Purpose: Sentence repetition (SR) is a promising task for identifying children at risk for developmental language disorder (DLD) but is unclear how to calibrate the task for adults. In verbal recall, the frequency of language structures affects adults with DLD differently from peers with typical language (TL), particularly near the limits of…

Purpose: Adolescents with developmental language disorder (DLD) are an underserved population. Having DLD affects adolescents' academic and eventual economic success, supporting the need for accurate, clinically feasible DLD screening tools for adolescents. The objective of this review is to identify clinically feasible screening tools for…

Background: As highlighted by research on typically developing children, various biases exist when evaluating bilingual children's abilities. These biases can lead to inequitable assessment of language and cognitive abilities--potentially over- or underestimating bilinguals' skills. Recent reviews on neurodivergent bilingual children alluded to…

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a designed training program for nurses toward early detection of developmental disabilities among children aged 0-3 years. A group of 21 licensed nurses with professional experience ranging from 5-11 years participated in the study. The participants completed the measurements to evaluate their…

The current study sought to investigate whether word properties can facilitate the identification of developmental language disorder (DLD) in sequential bilinguals by analyzing properties in nouns and verbs in L2 spontaneous speech as potential DLD markers. Measures of semantic (imageability, concreteness), lexical (frequency, age of acquisition)…

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a language deficit affecting approximately 7% of the general population and does not associate with any hearing impairment, neurological damage, or mental disorder. In DLD, the complications arise over time due to the learning difficulties experienced, which causes eventual cognitive delay compared to…

Purpose: Growing awareness of the importance of oral language for academic success, the underidentification of students with developmental language disorders, and the promotion of a multi-tiered system of supports have led to calls for universal oral language screenings. However, specific information, guidance, and related case studies for…

Estimates show that one in six children aged three through 17 in the United States have one or more developmental disabilities. Many early childhood education programs aim to improve early identification of children with developmental disabilities and increase family engagement, specifically Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The present…

Early identification of developmental delays and disabilities (DDs) is a key component of well-child visits. Recommendations for assessing children's development during these visits continue to evolve. For almost a century, developmental milestones have been used to identify children with atypical development. More recently, the American Academy…

Montessori educators face increasing demands to support growing numbers of students who have developmental delays or disabilities, and early detection and support are essential. Yet, detecting developmental delays is a complex task, and early childhood educators do not typically receive specialized training. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires…

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate how teachers in the United States understand and perceive developmental language disorder (DLD). This study used a survey to examine teachers' understanding of DLD and the impact of DLD at school to inform advocacy efforts within the discipline of communication sciences and…

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may also have undiagnosed developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Prevalence rates of the ADHD/DCD comorbidity are estimated between 30% and 50%. Given the significant impact these disorders have on a child's occupational performance, lack of detection of DCD is of concern.…

Our team was awarded a grant by a private organization in partnership with a local research network to examine disparities in the special education referrals and services provided to young children in New York City (NYC). Our convergent mixed-methods study is exploring how the NYC preschool ecology--consisting of "process,"…

Purpose: Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a lifelong condition that when impacting educational performance is identified and serviced through U.S. schools as outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. A few examples of educational categories that refer to DLD are (a) speech or language impairment (S/LI) and (b) specific…

This study utilized a mixed methods design to analyze responses from a nationally distributed survey of professionals' (N = 1,000) experiences conducting initial evaluations for early intervention and preschool special education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most personnel reported pausing their initial evaluations at some point during the…