Purpose: Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have persistent language difficulties in complex syntax. To date, few studies have examined the effectiveness of syntactic training focusing on complex grammar, with no existing studies having been done in French. In English, the SHAPE CODING (SC) system, which combines shapes and colors…

Purpose: Cross-situational statistical learning is one mechanism by which typically developing toddlers map words to referents. Yet, this type of statistical learning has been found less efficient in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). The purpose of this article is to evaluate cross-situational statistical learning in very young…

This study examined and compared the comprehension of Mandarin ditransitive constructions in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and children with autism spectrum disorder plus language impairment (ALI). Eighteen children with DLD, 17 children with ALI, and 27 age-matched typically developing (TDA) children, participated in a…

Background: In 2016-17 an important consensus was established regarding the use of the diagnostic label 'developmental language disorder' (DLD) to describe children with a persistent language problem having a functional impact on communication or learning and in the absence of any other biomedical condition. Despite this consensus, past research…

Assessments of oral reading are widely used for screening, progress monitoring, and comprehensive evaluations. Despite the utility and technical adequacy of these tools, there are subgroups of students for whom measures of oral reading may be inappropriate. The first section of this article focuses on how tests of oral reading may underestimate…

Background: Understanding factors influencing wellbeing is crucial for the development of effective services. Aphasia in older individuals and developmental language disorder (DLD) in children significantly affect how people live and function. Despite the increasing stroke incidence in young adults and the growing recognition of DLD as a lifelong…

Using language for social purposes can be a real challenge for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental language disorder (DLD). Despite the positive effects of the Pragmatic Intervention Programme (PICP) already known in both populations, the effects needed to be established with a larger sample and analysed separately for…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review of literature focused on the effects of developmental language disorder (DLD) on writing skills across the life span to highlight gaps in our knowledge of how to support writing for this population. Method: We adopted the five-step framework for conducting scoping reviews outlined…

This article summarizes research focusing on communication skills of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who communicate primarily without speech, sign language, or augmentative communication. Importantly, developmental theories were emphasized as useful for interpreting communication in children and adults. These studies…

Background: Language interventions are complex behavioural interventions, making it difficult to distinguish the specific factors contributing to efficacy. The efficacy of oral language comprehension interventions varies greatly, but the reasons for this have received little attention. Aims: The aim of this meta-analysis was to examine which…

Background: There is extremely limited population-based research on social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD). Population-based samples have the potential to better characterize the SCD phenotype by mitigating confounds and biases that are typical of convenience and clinical samples. Aims: The aims of this preliminary epidemiologic study…

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…

The goal of this preliminary investigation was to compare demographic and clinical characteristics in a sample of children with likely Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SCD) (N = 117) to those in children with possible (N = 118) and some (N = 126) SCD traits, other developmental delay (DD) (N = 91) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (N =…

Background: Speech-language pathology (SLP) in China, referred to as 'speech rehabilitation', addresses developmental and acquired communication disorders, including language delays, aphasia, and dysphagia. Despite the population exceeding 85 million individuals with communication disabilities, China faces a critical shortage of certified…

Children with developmental language disorders (DLDs) may experience barriers to communicative participation. Communicative participation is defined as 'participation in life situations in which knowledge, information, ideas or feelings are exchanged'. Barriers experienced in communicative participation cannot be explained by language competence…