: Analysis of paired sample t-tests and effect sizes showed a statistically significant decline of Spanish grammaticality, and an increase of English grammaticality across three semesters.Conclusions: These findings indicated that bilingual preschoolers demonstrated an overall loss of Spanish grammaticality, while attending an English immersion school.Funding sources: UT Dallas

PS2F12

Phonological Awareness Skills at the Onset of Preschool as Predictors of Vocabulary by Mid-Year

Courtney Karasinski; Grand Valley State UniversityJanine Schmedding-Bartley; Grand Valley State UniversityDenise Ludwig; Grand Valley State University

Phonological awareness in preschool children has been found to facilitate literacy outcomes, and has been linked to vocabulary development. The current investigation assessed the relation between phonological awareness at the beginning of the school year and mid-year vocabulary in 21 Head Start preschoolers. Elision, blending, rapid color naming, and rapid object naming as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing—Second Edition (CTOPP) at the beginning of the school year were significantly correlated with receptive vocabulary, as indexed by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Fourth Edition (PPVT) at mid-year. These findings suggest a role of phonological awareness in oral word-learning.

PS2F13

Semantic-conceptual information in the vocabularies of children with SLISarah Kucker; The University of Texas at Dallas; Callier Center

Acquiring a vocabulary is part learning phonological word-forms and part acquiring semantic-conceptual meanings of those words. Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) are known to have difficulty acquiring a vocabulary, which is partially attributed to problems with phonological processing. However, recent work has also suggested deficits in semantic-conceptual representations. Semantic-conceptual representations are known to bootstrap vocabulary growth in children with normal language, suggesting that poor semantic representations in SLI might underlie some of the vocabulary deficits. The current study examines this hypothesis by dissecting the oral definitions of well-known nouns in elementary-age children with SLI. Definitions were mined for semantic-conceptual information, such as function, physical characteristics, category membership, and location. Although children with SLI were found to be equal to their peers on function information, they fall significantly behind on physical and categorical information. In addition, children with SLI include more non-specific,

irrelevant information (i.e. “you use it”) even for words learned in infancy. Taken together, these results suggest a mechanism for poor vocabulary in SLI and first steps toward focusing intervention. Funding: Callier Postdoctoral Fellowship

PS2F14

Categorical reasoning in young bilingual children: Insights from category and contrast association tasks

Boji P. W. Lam; University of Texas at AustinLi Sheng; University of Texas at Austin

A crucial component of vocabulary depth is the ability to understand categorical relationship connecting semantic referents. We tested two contrasting predictions regarding the development of categorical reasoning in bilingual children. On one hand, the needs to acquire two lexical-semantic systems may demand a more effective organization thus facilitate development of categorical reasoning in bilingual children. On the other hand, divided language input may instead induce extended development. Twenty-eight English monolinguals, 46 Mandarin-English bilinguals, and 33 Spanish-English bilinguals aged 4 to 7 completed a category association task and a contrast association task. The former task explicitly prompts a superordinate response (“Circle is a kind of ___”). The latter is open-ended in nature (“Triangle is not a ____”) with the dependent variable being the number of coordinate responses. Hierarchical regression indicated that age and maternal education predict performance in both tasks, suggesting the contribution of both cognitive development and environmental factor to the development of categorical reasoning. Notably, English monolinguals outperformed both bilingual groups only in category but not contrast association task, suggesting partially extended development of categorical reasoning in bilingual children.

PS2F15

Risky Decision Making in Adolescents with and without Developmental Language Impairment (DLI)

Joanna C. Lee; University of IowaThe aim of the study was to examine risky decision-making in adolescents with and without developmental language impairment (DLI). 77 high school students (DLI=26; Healthy Comparison=51) participated in the study. The balloon analogue risk task (BART) was used to measure risk-taking behavior. In the task, participants inflated a balloon as large as possible without popping it to earn points, and the total earned points could be exchanged for money. In addition, the Behavioral Inhibition and Activation Scales (BIS/BAS) were used to assess an individual’s sensitivity to punishment and to reward. The results showed that the DLI group obtained lower points than the comparison group in the BART, which led to lower monetary rewards. In terms of the BIS/BAS questionnaire, the DLI group showed significantly lower scores than the comparison group only on items pertaining to the anticipation of and positive response towards reward. Taken together, adolescents with DLI showed an abnormal tendency to engage in

safe over risky decisions. This conservative action may be, at least partially, due to their low sensitivity to reward signals in the environment. Funded by NIH R21DC013733

PS2F16

The use of sentence structure and pragmatic cues in unfamiliar verb learning: The case of Mandarin Chinese

Yi-Syuan Liu; University of KansasHolly Storkel; University of Kansas

As children hear an unfamiliar verb in a NOUN-VERB-NOUN (i.e., NVN) structure, they infer the verb is transitive (e.g., “hit”). However, in Mandarin Chinese, the object in a sentence is often dropped, such that transitive verbs commonly appear in the NOUN-VERB (i.e., NV) structure. This study tested children’s interpretation of an unfamiliar verb in an object-dropping context, which followed pragmatic principles. Specifically, it investigated whether Chinese-speaking children could utilize pragmatic cues in this context to interpret a verb as transitive, in the NV structure. Chinese-speaking children participated in a verb-learning experiment, in which unfamiliar verbs were presented in the object-dropping context, a NV-only, and an NVN-only context. Results suggested that when unfamiliar verbs were presented in the object-dropping context, participants interpreted them as transitive verbs more often than when these verbs were presented in the NV-only context, although this difference was not statistically significant. Children were able to use the pragmatic cue in the object-omission context to infer that an unfamiliar verb is transitive, even in the NV structure. Funded by: University of Kansas Doctoral Student Research Fund

PS2F17

Microstructural comparisons in verbal summaries of expository discourse in adolescents with typical language development

Jennifer P. Lundine; The Ohio State University, Nationwide Children's HospitalMonique Mills; The Ohio State UniversityStacy M. Harnish; The Ohio State UniversityRebecca J. McCauley; The Ohio State University

Rationale: Summarizing expository passages is a critical academic skill that is understudied in language research. Methods: In this study, two expository lectures (compare-contrast and cause-effect) were presented to 50 adolescents with typical development who provided verbal summaries of each lecture. The two lecture summaries were compared for differences in microstructure (MLU, NDW Rate, C-density). Grade effects were also explored. Results: Results indicated that each of the microstructure variables included was higher (indicating more sophisticated performance) in cause-effect summaries than in compare-contrast summaries. There were no grade-related differences in expository summarization abilities. Conclusions: This study shows for the first time that verbal summaries of a cause-effect expository lectures elicited more complex microstructural variables than a compare-

contrast lecture, presumably due to the increased demands of the task. Findings support past work demonstrating that adolescents increase the lexical diversity and syntactic complexity of their language when confronted with a more cognitively challenging stimulus. This work was funded by the Alumni Grant for Graduate Research and Scholarship from The Ohio State University.

PS2F18

Path Model of Expressive Vocabulary Skills in Initially Preverbal Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Jena McDaniel; Vanderbilt UniversityPaul Yoder; Vanderbilt UniversityLinda Watson; The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

To build a parsimonious model of language development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we developed a path model of the predictors of expressive vocabulary skills in initially preverbal preschoolers with ASD. Two research questions were addressed. 1) Do previously identified value-added predictors of expressive vocabulary growth continue to account for unique variance in expressive vocabulary when controlling for more proximally measured receptive vocabulary? 2) Is the association between early intentional communication and later expressive vocabulary mediated through diversity of key consonants used in communication (DKCC)? Results of partial least squares path modeling underscore the strong associations between intentional communication, DKCC, and parent linguistic responses with expressive vocabulary skills in preverbal children with ASD. DKCC mediated the tested association. Theoretical, research and clinical implications are discussed. This research was supported by a US Department of Education Preparation of Leadership Personnel grant (H325D140087), the National Institute for Deafness and other Communication Disorders (R01 DC006893), the National Institute for Child Health and Disorders through the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (P30HD15052) and the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (P30HD03110).

