Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether children with specific language impairment (SLI) are more or less variable than children with typically developing language. In addition, the within child variability for children with SLI was analyzed to consider how heterogeneity influenced identification of areas of linguistic strengths and weaknesses in this population. Fifty seven children with SLI, 7:0–11:0, and fifty seven of their peers with typically developing language were assessed using five subtests and a composite language score from the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL) (Carrow-Woolfolk, 1999). The children with typically developing language were significantly more variable as a group than the children with SLI. The heterogeneity of the children with SLI did not allow for the creation of subgroups based on language strengths and weaknesses.

Degree

MS

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Communication Disorders

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2009-07-10

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd3032

Keywords

Specific Language Impairment, SLI, heterogeneity, variability, Language Impairment, LI, categorization, subgroups, continuum

Language

English

Share

COinS