Specific Language Impairment in Pre-school Age Hispanic Children

拟议的研究项目显然与拉美裔健康差距研究和美墨边境有关。对以西班牙语为主要语言，而英语为第二语言的学龄前西班牙裔儿童的特殊语言障碍(SLI)的研究非常有限。这项拟议的研究的中心目标是确定居住在德克萨斯州埃尔帕索地区、说西班牙语的3-5岁西班牙裔儿童在以下方面的差异：1.跨语义、词法和句法的语言领域的语言缺陷的类型和发生频率；2.初级护理人员的社会人口变量 有语言问题家族史、受教育程度、医疗保险状况、与墨西哥有联系。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征集的。日托中心教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使用者。同意的成年参与者(即母亲或代孕母亲)将完成关于社会人口统计的访谈。同意的孩子将完成一项语言评估。所有的面试和语言评估都将“以适合语言的方式”进行。语言评估将包括标准化和非标准化的测试手段。

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.