PS2F19

Development of writing processes in school-age children: Evidence from an on-line narrative generation task

Haesik Min; State University of New York at BuffaloLing-Yu Guo; State University of New York at BuffaloJeffery Higginbotham; State University of New York at Buffalo

This study investigated the development of writing processes (planning, text generation, transcription and revising) and the parallel processing patterns in children of different ages by examining pause patterns and word sequences (WS) between pauses. Participants were typically developing third graders (n=14) and fifth graders (n=12). An on-line narrative sample was segmented into WS with a pause threshold of one second. Four measures were computed to infer the operation of writing processes: pause duration and

frequency before new WS (planning and text generation), length of new WS (planning, text generation and transcription), and revision frequency (revision). The majority of pauses occurred before new WS in both grades. Pause frequency and duration before new WS were similar in both grades. Fifth graders formulated longer new WS than third graders. The positive association between pause duration and the length of new WS weakened as children get older, suggesting parallel processing patterns change over time. Fifth graders are less likely to pause than third graders because they can concurrently engage in planning and text generation while transcribing longer WS.

PS2F20

Nonword repetition: A widely-used task, but what does it measure?Michelle Moore; West Virginia University

Nonword repetition (NWR) is a popular tool used in the assessment of child language disorders. NWR has been strongly influenced by a multicomponent model of phonological memory in which it is regarded as a measure of a dedicated short-term phonological store. In contrast, a current psycholinguistic view posits that phonological memory stems from sustained attention to activated phonological representations within the speech-language architecture. The purpose of this study was to examine these competing accounts of what NWR measures using an experimental phoneme-level variable, consonant age of acquisition, in linguistic tasks that varied in short-term memory demands. Thirty-two first and second graders with no reported language deficits completed NWR, nonword reading, and auditory lexical decision tasks. Nonword accuracy and word-nonword discriminability were consistently lower for items comprising later versus earlier acquired phonemes, but there were no differences in response times. The results support the psycholinguistic account in which NWR utilizes the same speech-language architecture as non-memory lexical access tasks. Thus, NWR should not be used as a pure measure of phonological memory deficits. Funding: WVU Grace Clements CSD Research Endowment Award.

PS2F21

Individual Variation in the Time-Course of Statistical Language Learning: An ERP Investigation

Nicolette Noonan; The University of Western OntarioLisa Archibald; The University of Western OntarioMarc Joanisse; The University of Western Ontario

Statistical language learning is a mechanism by which language learners uncover word boundaries in fluent speech. However, it is difficult to assess detailed aspects of statistical learning using explicit behavioural techniques. Thus, in the present study, participants were exposed to an artificial language for 21 minutes while neural event related potentials (ERPs) were measured using electroencephalography. ERPs were measured at the onset of each syllable in a novel language during passive listening. We also measured word segmentation behaviourally using a two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) procedure. Brain and behavioural responses revealed significant learning of word

boundaries within the artificial language. Additional analyses examined the extent to which ERP amplitude correlated with behavioural performance in the 2AFC task. Overall, these results suggest that word segmentation is a dynamic process, with sensitivity to word boundaries increasing during exposure. Additionally, there was clear individual variation in word segmentation abilities as revealed by neural responses. Supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

PS2F22

Phonological and Semantic Factors in Lexical Access by Children with SLIKatsiaryna Aharodnik; City University of New York (CUNY), Graduate CenterGeorgia Drakopoulou; City University of New York (CUNY), Graduate CenterGrace Kim-Lambert; City University of New York (CUNY), Graduate CenterKarece Lopez; St. John's UniversityBernadette Ojukwu; City University of New York (CUNY), Graduate CenterErin Reilly; City University of New York (CUNY), Graduate CenterIris M. Strangmann; City University of New York (CUNY), Graduate CenterRichard G. Schwartz; City University of New York (CUNY), Graduate Center

Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) exhibit difficulties in the onset of first words, vocabulary development, and lexical access. They also have word-finding difficulties, make more naming errors than their peers, and have poorer semantic and phonological word representations. The current study examined the within- and cross- semantic and phonological activation in children with SLI and typical language development (TD) during spoken word recognition. An eye tracking paradigm was used to explore eye gaze patterns and the time course of activation of nine children with SLI (M = 9;4 years) and twelve TD children (M = 8;9 years) to obtain information about online processing of semantic, phonological, and cross-semantic/phonological cues. Preliminary analyses revealed that activation patterns between the two groups differ. Children with SLI exhibit fewer fixations on phonologically and semantically related items than their typically developing peers. There is no effect of the cross-semantic/phonological information for both the SLI and the TD group. The time course of eye gaze will be analyzed. Implications for assessment and intervention will be considered. Support was provided by NIDCD 5R01DC011041

PS2F23

Bilingual Experience and Executive Function Abilities in School-Aged Children: A Longitudinal Approach

Ji Sook Park; University of Wisconsin-MadisonSusan Ellis Weismer; University of Wisconsin-MadisonMargarita Kaushanskaya; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Does bilingualism influence the development of executive functions (EFs)? Recent work on this topic has yielded conflicting results, and the discussion of “bilingual advantages” has become highly contentious. In the current study, we consider the possibility that the conflicting findings may be due to different rates of EF development in bilinguals and

monolinguals. We examined two non-verbal EFs – inhibition and updating – over time in monolingual and bilingual school-aged children. We tested 31 monolingual and 31 simultaneous bilingual typically-developing children (ages 8-12) on the Flanker and Corsi blocks tasks twice, one year apart. The findings suggested different rates of EF development in the two groups. While the bilingual group demonstrated a steep improvement in inhibition from Year 1 to Year 2, the monolingual group was characterized by stable inhibition performance over this time period. In contrast, both groups experienced similar rates of improvement in updating skills. This study shows that EF skills are sensitive to developmental and bilingual influences. Such interactions between bilingualism and developmental timing may explain the conflicting findings regarding the effects of bilingualism on EFs. Funding: R01 DC011750

PS2F24

Disentangling the effects of perceptual frequency and talker variability on speech development

Peter Richtsmeier; Oklahoma State UniversityAmanda Good; Oklahoma State University

Does hearing multiple talkers produce a word improve a child’s production of that word? To better understand the facilitative role of talker variability on speech production, we examined talker variability and four levels of perceptual frequency on the production of novel words. Participants were 16 three- and four-year-old children. They produced eight words in a test in which both talker variability and speech production varied. In a posttest, children simply repeated the words following a single model. Preliminary results suggest that the effect of production practice may be stronger than the effects of either talker variability or perceptual frequency.

PS2F25

Variability improves infants’ ability to recognize words spoken in an unfamiliar accent

Christine Potter; University of Wisconsin-MadisonJenny Saffran; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Understanding accented speech poses a significant challenge for all listeners, particularly those with limited knowledge of their language. In a series of studies, we explored the possibility that hearing more variable speech might facilitate comprehension. 15- and 18-month-old infants were exposed to passages of multi-talker speech and then tested on their ability to subsequently recognize familiar words spoken in an unfamiliar (British) accent. The passages were spoken in a familiar (American) accent, a single unfamiliar accent (British), or variety of accents (Australian, Southern, Indian). We found that while 15-month-old infants can successfully recognize familiar words spoken in a familiar accent, they were never able to demonstrate understanding of the unfamiliar accent. 18-month-olds were also unable to recognize words spoken in unfamiliar accent after they had been exposed to a familiar accent. However, they succeeded after

exposure to either the single unfamiliar accent or the mixed accents, suggesting that hearing variable speakers or accents can improve word recognition.Funding sources: NICHD R01HD037466 (Saffran) & P30HD03352 (Mailick), NSF DGE-1256259 (Potter), James F. McDonnell Foundation

PS2F26

Grammar or social understanding? Both mental state language and grammatical skills predict children's use of personal pronouns and verb inflections

Filip Smolík; Institute of Psychology CAS, PragueThe emergence of personal pronouns is related to the developing sense of individuality and social understanding. At the same time, personal pronouns are linguistically challenging elements, and their early use may thus depend on language development. However, few existing studies explicitly addressed the relation between early pronouns or person inflections and social development, while concurrently controlling the development of language. The present study examined the relation between person reference, social understanding, and general language development, using data from spontaneous language transcripts of 63 Czech-speaking children. Social understanding was assessed from children’s use of the mental state language (MSL). The results confirmed that both social understanding and general language development show unique relations to person reference, whether with pronouns or verb conjugation. Further analysis indicated that this is particularly due to reference in second person, i.e. the pronoun you and its forms, and the second-person verb forms.

