Article

A deficit in non-word repetition (NWR), a measure of short-term phonological
memory proposed as a marker for language impairment, is found not only in
language impairment but also in reading impairment. We evaluated the strength of
association between language impairment and reading impairment in children with
current, past, and no language impairment and assessed any differential
impairment of NWR, compared with two other tests of verbal memory in children
with language impairment with and without reading impairment. METHOD: Our sample
comprised children aged 6-16y 11mo participating in a study of the genetics of
language impairment: 78 children from 68 families (53 males, 25 females) with
current language impairment (C-LI), compared with their 74 siblings: 25 children
(18 males, seven females) with a past history of language impairment and 49
children (27 males, 22 females) who had never had a language impairment. The
tests used were the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF III), the
Children's Test of Non-word Repetition (CN-Rep), the Wide Range Assessment of
Memory and Learning (WRAML) verbal memory index, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale
for Children-III (WISC-III) digit span, and the Wechsler Objective Reading
Dimensions (WORD(UK) ). RESULTS: Reading impairment was present in two-thirds of
the children with current language impairment. NWR deficits were significantly
worse in children with language impairment who had reading impairment in reading
decoding (p=0.007 and 0.004 - average group compared with borderline and
definitely impaired groups respectively) or spelling (p=0.002 and 0.005 - average
group compared with borderline and severely impaired groups respectively) (not
correlated with severity of language impairment) but not comprehension
impairment. In contrast, WISC digit span and WRAML verbal memory were impaired in
all children with language impairment and did not differentiate those who also
had reading impairment. INTERPRETATION: We suggest that current NWR ability may
be a marker of a process specifically underlying language impairment,
co-occurring with reading impairment involving reading decoding and spelling,
rather than a generic correlate of language impairment. Other verbal memory
deficits appear to be pervasive in children with language impairment.
CI - (c) The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (c) 2011 Mac Keith
Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS