Specific Language Impairment in Pre-school Age Hispanic Children

拟议的研究项目与西班牙裔健康差异研究和美国有明显的相关性-墨西哥边境。对学龄前西班牙裔儿童的特定语言障碍（SLI）的研究非常有限，他们将西班牙语作为第一语言，同时将英语作为第二语言。本研究的主要目的是确定居住在得克萨斯州大埃尔帕索地区的西班牙裔儿童SLI的特征，这些儿童年龄在3-5岁，讲西班牙语，在以下方面存在差异：1.语言缺陷的类型和发生频率，包括语义、形态和句法; 2.初级护理人员的社会人口统计学变量，如 语言问题家族史、教育水平、医疗保险状况、与墨西哥的接触情况。样本将由120名三岁、四岁和五岁的儿童组成，这些儿童是通过当地日托中心招募的。日托中心的老师将预先确定符合条件的家庭。家庭将自我认同为西班牙裔和主要的西班牙语发言者。成年参与者（即，母亲或代孕母亲的数字）将完成一个关于社会人口的采访。同意的孩子将完成语言评估。所有面试和语言评估将“以语言适当的方式”进行。“语言评估将包括标准化和非标准化的测试措施。

The proposed research project has clear relevance to Hispanic health disparities research and to the U.S.-Mexico border. Research on specific language impairment (SLI) in preschool-age Hispanic children who speak Spanish as their primary language while acquiring English as a second language is very limited. The central aim of the proposed research is to determine characteristics of SLI in Hispanic children who are Spanish-speaking, ages 3-5 years old and reside in the greater El Paso, Texas area with respect to differences in the following: 1.Types, and frequency of occurrence of language deficits across language domains of semantics, morphology and syntax; 2.Socio-demographic variables of primary care giver such as family history of language problems, educational level, and medical insurance status, contact with Mexico. The sample will be composed of 120 three, four and five year-old children solicited through local day care centers. Day care center teachers will pre-identify eligible families. Families will self-identify as Hispanic and primary Spanish speakers. Consenting adult participants (i.e., mothers or surrogate maternal figures) will complete an interview regarding socio-demographics. Assenting children will complete a language assessment. All interviews and language assessments will be conducted "in a linguistically-appropriate fashion." Language assessments will include standardized and nonstandardized test measures.