PS2F27

The Influence of a Metalinguistic Flexibility-Based Phonological Intervention on the Language and Literacy Skills of First Grade Speakers of Nonmainstream American English (NMAE)

Jeannette Russell; Cardinal Stritch UniversityAfrican American students in low-income areas face systemic educational inequities that contribute to an “opportunity gap” (Ladson-Billings, 2006) with European American students. One result is disparity in literacy achievement resulting from multiple factors, possibly including dialectic linguistic differences. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the performance of first grade speakers of African American English (AAE) receiving a metacognitive flexibility-based phonological intervention (treatment group n=26) and those receiving phonemic manipulation basal series instruction (control group n=23). During the 4-week intervention, the daily lesson plans for the treatment group included manipulative phonemic procedures targeting final consonant patterns with an emphasis on metacognitive understanding of phonological AAE and academic English (AE) differences. Analyzed through MANOVA/MANOVA, Spearman correlation, and hierarchical regression, the results revealed that the students in the treatment group exhibited less dialect features than the control group following intervention. The study also concluded that phonological awareness score gains from one

subtest were associated with dialect variation scores indicating less AAE usage, and gains in reading achievement scores were associated with phonological awareness scores gains.

PS2F28

Acquisition and delay of exhaustivity in multiple wh-questions: evidence from children acquiring Mandarin.

Jill de Villiers; Smith CollegeChunyang Ning; Tianjin Normal UniversityLucy Liu; U. Texas at Dallas; Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center,Eric Rolfhus; Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center,Hutchings Teresa; Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center,Lee Wendy; Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center,Yiwen Zhang; Shanghai Children’s Medical Center Affiliated with the Medical

School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, ChinaFang Jiang; Shanghai Children’s Medical Center Affiliated with the Medical

School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, ChinaData come from a new Mandarin assessment in Mainland China. There are norms for Receptive and Expressive language, Syntax, and Semantics. It included properties that are sensitive to language impairment cross-linguistically, such as exhaustive answers to paired wh-questions. The semantic challenge is linking the exhaustive set properties of wh questions together. Across 12 European languages, 5 year olds answer questions about 60% of the time with a paired exhaustive answer. Furthermore, this has proved to be a challenging task for German and English children with language impairment. This is the first such study of a non-wh-movement language, Mandarin. Results on over 1000 Mandarin speaking children aged 2;6 to 7;11 revealed performance on average very close to that of children tested in the 12 European languages at age 5 years. Work with a further sample containing 100 children at risk for language delay showed highly significant impairments on answering exhaustively. Challenging indices of language development can be found in parallel even for languages as syntactically different as Mandarin and English.Funding : Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training center, Dallas.

PS2F29

Profiles of Language Impairment in Mandarin-English Bilingual Children: A Pilot Study

Li Sheng; University of Texas at AustinMan Yang; University of Texas at AustinElizabeth Peña; University of Texas at AustinLisa Bedore; University of Texas at AustinFang Li; Shanghai Maritime UniversityYao Du; University of Texas at Austin

This project aims to delineate language profiles of Mandarin-English bilingual children at risk for language impairment (LI) and report the classification accuracy of an experimental screener – the Mandarin-English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB).

Fifty-five bilingual children were administered the MELAB. Six children were identified as at risk (AR) for LI using five indicators of risk. A matched sample of 11 children without risk indicators comprised the typically developing (TD) comparison group. Item analysis was used for item reduction and generating an experimental version of the MELAB.Mandarin items targeting sentence repetition, passive voice, prepositional phrase, quantifiers, aspect, relative clause, and expressive vocabulary differentiated AR from TD. English items targeting sentence repetition, auxiliary negation, progressive, copula, possessive, plural, question inversion, relative clause, and semantic depth were the most differentiating. Discriminant analyses yielded 92% classification accuracy in the current sample. This pilot study informs us on the grammatical and semantic profiles of Mandarin-English bilingual children at risk for LI and provide preliminary evidence that the MELAB holds promise as a screen tool. This research was supported by the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation.

PS2F30

Spoken Word Recognition is Negatively Associated with Autism Severity in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Courtney Venker; University of Wisconsin-MadisonJan Edwards; University of Wisconsin-MadisonJenny Saffran; University of Wisconsin-MadisonSusan Ellis Weismer; University of Wisconsin-Madison

There is growing interest in the interaction between autism severity and language development. In this study, we asked whether spoken word recognition in toddlers with ASD was associated with the severity of their autism symptoms concurrently and two years later. Participants were 14 children with ASD. On average, children were 30 months old at Time 1 and 55 months at Time 2. At Time 1, children completed a word recognition task that presented two images on a screen with speech describing one of the images. Competing trials presented perceptually similar images (e.g., crescent moon, banana). Control trials presented unrelated images (e.g., hat, fish). Word recognition in the presence of perceptually similar distracter images was associated with autism severity concurrently and two years later. These findings suggest that the severity of children’s autism symptoms is reflected in the extent to which their word recognition is disrupted by perceptually similar distracter images, potentially due to visual distraction.This work was funded by R01 DC012513 and University of Wisconsin Graduate School Grant #130416 (Ellis Weismer, Edwards, Saffran) and P30 HD003352 (Mailick)

PS2F31

Determining the Validity of the Vocal Development Landmarks Interview (VDLI)Anne Thomas; University of Nebraska-LincolnSophie Ambrose; Boys Town National Research HospitalMary Pat Moeller; Boys Town National Research Hospital

The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine whether a parent-report tool, the Vocal Development Landmarks Interview (VDLI), was a sensitive measure of developmental changes in vocalizations in typically developing infants and toddlers. This interactive interview incorporates audio samples of authentic infant vocalizations to make target vocal landmarks clear and understandable to parents without the need of technical terms, lengthy verbal descriptions, or adult modeling of infant productions. The VDLI was administered to caregivers of 160 typically developing infants and toddlers as a first step in the process of examining its validity. Results indicate that the VDLI accurately captures the developmental trajectory of children’s achievement of vocal landmarks over time and is related to performance on a concurrent measure of early vocal development. These findings provide support for the utility of the VDLI as a sensitive measure for indexing the prelexical and early lexical development of typically developing infants and toddlers, ages 6-21 months. Funding provided by NIDCD R01DC009560.

PS2F32

Gesture use in fragile X syndrome and Down syndromeEmily Wagner; University of Wisconsin-MadisonAudra Sterling; University of Wisconsin-MadisonLaura Friedman; University of Wisconsin-MadisonJulie Brinkman; University of Wisconsin-MadisonSusen Schroeder; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Rationale: Both fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Down syndrome (DS) have a high prevalence of comorbid autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous research has revealed gesture production as a strength in DS and a weakness in ASD and FXS. No research to date has investigated the impact of ASD on gesture production in DS and FXS.Methods: Twenty children with FXS and twenty children with DS between the ages of 6-23 years participated in this study. Quality and quantity of gestures were coded for during the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Results: Preliminary coding indicates differences in both quantity and quality of gestures for children with an ASD co-diagnosis. For example, the DS+ASD and FXS+ASD groups produced a higher percentage of gestures to regulate behavior.Conclusions: Preliminary data indicates that children with FXS+ASD and DS+ASD demonstrate quantitative and qualitative gesture differences compared to peers with the same genetic syndrome without ASD. Clinical implications will be discussed. Funding Sources: HD074346 (Abbeduto), P30 HD03352 (Mailick), start-up funds from the University of Wisconsin-Madison

PS2F33

Complex Syntax and Narrative Structure in Written Stories of Children with Cochlear Implants

Sara Straley; University of South CarolinaKrystal Werfel; University of South Carolina

The purpose of this study was to examine writing samples from school-age children with cochlear implants (CIs) based on syntactic complexity and overall quality of narrative structure. Participants were 30 school-age children with CIs in grades 3 through 6. Participants completed the Story Writing subtest of the Test of Written Language-Fourth Edition (TOWL-4; Hammil & Larsen, 2009). Stories were transcribed and coded for syntax using the Complex Syntax Coding Manual (Schuele, 2009). Stories were also scored for narrative structure using High-Point Analysis (McCabe et al., 2008). Large individual differences were observed in number of t-units, percent of t-units that contained complex syntax, and quality of narrative structure. Results revealed that complex syntax usage was not related to quality of narrative structure. This study was founded by an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Advancing Academic-Research Careers Award and an American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation New Investigators Grant, both awarded to the second author.

