Specific Language Impairment in Pre-school Age Hispanic Children

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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.