Application of Recurrent Activation Models to Mechanistic Explanations of DLD: A Commentary on Riches (2026)

Abstract

We respond to Riches’ article in which he puts forth the idea that exemplar-based learning is the underlying deficit in children with Developmental Language Disorder, grounded in Dell and Chang’s P-Chain model. We affirm the potential contributions of exemplar-based learning and explore other potential possibilities for mechanistic explanations of learning differences grounded in this model, including inhibitory control, working memory, extant knowledge, prediction error and feedback. We propose ways that these explanations might guide clinical practice.

Keywords

DLD verb learning syntax error-based learning prediction sentence processing

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