Infant Speech Processing as Predictor of Language Disorder in English and Spanish

要理解语言，孩子们必须倾听在时间上迅速展开的语音中的含义。 研究人员已经开始探索在典型的语言理解中出现的早期效率 发育中(TD)婴儿，但对儿童语言处理能力是如何发展的知之甚少 面临语言延迟(LD)的风险，这是促使这一提议的问题。两项纵向研究 学习英语和西班牙语的儿童面临语言延迟的风险探索在线测量之间的关系 加工效率与传统语言和认知能力测量的实验研究 和标准化测试。研究I的参与者(n=125)在18个月时被招募，包括学习英语的TD 儿童以及“晚谈者”(LT)，有些人后来会进入正常范围，有些人会 仍然面临语言延迟的风险。这些孩子在“边看边听”(LWL)程序中接受测试 在18、24、30、36和48个月时评估语音处理能力。研究II(n=126)的参与者为 学习西班牙语的儿童面临语言延迟的风险，以及学习西班牙语和 英语同步，也在18个月时招募，包括TD和LT儿童。这些拉丁裔儿童 评估时间分别为18、24、36、48和60个月。其中一个目标是调整使用 TD儿童将关注四个关键语言领域的语言处理挑战(LPCS) 能力：熟悉的单词识别；形态句法信息的使用；语义整合；以及新奇 单词学习，所有学习困难的领域。第二个目标是确定 这些用于幼儿的新的在线处理措施与传统的 词汇和语法的增长，以及用于评估语言延迟的标准化临床工具。在… 每个年龄段的儿童都会在LWL在线程序中进行测试，得出准确、敏感、连续的测量结果 实时翻译语言刺激的速度和准确性。他们还会在每个年龄段接受评估 标准化测试，使我们能够检查每个LPC中的处理效率之间的并发关系 以及更传统的语言发展衡量标准。我们的首要目标是确定 语言功能的测量在预测不同人群的未来结果方面最有效。我们 使用在线测量来确定哪些特定的处理问题可能是早期的先兆或“标记” 后来的语言障碍。我们的纵向设计前瞻性地跟踪语言技能的增长，从而 美国将确定婴儿期的加工效率在多大程度上可以区分哪些LT儿童是“追赶”的 来自那些有语言和学习困难风险的人。尽管我们的主要关注点是临床 这些措施对有语言障碍风险的儿童的相关性，研究I和研究II也将使我们能够 探索在学习西班牙语和英语的不同人群中接受语言技能的完整连续体 英语，记录了高能力儿童和高能力儿童的个体差异 口语处理有困难的。

To understand language, children must listen for meaning in speech sounds that unfold rapidly in time. Researchers have begun to explore the emergence of early efficiency in language understanding in typically developing (TD) infants, but little is known about how speech processing abilities develop in children who are at risk for language delay (LD), the question that motivates this proposal. Two longitudinal studies with English- and Spanish-learning children at risk for language delay explore relations between online measures of processing efficiency and traditional measures of language and cognitive competence on experimental and standardized tests. Participants in Study I, (n=125) recruited at 18 months, include English-learning TD children as well as "late talkers" (LT), some who will later move into the normal range, and some who will remain at risk for language delay. These children are tested in the "looking-while-listening" (LWL) procedure to assess speech processing skill at 18, 24, 30, 36, & 48 months. Participants in Study II (n=126) are Spanish-learning children at risk for language delay, as well as bilingual children learning Spanish and English simultaneously, also recruited at 18 months including TD and LT children. These Latino children are assessed at 18, 24, 36, 48, & 60 months. One goal is to adapt online processing measures developed with TD children to focus on Language Processing Challenges (LPCs) in four critical areas of language competence: familiar word recognition; use of morphosyntactic information; semantic integration; and novel word learning, all areas in which LD children have difficulties. A second goal is to establish the validity of these new online processing measures for use with very young children in relation to traditional measures of lexical and grammatical growth and to standardized clinical instruments used to assess language delay. At each age children are tested in the online LWL procedure, yielding precise, sensitive, continuous measures of speed and accuracy in interpreting linguistic stimuli in real time. They are also assessed at each age on standardized tests, enabling us to examine concurrent relations between processing efficiency in each LPC and more traditional measures of language development. Our overarching goal is to determine which measures of language function are most powerful in predicting later outcomes in diverse populations. We use online measures to identify which particular processing problems may be early precursors or "markers" of later language impairment. Our longitudinal designs prospectively track growth in language skills, allowing us to determine to what extent processing efficiency in infancy can distinguish LT children who "catch up" from those who are at risk for language and learning difficulties. Although our major focus is on the clinical relevance of these measures for children at risk for language delay, Studies I & II will also enable us to explore the full continuum of receptive language skill in diverse populations of children learning Spanish and English, documenting individual differences in children who are highly competent as well as those who are having difficulty in spoken language processing.