PS2F34

Making an Impression: Parent Ratings of Children’s Pragmatic Language and Social Skills

Katherine White; Miami UniversityGeralyn Timler; Miami University

The 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) added a new neurodevelopmental communication disorder entitled Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SCD). Defining features of SCD include primary deficits in pragmatic language and social skills (APA, 2013). The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the agreement and disagreement between parent ratings of children’s pragmatic language skills and children’s social skills. Parents of 50 children and adolescents, ages 6;8 to 15;6, with typical development or one or more clinical diagnoses, completed the Children’s Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2; Bishop, 2006) and the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS; Gresham & Elliott, 2008). Correlation coefficients for the CCC-2 and SSIS composite scores were strong, ranging from .790 to .854. Item analyses will be presented to highlight ratings of similar items across the two rating scale measures. Clinical implications will be discussed. Funding for this project was provided by a Miami University Graduate School Thesis Research Award.

PS2F35

Parental judgments of Chinese children’s speech and language developmentMan Yang; doctoral student, University of Texas at AustinLi Sheng; associate professor, University of Texas at Austin & Shanghai

Children’s Medical Center Affiliated with the Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Yiwen Zhang; Shanghai Children’s Medical Center Affiliated with the Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Fan Jiang; Shanghai Children’s Medical Center Affiliated with the Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Lucy Xueman Liu; University of Texas at Dallas & Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training CenterParental questionnaire is a time-efficient tool in pediatric assessment. Parents can be reliable informants of speech-language ability for infants and toddlers. However, there is less empirical evidence on the validity of parental judgments of speech-language ability for older children. This study explores the relationship between Chinese parents’ judgments of children’s speech-language ability and children’s performance on a standardized language battery. Participants were 132 children aged 4 to 7 and their parents. Parents’ judgments were collected through the Chinese version of the Speech and Language Assessment Scale (SLAS) and children’s language abilities were measured using the Diagnostic Receptive and Expressive Assessment of Mandarin (DREAM). Significant correlations were found between parents’ judgments and children’s performance among the five-year-old. Children were divided into typical developing (TD) and language impaired (LI) groups based on DREAM scores. T-tests revealed lower parental ratings for LI than TD group on multiple indices across multiple age groups. Our results present some evidence for the use of parental judgments in speech-language assessment in China. This research was supported by the China National Health and Family Planning Commission Project.

PS2F36

Inferential comprehension and theory of mind: exploring similarities between the two constructs in tasks with children aged 3 and 6

Chantal Desmarais; Université LavalCarol-Anne Lavoie-Allard; Université LavalMarie-Eve Lussier-Lecomte; Université LavalPaméla Filiatrault-Veilleux; Université LavalElise Brassart; Université Laval

Inferential comprehension (IC) in young children is often measured by questions about a character’s goal, emotions, and attempts at solving a problem in a story. In tasks measuring the construct of Theory of mind (TOM), questions explore how children interpret characters’ mental states. This study aims to examine the similarities between IC and TOM with the objective to determine if results on tasks of IC and of TOM are correlated. Participants are two groups of typically developing children aged 3 (N=30) and 6 (N=32) who completed two tasks, i.e. a false belief task and an IC task. To determine if there is a link between the two tasks, a Pearson correlation test was carried out. The results (r = 0.58, n = 62, p < 0.01) support the hypothesis that IC in a narrative and understanding mental states in the construct of TOM are closely related. This invites to discussion across perspectives on these two closely related constructs and may further our understanding of the link between cognition and language comprehension. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

PS3S01

Performance Predictors in Spanish & English Nonword Repetition TasksCarlos Nye; University of Texas at AustinElizabeth Peña; University of Texas at AustinDr. Lisa Bedore; University of Texas at Austin

Nonword repetition tasks are thought to tap into a variety of abilities related to phonological processing, capacity, and speed (Coady & Evans, 2008). Because NWR is proposed to reduce bias related to language experience, it has been proposed as applicable to bilingual children. Previous studies (Summers & Peña, 2010; Thordartdottir & Brandeker, 2013; Gibson et al., 2015) have found differences in NWR performance across languages with typically developing children based on a variety of language predictors, however. The current study examined the role of language use, exposure, age of first exposure and level of bilingualism on Spanish and English NWR as well as a composite of the two languages. Results indicate unique predictors for composite vs. language specific performance in these tasks.This study was supported by the NIDCD R01 DC010366

PS3S02

So um... like what are children with autism and ADHD saying?Nora Alpers; University of ConnecticutLetitia Naigles; University of ConnecticutNancy McIntyre; University of California at Davis MIND InstitutePeter Mundy; University of California atDavis MIND Institute

Background: There has been little previous research regarding usage of discourse markers (DM’s) (e.g.,‘so’, ‘like’, ‘uh’, ‘um’; Shiffrin, 1988). Previous research found that children with high-functioning autism (HFA) produce ‘uh’ but not ‘um’ (Canfield et al., in press).Methods: 21 HFA, 22 TD, 24 ADHD, and 31 comorbid children Age-and-VIQ-matched participants viewed three conditions through a virtual-headset: Non-Social-Attention— targets, the Social-Attention: avatar-children, and High-Demand-Social-Attention Condition: avatars that faded without eye contact. Results: ‘Um’ and ‘like’ usage varied across phase. There was a group effect for the usage of ‘um’ vs. ‘uh.’Conclusions: HFA children are producing ‘um’ contrary to previous findings. ‘Um’ usage increases across the phases, which could be the result of the social condition or cognitive load. ‘Like,’ ‘um,’ and ‘uh’ all increased in usage across phases.Funding: RO1 DC007428 Naigles & IES R324A110174 Mundy

PS3S03

Deficits in Sound Pattern Sequencing in Children with SLI: A Networks ApproachSara Benham; Purdue UniversityLisa Goffman; Purdue University

Rationale: Research on specific language impairment (SLI) traditionally focuses on morphosyntactic deficits, while speech sound errors are widely understudied. Classic

speech analyses do not reveal core features of error patterns, and a new approach is needed. Network science may provide important insights.Methods: Twenty-four preschoolers (12 with SLI and 12 typical peers; ages 4-6 years) participated in a non-word repetition task. Phonetic transcriptions and kinematic trajectories were obtained to assess accuracy and variability. Network analysis determined syllable co-occurrence patterns. Results: Children with SLI are less accurate and more variable than typical peers. Network analysis reveals group differences in syllable co-occurrence patterns; children with SLI have more co-occurring connections that are not as robustly interconnected as their typical peers.Conclusions: Network analysis demonstrates deficits in sound pattern sequencing that are not captured by standard error analysis. Current theories of SLI reveal deficits in core aspects of procedural learning that may also extend to sound sequencing. These data align with some developmental theories and with aspects of the procedural deficit hypothesis.This research was supported by the NIH/NIDCD R01 DC04826.

PS3S04

Exemplar variability facilitates word learning for children with specific language impairment.

Jessica Aguilar; University of ArizonaElena Plante; University of Arizona

Research suggests that variability of exemplars supports successful object categorization and word learning. The purpose of this study was to test the ‘variability principle’ in a word learning paradigm for preschoolers with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Eighteen children (14 boys, 4 girls) with SLI participated in the experiment. Children completed experimental vocabulary tests to identify 8 unfamiliar words that were targeted in training activities. All children participated in three training activities with their target words and three corresponding object exemplars. Half of the children were trained with low variability object exemplars (i.e., 3 identical hinges) and the other half of the children were trained with high variability object exemplars (i.e., 3 very different hinges). Learning was measured as children’s ability to correctly identify new exemplars (generalization items) of their target words. The results provide evidence that increased exemplar variability aided word learning by preschool children with SLI. The children in the high variability group showed significantly stronger performance than the low variability group on generalization items at post-test, providing evidence for true learning of lexical items rather than object familiarity.

