Impact of developmental language disorders on mental health and well-being across the lifespan: a qualitative study including the perspectives of UK adults with DLD and Australian speech-language therapists.

Objective: This study aims to explore the educational, occupational and socioemotional experiences of people with developmental language disorder (DLD) across the lifespan to gain insight into risk and protective factors for mental health.

Design: Qualitative analysis of focus groups and written submissions. Data were combined and analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis approach within a critical realist framework.

The model of access to speech-language pathology services.

Purpose: Within Australia, some families face challenges in accessing paediatric speech-language pathology services. This research sought to investigate the factors that impact access to paediatric speech-language pathology services within Western Australia.

Method: Researchers used constructivist grounded theory to investigate the construct of access, as experienced and perceived by service decision-makers, namely caregivers of children with communication needs and speech-language pathologists who provide communication services.

Understanding mental health in developmental dyslexia through a neurodiversity lens: The mediating effect of school-connectedness on anxiety, depression and conduct problems.

Dyslexia, a neurocognitive difference characterised by poor word-reading, is associated with elevated risk for internalising (e.g., anxiety) and externalising (e.

The grammaticality judgement of inflectional morphology in children with and without Developmental Language Disorder.

To explore the clinical potential of grammaticality judgement tasks, this study investigated whether a Grammaticality Judgment Task (GJT) of inflectional morphology could differentiate between a clinically selected sample of children with DLD and children in mainstream (i.e. regular education) schools.

Update on Identification and Treatment of Infants and Toddlers With Suspected Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Purpose: The purpose of this tutorial is to (a) provide an updated review of the literature pertaining to proposed early features of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), (b) discuss the findings of recent treatment studies of infants and toddlers with suspected CAS (sCAS), and (c) present evidence-based strategies and tools that can be used for the identification of and intervention for infants and toddlers with sCAS or at high risk for the disorder.

Method: Since Davis and Velleman's (2000) seminal work on assessment and intervention in infants and toddlers with sCAS, limited research has guided clinicians in the complex task of identifying and treating early speech motor difficulties prior to a definitive diagnosis of CAS. Following the structure of Davis and Velleman, we explore the proposed early characteristics of CAS with reference to contemporary research.

Complex Language Use in Children With Hearing Loss: A Scoping Review.

Purpose: Understanding what is known about the language profiles of children with hearing loss (CHL) is vital so that researchers and teachers can identify the specific complex syntactic structures that CHL may struggle to master. An understanding of which aspects of complex syntax pose difficulties for CHL is necessary to inform the kind of intervention that will facilitate learning complex syntax for this cohort of children. This scoping review aims to identify what is currently known about the complex syntax use of CHL who communicate through spoken language, and uncover gaps in the literature to guide further research.

"I struggle at times to see her struggle": Mothers' perspectives on dyslexia-related school struggles and the inter-connected nature of mother and child well-being.

Introduction: Parents of children with dyslexia may be at elevated risk for parenting stress and mental health concerns. Our aim was to explore the emotional experience of growing up with dyslexia in Australia from parents' perspectives. In so doing, we also developed an understanding of parents' own mental health and support needs informed by their lived experience.

Understanding Mental Health in Developmental Dyslexia: A Scoping Review.

Children with dyslexia are at elevated risk of internalising and externalising mental health concerns. Our aim was to scope the extent and nature of the literature investigating factors which may influence this association. We systematically searched the peer-reviewed and grey literature with no restrictions on the date.

The Engage with Developmental Language Disorder (E-DLD) project: Cohort profile.

Background: Public awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is lower than other neurodevelopmental disorders, despite its high prevalence of 7.6%. This lower awareness means recruitment for DLD research studies is difficult.

Assessing children's vocabulary: An exploratory cross-sectional survey of speech-language pathologists.

Purpose: Past research highlights the importance of evaluating word learning abilities to build understanding of an individual's language-learning capacity and make evidence-informed decisions in speech-language pathology practice. However, little research has explored vocabulary and word learning assessment practices among speech-language pathologists (SLPs). This pilot, exploratory study aimed to explore current assessment practices and guide translation of research to practice among SLPs who work with children of all ages.

Growing up with dyslexia: Child and parent perspectives on school struggles, self-esteem, and mental health.

Children with dyslexia, compared with typically reading peers, are at increased risk of internalising (e.g., anxiety) and externalising (e.

Editorial Perspective: Maximising the benefits of intervention research for children and young people with developmental language disorder (DLD) - a call for international consensus on standards of reporting in intervention studies for children with and at risk for DLD.

Current methods for reporting interventions do not allow key questions of importance to practitioners, service providers, policy-makers and people with DLD to be answered, and hence limit the implementation of effective interventions in the real world. To extend the existing EQUATOR guidelines to the context of speech language therapy/pathology for children with language disorder and to provide more specific guidance on participants, interventions and outcomes within the CONSORT checklist (used to improve the reporting of randomised controlled trials) and TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) to ensure consistency of reporting. We will develop a core team to include representatives from each of the key groups who will either use or be influenced by the final reporting guidance across different countries.

