Relationships Among Language Processing and Production Abilities of Learning Disabled Adolescents

Abstract

This study assessed the relationships among various language processing and production abilities of 32 learning disabled adolescents. Kendall rank correlation coefficients indicated that 1 chronological age correlated negatively with performance on three of the language tests, and 2 WISC Verbal IQs correlated positively with performance on all but one of the language processing subtests and with performance on two of the language production subtests: Performance on the various language processing subtests tended to correlate positively with each other and negatively with performance on language production subtests. Measures of the accuracy of responses on the language production subtests generally correlated positively with each other and negatively with measures of speed of retrieval. These findings suggest that the learning disabled adolescents had reached a performance plateau and that developmental factors no longer produced an increase in their language abilities. They also suggest the presence of at least two distinct language deficit syndromes within the learning disabled population. These are: 1 cognitive-linguistic processing deficits characterized by reductions in morphology and syntax and in the comprehension of linguistic concepts and 2 “dysnomia” characterized by verbal paraphasias and word finding and retrieval deficits.

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