PS3S05

The Measurement of Language Ability and Impairment in Arabic-speaking Children

Areej Balilah; Western UniversityLisa Archibald; Western University

The measurement of language ability and impairment in Arabic-speaking children has been the focus of only a few studies. The present study adopts an epidemiological

approach to assess sensitivity to developmental change and sex differences of several language measures in school age Arabic-speaking children. Of further interest is the degree to which individuals exhibit consistently low performance across those language measures. The study invited all Arabic speakers, from 6 to 9 years of age in several schools in Saudi Arabia. Almost 400 children completed individual measures of sentence comprehension, expressive language, sentence repetition, receptive and expressive vocabulary, and nonword repetition. Results revealed that the majority of language measures were sensitive to developmental change in younger children between the ages of 6 and 7. Significant differences between children ages of 8 and 9 were observed on one test only. The low performance on several language measures by females compared to their male peers may reflect cultural differences. The results have important implications for understanding individual differences in the Arabic language development in children. This work was supported by funding to the first author from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia.

PS3S06

Early Gesture-Speech Combinations Predict Later Autism Diagnosis and Language Skills

Boin (April) Choi; Harvard UniversityPriyanka Shah; Boston UniversityMeredith Rowe; Harvard University Charles Nelson; Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Helen Tager-Flusberg; Boston University

Research suggests that the ability to combine multiple communicative behaviors such as gestures and speech is impaired in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study investigates the frequency and types of gesture-speech combinations in infants with an older sibling with ASD (HR, high risk) and low risk infants (LR) with no family history, and their association with a later autism diagnosis and language skills. At 18 months, we coded infants’ gesture use (with and without speech) in interactive play with mothers. Infants were administered the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and Mullen Language subscales at 36 months. Preliminary analyses indicate that HR infants produced significantly fewer gesture-speech combinations, compared to LR infants. Further, the total frequency of combinations and, in particular, the number of supplementary combinations (i.e., gesture and speech provide different information) predicted a later ASD diagnosis and language skills, respectively. Promoting gesture-speech coordination may provide a viable avenue for autism interventions. This research was supported by grants from NIDCD (DC010290 to Tager-Flusberg and Nelson) and the Simons Foundation (137186 to Nelson).

PS3S07

Learning New Words From Accented Speakers: Differences between Bilingual and Monolingual Children

Milijana Buac; University of Wisconsin-MadisonNeha Paranjpe; University of Wisconsin-MadisonMargarita Kaushanskaya; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Monolingual children and adults experience costs when processing accented speech. Furthermore, monolingual children prefer to interact with native speakers and tend to trust native speakers more than accented speakers when assigning novel words to novel objects. However, little is known about how bilingual children process accented speech, especially in learning tasks. In the present study, we tested word-learning in monolingual English-speaking children and bilingual Spanish-English speaking children between the ages of 7 and 11 to assess. We designed a novel word-learning task in which familiar objects were paired with novel names and presented by an unaccented speaker of English in one condition and by an accented speaker (Korean accent) in another condition. Results suggest that it is more difficult for monolingual children, but not for bilingual children, to learn novel words from an accented speaker than from an unaccented speaker. These findings may be attributed to the bilingual children’s increased experience with individuals who speak English with an accent. Funded by NIH grant R01 DC011750

PS3S08

Applying Item Response Theory to the Development of a Screening Adaptation of the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation

Tim Brackenbury; Bowling Green State UniversityMichael Zickar; Bowling Green State UniversityBenjamin Munson; University of MinnesotaHolly Storkel; University of Kansas

Item Response Theory (IRT) is a form of statistical modeling that has been successfully used to develop effective and efficient protocols in multiple areas within communication sciences and disorders (e.g., Baylor et al., 2013). With the goal of developing a data-based screening measure, the present study applied an IRT analysis to 155 children’s productions of the sounds-in-words subtest of the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-2 (GFTA-2; Goldman & Fristoe, 2000). A total of 108 individual phonemes from the GFTA-2’s 53 target words fit the two-parameter logistic model. Most of the model’s information was in the negative range of the trait continuum, meaning that these items provided the most precise measurement at the low ability, suggesting that they are a good fit for a screening tool. A regression analysis on data from 90 of the participants revealed that their performances on the 3 phonemes with the highest discrimination scores in the model were significantly correlated with their standard scores from the GFTA-2. Sensitivity and specificity calculations for these three phonemes were commensurate with those of other child speech and language screening measures.

PS3S09

Applying Learning Theory to the Acquisition of Academic VocabularyAshley Bourgoyne; University of ArizonaMary Alt; University of Arizona

This study was designed to determine if high-variability visual input would facilitate the development of conceptual representations of academic vocabulary for college-aged students. Students were trained on vocabulary in high- and low-variability conditions. Their learning was assessed via a posttest which required them to identify, out of a field of four, both trained and novel images. Participants also rated novel images, both accurate and inaccurate, on a scale of 1 to 9 (“accurate” –“inaccurate”) in order to assess their conceptual representations of the new vocabulary. Results showed that participants were equally accurate on trained and novel items in the high-variability condition, but were less accurate on novel items only in the low-variability condition. Participants were more successful at rating accurate items in the high-variability condition than the low-variability condition, but were equivalently bad at successfully rating the inaccurate images. High-variability learning conditions may facilitate learner generalization to novel representations and recognition of accurate examples of academic concepts in college students. Funding was provided by University of Arizona’s Graduate and Professional Student Council’s ReaP award.

PS3S10

Production ability of the diminutive and past tense: The relative contributions of phonology and vocabulary in 5 to 9 year old children

Tiffany Boersma; University of AmsterdamJudith Rispens; University of AmsterdamAnne Baker; University of AmsterdamFred Weerman; University of Amsterdam

Children (5;0 – 9;0) seem to be aware of the obligatory nature of inflections, but have problems producing the related morphosyntax which often depends on morphophonology (Blom & Paradis, 2013; Rice, Wexler, Marquis, & Hershberger, 2000). This study investigates production of the Dutch past tense and diminutive, two processes involving morphophonology, and the relative contributions of phonological skills and vocabulary.

The children (n= 104) were asked to produce diminutives and regular past tenses (existing and novel) in a Wug-type production task (Berko, 1958). Phonological skills were measured using the phonological awareness (PA) task (CELF-IV), Rapid automatized naming (RAN) task (CELF-IV), and a nonword repetition (NWR) task (Rispens & Baker, 2012). Vocabulary was measured using the PPVT. PPVT, PA and NWR contributed significantly to the variance in the production of the diminutive (existing) and past tense (existing and novel). Vocabulary and phonological skills are thus important in the acquisition of these morphosyntactic processes. These skills are often compromised in children with language problems which may have an impact on their morphosyntactic abilities.The research is funded by the ACLC, university of Amsterdam.

PS3S11

DIR/Floortime: Does getting down on the floor support social communication and language development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Amanda Binns; Western UniversityJanis Oram Cardy; Western University

The high cost and time demands of behavioral intervention approaches for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have led to increased interest in alternatives such as social pragmatic interventions. This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of one such intervention. DIR/Floortime, in supporting social communication and language development in children with ASD. Nine articles met criteria for inclusion, and collectively reported on the outcomes of 313 children with ASD. Eight studies examined social communication outcomes and all reported positive outcomes. Evidence was considered suggestive for four studies and equivocal for the other four. Three studies examined language outcomes. All three were randomized control trials and were considered to provide suggestive levels of evidence. Effects on standardized language tests were mixed, while positive effects were found for several measures extracted using language sample analysis. This review suggested that DIR-based treatments hold some promise for addressing social communication and language development in children with ASD, but further methodologically rigorous studies are needed. Results also suggested that more naturalistic language and communication outcome measures may be particularly useful for evaluating social pragmatic interventions such as DIR.

PS3S12

The concept and morphology of number in acquisition: the case of the dual in Arabic.

