Statistical Word Learning in Children with Language Disorders

描述（由申请人提供）：许多患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）和特定语言障碍（SLI）的儿童在学习单词方面存在困难，这对学习成绩，功能独立性和生活质量产生了负面影响。尽管词汇发展的重要性，相对知之甚少的学习机制，这些缺陷的基础。此外，儿童语言特征的重叠， ASD和SLI还不太清楚。理解ASD和SLI儿童的语言学习机制具有重要的理论意义，有效的语言治疗依赖于此。虽然统计学习（即，语言敏感性）被认为是典型发育中多个语言领域的一种强大的语言学习机制，但对ASD和SLI儿童的统计学习知之甚少。本研究将通过研究统计学习对单词学习的影响来解决这一知识差距。具体来说，本研究将评估儿童如何将母语语音模式的知识与意义联系起来。通过三项研究评估统计学习在非典型语言发展儿童词汇学习中的作用。具体目标1将探讨单词学习的先决条件技能。研究1a将通过分段任务（即，使用隐式转移概率线索从连续语音流中分割声音单元）而无需单词学习。研究1b将测试与未分割的新对象配对的新标签的联想词学习。由于患有ASD和SLI的儿童在学习单词方面存在困难，并且在单词学习中难以巩固语言信息，因此测试单词学习中的组件技能非常重要。一旦先决条件的技能已经评估，研究2，解决具体目标2，将评估是否有ASD和SLI的儿童能够映射到新分割的单词的意义。一个显着的先决条件的技能和具体目标2之间的关系是预期的，但是，不同群体之间的比较将允许识别潜在的不同能力的单词学习技能在两个人口与非典型语言发展。隐式和显式的教学和测试方法将被用来捕捉微妙的实时学习信息，同时对儿童的行为要求最低。组内和组间分析将评估ASD、SLI和典型发育儿童的学习情况。由于ASD和SLI儿童的异质性和可能缺乏受试者内稳定性，将采用新的统计方法分析眼睛注视数据，以解决潜在的分析困难。此外，由于ASD儿童已知的社会缺陷，研究将使用非社会任务。这项研究的结果将有助于重要 这些信息有助于我们对非典型语言发展儿童语言习得的理论理解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and specific language impairment (SLI) have difficulties learning words, which negatively impacts academic performance, functional independence, and quality of life. Despite the importance of vocabulary development, relatively little is known about the learning mechanisms that underlie these deficits. Furthermore, the overlap of language characteristics in children with ASD and SLI is not well understood. An understanding of language-learning mechanisms in children with ASD and SLI has important theoretical implications upon which effective language therapies rely. Although statistical learning (i.e., sensitivity to linguistic regularities) is accpted as a robust language-learning mechanism in multiple domains of language in typical development, very little is known about statistical learning in children with ASD and SLI. This study will address this gap in knowledge by examining the impact of statistical learning in word learning. Specifically, this study will assess how children link knowledge of native language sound patterns to meaning. The contribution of statistical learning in word learning in children with atypical language development will be assessed through three studies. Specific Aim 1 will investigate prerequisite skills in word learning. Study 1a will assess the use of statistical learnng through a segmenting task (i.e., segmenting sound units from a continuous speech stream with the use of implicit transitional probability cues) without word learning. Study 1b will test associative word learning of novel labels paired with novel objects without segmentation. Because children with ASD and SLI have difficulties learning words and have difficulties consolidating linguistic information in word learning, it is important to test component skills in word learning. Once prerequisite skills have been assessed, Study 2, addressing specific aim 2, will assess whether children with ASD and SLI are able to map meaning onto newly segmented words. A significant relationship between prerequisite skills and specific aim 2 is anticipated; however, comparison among the different groups will allow for identification of potentially different abilities in word learning skills in the two populations with atypical language development. Both implicit and explicit teaching and testing methods will be used to capture subtle real-time learning information while placing minimal behavioral demands on the children. Within- and between- group analyses will assess learning in children with ASD, SLI, and typical development. New statistical methods for analyzing eye-gaze data will be employed to address potential analytical difficulties given the heterogeneity and possible lack of within-subject stability in children with ASD and SLI. Additionally, because of known social deficits in children with ASD, the studies will use non-social tasks. Findings from this study will contribute important information to our theoretical understanding of language acquisition in children with atypical language development.