Comprehension of Syntactic Structures and Critical Verbal Elements by Children with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

The comprehension of: (1) syntactic structures and (2) critical verbal elements were assessed in 34 learning disabled children using the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test (NSST) and the Assessment of Children's Language Comprehension (ACLC), respectively. Performances were compared with normative data and with performances by 17 academically achieving controls. Learning disabled children scored significantly lower than their controls on the NSST receptive subtest, and a significant percentage scored below the 10th percentile when compared with normative data. Performances on the receptive and expressive subtests of the NSST correlated positively and significantly. The learning disabled children performed similarly to normative 6 1/2 year olds on the ACLC while the academically achieving controls showed a ceiling effect. The findings suggest that the NSST and ACLC may be used for screening and identification of language comprehension deficits in learning disabled children. Performances by younger (ages 7 to 9) and older (ages 9-1 to 11-6) learning disabled children did not differ significantly, suggesting that deficits in auditory comprehension may not improve spontaneously with age. The deficits were interpreted to reflect delays in syntactic rule learning, reduced simultaneous analysis and synthesis, and reduced auditory memory.