Lamya Abdulkarim; King Saud University, RiyadhJill de Villiers; Smith College

A specific inflection for dual noun is rare among languages but Arabic provides morphemes for the singular, dual and three types of plurals. Arabic acquisition allows focused examination on conceptual and grammatical number. How do these develop? The data come from a comprehensive morphology test being developed for colloquial Arabic in Saudi Arabia. 77 children 3 -6 years participated, all monolingual Saudi Arabic-speaking and typically developing. The feminine regular plural develops the fastest. Error analysis reveals note two important facts: plural morphology is very rarely extended to duals; and dual suffixes are never extended to plurals “Twoness” has a special ontological status for the child learner. We provide a model of the results, arguing that the first understanding is conceptual: the differences between “one” and “more than two. When the concept of “two” arises, the dual is not immediate but marked lexically with “two+singular noun”. Third, grammatical number emerges, hence a NumbP node, with the feature checked and the dual suffix projected, though errors still persist through age six years.The work has no funding sources to report.

PS3S13

Rethinking Past Tense OverregularizationMegan Figueroa; University of ArizonaLouAnn Gerken; University of Arizona

The current work explored children's perception and production of English past tense by asking: (1) Are infants sensitive to the English past tense before they produce overregularized forms (*breaked for broke)? (2) If so, what factors drive overregularization errors later in production? Experiment (1) tested typically-developing, English-acquiring 16-month-olds on overregularized vs. correct and nonce forms and showed that they listened significantly longer to overregularized forms. Experiment (2) examined the developmental trajectory of ‘-ed’ overregularization errors in an attempt to find an alternative explanation for these errors. A mixed logistical regression model was fit to the overregularization data for two longitudinal child corpora. The best fitting models revealed that, along with age and MLU, the phonotactic probability of the overregularized past tense forms significantly affects the appearance of overregularized forms. Our results indicate that children discover the past tense rule before production, and later errors are not driven by rule discovery.

PS3S14

Contribution of Severity of Hearing Loss to Language Abilities Before and After Amplification

Olivia Daub; University of Western OntarioJanis Oram Cardy; University of Western OntarioAndrew Johnson; University of Western OntarioSusan Scollie; University of Western OntarioMarlene Bagatto; University of Western Ontario

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs such as the Ontario Infant Hearing Program (OIHP) aim to provide interventions (i.e., hearing aids) by six months to infants identified with permanent hearing loss because research consistently demonstrates benefits of early intervention to language outcomes. This study examined OIHP birth cohorts from 2008 and 2011 to explore performance on the Preschool Language Scale-4 (PLS-4) at the time of (n=47), and after (n=19), initial hearing aid intervention. Regression analyses revealed that, before amplification, severity of hearing loss predicted 19% and 10% of the variance in receptive and expressive language, respectively. Percentile performance of our sample did not change over time, despite improvement in raw scores. Our findings echo results of previous research: the linguistic system of children with hearing loss continues to grow after amplification, and earlier amplification benefits language outcomes. These findings also suggest that hearing aids fitted early may provide a buffering effect to preserve the language achievement of children with hearing loss. Funding for this project was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services Infant Hearing Program.

PS3S15

Association of Children's Coarticulatory Sensitivity with Language and Reading Skills Revealed by Eyetracking

Alexandra Cross; University of Western OntarioMarc F. Joanisse; University of Western Ontario

The present study compared sensitivity to coarticulatory cues in school-aged children and adults using eyetracking, and how processing of phonetic detail in speech may relate to reading and language proficiency. Children and adults listened to words containing congruent and incongruent coarticulatory cues while we monitored eye movements to a target image versus a distractor. Consonant onsets in auditory words were cross-spliced to contain either congruent or incongruent coarticulatory cues. We then compared timing of looks to target and distractor images for congruent and incongruent trials. Contrary to theories positing weakened attention to phonetic detail in children, we observed greater sensitivity to coarticulatory cues in children compared to adults. Children also completed measures of reading, rapid naming, letter knowledge, and sentence recall, and we observed that the magnitude of coarticulation effects correlated with reading and language measures. These findings suggest that children are more sensitive to phonetic incongruency in speech than adults, and the phonological skills underlying this sensitivity are related to individual differences in reading and language ability.Funding: This research was supported by NSERC and NIDCD grants.

PS3S16

Phonological effects on grammatical morpheme production at and across the word boundary

Philip Combiths; San Diego State University, University of California, San DiegoIrina Potapova; San Diego State University, University of California, San DiegoSonja Pruitt-Lord; San Diego State UniversityJessica Barlow; San Diego State University

In response to conflicting phonological accounts of word-final syllable structure and the importance of this position for clinically-relevant tense morpheme suffixation, we consider two studies examining data collected from 11 typically-developing Spanish-English bilingual children (ages 4;8?5;6, mean = 61.87 months, SD = 3.58 months) for phonological effects on word-final morpheme production accuracy. Our results suggest surrounding phonological effects, some of which conflict with previous findings. These results are discussed in terms of surrounding segmental features and syllabification across the word boundary as well as clinical implications for diagnosis and treatment of speech and language disorders.Funding Sources: NIH training grant [T32 DC007361], NIH NIDCD RO3 [DC012141], Price Charities research grant

PS3S17

Effects of Cross-Linguistic Similarities on Reading Abilities in Bilingual ChildrenNatalie Bowman; University of Wisconsin-MadisonMargarita Kaushanskaya; University of Wisconsin-Madison

In this study, we examined the possibility that Spanish-English bilingual children’ English reading skills may be influenced by their knowledge of Spanish. Existing research on bilingual language processing has established that cognates, words that share form and meaning in two languages, can influence bilinguals’ understanding and production of language-specific information. However, most of this research has

examined cognate effects in single-word or sentence contexts. Here, we tested the effect of cognate knowledge in the context of a more ecologically-valid text-reading task. Bilingual and monolingual school-aged children read two stories aloud. One story included 20 cognates, while the other included 20 matched non-cognates. Bilingual children were found to make more errors and read more slowly overall than their monolingual peers. However, an interaction was observed between group and cognate status, such that bilingual children (but not monolingual children) made more errors and read more slowly in the context of the cognate story than the non-cognate story. These findings indicate that reading outcomes in bilingual children may be at least partially rooted in the interactions between their two languages. Funding: R01 DC011750

PS3S18

Relationships Among Information Processing Abilities in School-age Children With and Without SLI: A Test of the General Capacity Limitation Hypothesis

James Montgomery; Ohio UniversityJulia Evans; University of Texas at Dallas

Compared with same-age typically developing peers, school-age children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) exhibit a range of limitations on information processing tasks. A number of authors have suggested that these limitations reflect a generalized limitation in cognitive processing capacity. We administered a battery of information processing tasks to 234 school-age children (117 who were typically developing and 117 with SLI). The groups were propensity matched on age, sex, mother education and family income. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to develop a measurement model for the latent constructs, which was tested with and without a second-order factor analysis containing a level representing a general capacity limitation. A 3-factor model consisting of latent variables for attention, working memory and general language knowledge fit the information processing data better than 4- and 5-factor models. In all cases, the model fit statistics for the secondary models were problematic in that they either failed to converge or were not positive definite. The results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that a general capacity limitation interferes with information processing and language development in children with SLI. Supported by grant (R01 DC010883) from NIDCD.

PS3S19

Bilingual Preschoolers: The emerging, productive use of English tense markingSvenja Gusewski; University of Texas at DallasRaúl Rojas; University of Texas at DallasLindsey Hiebert; University of Texas at Dallas

Rationale: This longitudinal project examined bilingual preschoolers’ regular and irregular English verb tense marking. Traditional verb morphology composites focus on regular verbs. Typically developing bilinguals’ difficulties with verb morphology mirror

those of English monolinguals with specific language impairment, highlighting the need to study the emerging, productive use of English tense marking in young bilinguals.Methods: The English narrative retells of thirty-eight bilingual preschoolers were analyzed across three academic semesters. The Finite Verb Morphology Composite (FVMC), and two FVMC adaptations were compared. Results: Verb morphology accuracy increased significantly over time for each of the composites. This increase was not significant for younger children or those in the lower range of mean length of utterance in words (MLUw). Adding irregular verbs into accuracy calculations showed that irregular verb use is particularly difficult for bilingual preschoolers. However, applying an irregular verb, productivity-criterion increased accuracy scores. Conclusions: These findings suggest that verb morphology measures for bilingual preschoolers’ should consider age and MLUw. Furthermore, an accuracy composite with an irregular verb, productivity-criterion may better capture the emergence of English tense marking.Funding source: UT Dallas

PS3S20

Performance differences in Spanish-speaking preschoolers’ language skills on a Spanish narrative assessment protocol.

