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-墨西哥边境有着明显的相关性。针对以西班牙语为主要语言、同时以英语为第二语言的学龄前西班牙裔儿童的特定语言障碍 (SLI) 的研究非常有限。本研究的核心目的是确定居住在德克萨斯州大埃尔帕索地区的 3-5 岁西班牙语西班牙裔儿童的 SLI 特征，其中包括以下方面的差异： 1. 跨语义、词法和句法语言领域的语言缺陷的类型和发生频率； 2.初级保健提供者的社会人口变量，例如 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。样本将由当地日托中心招募的 120 名三岁、四岁和五岁儿童组成。日托中心的老师将预先确定符合条件的家庭。家庭将自我认定为西班牙裔且主要讲西班牙语。同意的成年参与者（即母亲或代理母亲人物）将完成有关社会人口统计的采访。同意的儿童将完成语言评估。所有访谈和语言评估都将“以语言上适当的方式”进行。语言评估将包括标准化和非标准化测试措施。

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.