Brenda K. Gorman; Elmhurst CollegeChristine Fiestas; Texas A&M University-KingsvilleGary Bingham; Georgia State University

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the language skills and growth of preschool children whose primary language was Spanish in a narrative context using a Spanish adaptation of the Narrative Assessment Protocol. Narratives based on a wordless picture book were collected in both the fall and spring, transcribed and scored for their inclusion of 27 features within five categories: sentence structure, phrase structure, modifiers, nouns, and verbs. A comparison of low-performing and high-performing children revealed group differences in many but not all features. Differences in group performance will be presented, and potential implications for progress monitoring and identification of children who may need supplemental instruction within multi-tiered models of instruction will be discussed.This research was funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant #S359B080083.

PS3S21

Examiner and Child Contributions to Therapy WITHDRAWNRebecca Hampton; University of IowaAmanda Owen Van Horne; University of IowaKarla McGregor; University of Iowa

The purpose of this research was to analyze child and examiner factors affecting language therapy outcomes and to analyze the potential bi-directional relationship between child and examiner factors. Transcripts of intervention sessions with one child

and one trained examiner were coded for factors relating to children’s language ability, examiners' strategies for reaching session targets, and differences in examiners’ interactional styles. It was found that differences in children’s language ability and examiners' interactional styles did not have a strong relationship with therapy outcomes. Differences were observed in the overall frequency of examiners’ strategy use across children; however, examiners were not sensitive to individual children’s responsiveness to particular strategies. This is a secondary data analysis on an intervention study, which affects interpretation of the results: variability in examiner and child behaviors was decreased due to adherence to intervention protocol. However, the mismatch between examiner strategies and child responses is of interest. Making examiners explicitly aware of the many types of elicitation and response strategies available may increase examiners' effectiveness, efficiency, or responsiveness. Funding: NIH K23DC013291 awarded to Amanda Owen Van Horne.

PS3S22

Verbal Memory Profiles of College Students with Developmental Language Impairment

Katherine Gordon; University of IowaKarla McGregor; University of IowaShannon Ho; University of Iowa

Rationale: Memory is an important component of learning. Identifying specific memory deficits in college-enrolled students with developmental language impairments (LI) can inform interventions to improve academic achievement. Methods: To gain a more detailed understanding of differences in verbal memory capabilities, college enrolled students with LI (n =64) and with normal development (ND, n=65) completed the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Results: Students with LI demonstrated impaired short-term memory and encoding of word lists. However, students with LI and ND showed comparable retention and retrieval processes in that they performed similarly on both free and cued recall tests after long-term intervals. Conclusions: These results suggest that interventions should focus on enhancing encoding in students with LI. Funding Source: NIDCD 4R01DC011742-05

PS3S23

Dialectal and Linguistic Pattern Analysis of Second and Third Grade Students’ Misspellings

Emily Diehm; University of ToledoBrandy Gatlin; Georgia State UniversityBethany Martin; University of Toledo

Non-mainstream dialect use has been offered as an explanation for some students’ below average literacy performance. Although researchers have explored dialect differences in oral language and its relations to reading and writing, less research has investigated how non-mainstream dialect use may influence students’ spellings. Even fewer researchers

have analyzed the commonalities that may exist between the type(s) of dialect-influenced spelling errors and errors that are better explained by deficits in other linguistic areas. In the current study, the misspellings produced by second- (n = 100) and third-grade (n = 100) students’ within a written narrative context were coded and analyzed for non-mainstream dialectal influences and linguistic influences (i.e., phonological, orthographic, morphological). We will discuss changes in the type and frequency of spelling errors produced across grade level and explore the relationships that exist among spelling error types, as well as the relationship between these error patterns and word-level reading performance. The findings of this study may help to identify students who are at-risk for reading and writing problems, as indicated by the patterns of misspelling observed within their writing.

PS3S24

Pronouns in maternal input to infants at high- vs. low-risk for autism spectrum disorder

Angela Xiaoxue He; Boston UniversityNina Kim; Boston UniversitySong Ju Hong; Boston UniversityRhiannon Luyster; Emerson CollegeSudha Arunachalam; Boston University

Personal pronouns often cause difficulty for children with autism spectrum disorder. This may be due to pragmatic or perspective-taking difficulties, but the input may also be a contributing factor; adults may avoid using pronouns with children with ASD because they know that these words are difficult (Jordan, 1989). We examined the input directed to infant siblings of children with ASD (high-risk) vs. infants with a sibling without ASD (low-risk), using Quigley and McNally’s (2013) corpus of mother-infant interactions. We speculated that mothers of high-risk infants would avoid referring to the infant with a pronoun relative to mothers of low-risk infants, either because her experiences with her older child affect her interaction style with the infant, and/or because (some) high-risk infants present in a way that affects her linguistic choices. Indeed, high-risk infants were referred to by name rather than a pronoun 28% of the time, while low-risk infants were referred to by name only 12% of the time, indicating that risk status affects the frequency with which infants are exposed to second-person pronouns. Funding: NIH K01 DC013306

PS3S25

The Second to Fourth Digit Ratio (2D:4D) in Boys with Language ImpairmentsSean Redmond; University of UtahAndrea Ash; University of Utah

The ratio of the length of the index finger (2D) to the ring finger (4D) is widely accepted as a valid proxy for fetal testosterone levels. Extremely low 2D:4D ratios have been previously associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism. Data from 133 boys with and without language impairments were used to identify potential links between participants’ 2D:4D ratios and their performances across a variety of indices of

language impairment. No significant associations were found. 2D:4D ratios for boys with language impairments and boys with typical language were highly similar. The lack of any observed links calls into question the role of fetal testosterone in the epigenetics of specific language impairment. Funding provided by NIDCD (R01DC11023).

PS3S26

Morphology and Syntax in Children with PLI or ASD: Group Comparison and Item Analysis Using the Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test (SPELT-3)

Timothy Huang; University of Minnesota, Twin CitiesLizbeth Finestack; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

We compared the morphological and syntactic language profiles of children with primary language impairment (PLI) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and conducted an item analysis of performance based on the Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test (SPELT-3). A total of 50 participants (25 with PLI and 25 with ASD) between the ages of 4 and 9 years completed the assessment. We tallied their responses according to 11 morphological and 13 syntactic categories. Initial analysis indicated that complex sentence formation, such as producing passive sentences and negative wh-questions, and embedding a prepositional or relative clause into sentences was challenging for both populations. Additionally, both groups demonstrated weaknesses producing irregular past tense verbs, past tense copula forms (“was” and “were”), and participles (noun phrase complements derived from a verb + “ing”). These findings have implications for language assessment and intervention, as well as for understanding the overall morphological and syntactic language profiles of these populations. Study supported by: NIH R03DC011365.

PS3S27

Early Language and Literacy Acquisition of Children with Hearing LossKrystal Werfel; University of South CarolinaSara Straley; University of South CarolinaAlison Eisel Hendricks; University of South CarolinaSydney Pemberton; University of South Carolina

The purpose of this poster is to present the Year 1 findings of the ELLA study, a longitudinal investigation of the development of early language, phonological, and orthographic skills in preschool children with hearing loss. Participants are 4-year-old children with bilateral hearing loss and 4-year-old children with normal hearing. Participants complete measures of early language and literacy acquisition at 6-month intervals. At age 4, children with hearing loss and children with normal hearing did not differ on nonverbal intelligence, rapid naming, or alphabet knowledge. Children with hearing loss scored lower than children with normal hearing on most measures of early language and literacy acquisition, including vocabulary, morphosyntax, and phonological memory. Over time, the longitudinal study will compare developmental trajectories of children with hearing loss and children with normal hearing and identify early predictors

of later literacy achievement. This study is funded by an NIH/NIDCD R03 (1R03DC014535-01) awarded to the first author.

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Knowledge of Derivational Morphology in Children with SLIHannah Krimm; Vanderbilt University School of MedicineKrystal Werfel; University of South CarolinaC. Melanie Schuele; Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge of derivational morphology in school-age children with specific language impairment (SLI) as compared to children with typical language. Participants were 32 children with SLI and 40 children with typical language in grades 2 through 4. Qualitative codes were assigned to error responses on the Test of Morphological Structure, Derivation subtest (TMS). Children with SLI were more likely than children with typical language to provide stem only responses (i.e., no derivational suffix added). Children with SLI were less likely than children with typical language to provide legal (i.e., nonword responses that were syntactically feasible) and unusual (i.e., syntactically correct but non-target) responses. The findings provide insight into the nature of SLI and may have clinical implications. This study was supported by Preparation of Leadership Personnel training grants from the US Department of Education (H325D080075 and H325D140087; PI: Schuele)

PS3S29

Sentence Repetition in Sequential Bilingual Preschool ChildrenElizabeth Gangware; University of ColoradoPui Fong Kan; University of Colorado

This study examines sequential bilingual children who learn Cantonese (L1) and English (L2) process sentences. Previous studies have examined the processing abilities in monolingual children and bilingual school-aged children using sentence repetition tasks. However, little is known about how younger children processing sentences in L1 and L2. Specific research questions were: (1) How do sequential bilingual children process sentences in L1 and in L2? (2) Are there any relationships between children’s the sentence processing skills and their vocabulary skills within and across two languages? Participants were 50 preschool aged children, who were exposed to Cantonese from birth and had about one year of English experience in preschool settings. A sentence repetition task in Cantonese and in English was developed to measure children’s sentence processing skills. Participants’ vocabulary skills were evaluated using Cantonese-English bilingual vocabulary measures developed by Koenig and Kan (2011). Results indicated that: (1) children’s SR performance in L1 was higher than that in L2; (2) their overall vocabulary was related to sentence processing in both languages. Funded by NICDC, 1R03DC014059-01.

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Read the Book vs. Find the Book: Use of Informative Verbs by Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Courtney Venker; University of Wisconsin-Madison Elizabeth Premo; University of Wisconsin-Madison Jan Edwards; University of Wisconsin-Madison Jenny Saffran; University of Wisconsin-Madison Susan Ellis Weismer; University of Wisconsin-Madison

The weak central coherence theory predicts that children with ASD should have particular difficulty with real-time, incremental sentence processing, given their difficulties with contextual integration. The current study assessed this hypothesis by evaluating whether preschoolers with ASD use informative verbs to more rapidly identify the referents of subsequent nouns compared to neutral (uninformative) verbs. Participants were 16 children with ASD (mean age 55 months). Children completed a looking-while-listening task that presented two images on a screen, with speech describing one of the images. Half of the time, children heard Neutral verbs (e.g., “Look at the book”). The other half of the time, children heard Informative verbs that provided semantic information about the upcoming noun (e.g., “Read the book”). Our findings indicate that children with ASD can use semantic information in verbs to anticipate upcoming nouns; thus, these results do not support the weak central coherence account of ASD. Ongoing work in our lab will determine whether children with ASD are slower than their peers to integrate semantic information in a verb with the upcoming noun.

PS3S31

The Effect of Age and Sentence Type on a Complex Sentence Combining TaskClaire Selin; University of Kansas

Sentence-combining tasks have often been used in both assessment and treatment of oral and written language disorders in school-aged children. Little is known about developmental or syntactic influences on the performance of children with typical language development, however. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of typically developing school-aged children (10 to 14 years) on a complex sentence elicitation task. Participants were instructed to combine two simple sentences into one complex sentence containing an adverbial, object complement, or relative clause following an elicitation prompt. Each item was constructed in order to elicit a particular sentence type as well as a specific syntactic subtype (e.g., left-branching adverbial clause). The research questions addressed whether the following variables affected accuracy on this task: 1) age, 2) sentence type, and/or 3) syntactic and genre variations within each sentence type. Results revealed that age did not have a significant effect on accuracy. Sentence type, subtype, and genre, however, did affect accuracy.

PS3S32

The Diagnostic Accuracy of the Spanish and English CELF-P2 in Bilingual Children

Anny Castilla-Earls; University of HoustonKatrina Fulcher-Rood; Fredonia State University of New York

This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of the Spanish and English CELF-P2 with 4-6 year old bilingual children. The reference measure for this study was a combination of scores on the BESA, low performance on spontaneous language measures, and parent/teacher report. The Core Language standard scores on the CELF P2 in Spanish and English were used as the Index Measure. We used a bilingual approach for the administration of the CELF to bilingual children: We administered the CELF-P2 in Spanish and English separately, but interpreted the data of both tests together to determine the language status of each child. The results of this study suggest that the diagnostic accuracy of the CELF-P2 is poor. Bilingual speech language pathologists should take the results of this study into consideration when selecting diagnostic tools for the language assessment of bilingual children. This project was partially funded by the NIDCD 1R15DC013670-01A1

PS3S33

Does Rare Vocabulary Production Distinguish Giftedness from Typical Development in School-age African American Narrators?

Monique Mills; The Ohio State UniversityJamie Mahurin Smith; Illinois State UniversitySara Steele; Saint Louis University

Rationale:To examine rare vocabulary produced in the spoken narratives of school-age African American children.Methods: Forty-three children from general and gifted classrooms produced two narratives: a personal story and a fictional story that was based on the wordless book, Frog, Where Are You? (FWAY; Mayer, 1969). The Wordlist for Expressive Rare Vocabulary Evaluation (WERVE; Mahurin-Smith, DeThorne, & Petrill, 2015) was used to tally number and type of uncommon words produced in these narratives. T-tests and logistic regressions explored classroom- and narrative-type differences in rare vocabulary. Correlational analysis determined the relationship between dialect variation and rare vocabulary.Results: Findings indicated that rare vocabulary count was higher in fictional narratives but denser in personal narratives. Rare word density distinguished children in general classrooms from those in gifted classrooms. There was no correlation between dialect variation and rare word density.Conclusions: Examining school-age African American children’s facility with rare vocabulary appears to be a dialect-neutral way to measure their narrative language and distinguish gifted children from typically-developing children.This work was funded by a Behavioral and Social Sciences Small Grant from The Ohio State University.

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Semantic convergence in young children: The effect of age, number of association branching, and bilingualism

Boji P. W. Lam, University of Texas at AustinLi Sheng; University of Texas at AustinJames R. Booth; University of Texas at AustinHannah S. W. Leung; University of Texas at Austin

Children learn how words are used from an adult model. However, little is known about how children’s semantic representation converges to the shared lexical experiences of the community. This study questioned whether bilingualism and association branching impacts children’s semantic convergence to an English monolingual adult model. A total of 4,815 association responses to fifteen early-acquired adjectives, nouns, and verbs were elicited from 28 English monolinguals, 46 Mandarin-English bilinguals, and 33 Spanish-English bilinguals aged 4 to 7. Responses were coded according to whether they were found among English-speaking monolingual adults’ responses reported in the widely used University of South Florida Free Association Norms. The critical predictors were age, number of association branching for a particular stimulus (#branch), and bilingualism. Generalized linear mixed-effects logistic regression indicated a higher likelihood for adult-like responses for stimuli with larger #branch, and from children who were older, who were English monolingual, and whose mothers had more years of education. Findings from this study shed light on factors that influence how children’s mental representation assimilates to that of the adults.

PS3S35 WITHDRAWN

The Relationship Between Nonverbal Communication Skills and Components of Language in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Meral Çilem Ökcün-Akçamus; Ankara UniversityFunda Acarlar; Ankara University

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the scores of initiating joint attention, imitation, play, and gestures with the components of language in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The study group consisted of 69 children with ASD who were 3.0 to 8.2 years old. Nonverbal communication skills of children with ASD were assessed by observational tasks. Moreover, language samples were collected in the conversational context and mean length of utterance (MLU), the ratio of relative clauses (RRC), the number of different words (NDW), the number of inappropriate responses (NIR), and the ratio of taking turns during the conversation (RTT) were calculated. The findings showed that there were significant differences between the groups which matched for MLU in terms of all of the nonverbal communication skills. It was found that the play significantly predicted MLU and RRC; play, imitation, and initiating joint attention significantly predicted NDW; imitation and initiating joint attention significantly predicted RTT.