Evaluating two different dose frequencies and cumulative intervention intensities to improve past tense production for early school-aged children with developmental language disorder.

Aims: This study compared two dose frequency conditions of an explicit intervention with 50 trials per session designed to improve past tense marking in early school-aged children with developmental language disorder (DLD). The influence of allomorphs on intervention effects was also examined.

Methods: Data from previously conducted intervention studies were combined and analysed.

A profile of expressive inflectional morphology in early school-age children with developmental language disorder.

Previous research has established that children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have difficulties producing inflectional morphology, in particular, finiteness marking. However, other categories of inflectional morphology, such as possessive nominal inflection remain relatively unexplored. Analyses of the characteristics for marking inflection, such as allomorphic categories, may increase our understanding of patterns within disordered grammar to inform the design of interventions and target selection.

Word learning and verbal working memory in children with developmental language disorder.

Background And Aims: Previous research into word learning in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) indicates that the learning of word forms and meanings, rather than form-referent links, is problematic. This difficulty appears to arise with impaired encoding, while retention of word knowledge remains intact. Evidence also suggests that word learning skills may be related to verbal working memory.

The oral and written narrative language skills of adolescent students in youth detention and the impact of language disorder.

Background: Unmet language and literacy needs are common among young people who are involved with youth justice systems. However, there is limited research regarding the functional text-level language skills of this population with regard to narrative macrostructure (story grammar) and microstructure (semantics and syntax) elements.

Methods: In this study, we examined macrostructure and microstructure elements in the oral and written narrative texts of 24 adolescent students of a youth detention centre.

Piloting 'Clever Kids': A randomized-controlled trial assessing feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability of a socioemotional well-being programme for children with dyslexia.

Children with dyslexia are at elevated risk of internalizing (emotional) and externalizing (behavioural) problems. Clever Kids is a nine-week socioemotional well-being programme developed specifically for upper primary school children with dyslexia. In a small randomized-controlled trial, we tested the feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability of the Clever Kids programme.

The Efficacy of an Explicit Intervention Approach to Improve Past Tense Marking for Early School-Age Children With Developmental Language Disorder.

Purpose The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a theoretically motivated explicit intervention approach to improve regular past tense marking for early school-age children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Method Twenty-one children with DLD (ages 5;9-6;9 [years;months]) were included in a crossover randomized controlled trial (intervention, = 10; waiting control, = 11). Intervention included once-weekly sessions over 10 weeks using the SHAPE CODING system, in combination with a systematic cueing hierarchy to teach past tense marking.

Working, Declarative, and Procedural Memory in Children With Developmental Language Disorder.

Purpose Previous research into the working, declarative, and procedural memory systems in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) has yielded inconsistent results. The purpose of this research was to profile these memory systems in children with DLD and their typically developing peers. Method One hundred four 5- to 8-year-old children participated in the study.

The information score as a measure of oral discourse comprehension in the early school years.

: Oral discourse comprehension is a fundamental skill that is predictive of future reading comprehension. The ability to identify important semantic propositions, in a narrative text, and their attachment to a mental model is an essential component of discourse comprehension. This study aimed to pilot a measure of free-recall in a narrative retell across three age groups to explore development.

Explicit Grammar Intervention in Young School-Aged Children With Developmental Language Disorder: An Efficacy Study Using Single-Case Experimental Design.

Purpose This study evaluated the efficacy of an explicit, combined metalinguistic training and grammar facilitation intervention aimed at improving regular past tense marking for nine children aged 5;10-6;8 (years;months) with developmental language disorder. Method This study used an ABA across-participant multiple-baseline single-case experimental design. Participants were seen one-on-one twice a week for 20- to 30-min sessions for 10 weeks and received explicit grammar intervention combining metalinguistic training using the SHAPE CODING system with grammar facilitation techniques (a systematic cueing hierarchy).

The evaluation of word-learning abilities in people with developmental language disorder: a scoping review.

Background: The ability to learn new words is critical in the development of oral and written language, and significantly impacts engagement in social, academic and vocational situations. Many studies have evaluated the word-learning process in people with developmental language disorder (DLD). However, methodologies for assessment are heterogeneous, creating difficulties in synthesizing findings and identifying gaps in the knowledge base.

Oral literal and inferential narrative comprehension in young typically developing children and children with developmental language disorder.

: The Squirrel Story Narrative Comprehension Assessment (NCA) was used to investigate the literal and inferential comprehension skills of young typically developing (TD) children aged between 4 and 6 years and to compare the performance of 5-year-old TD children and those with developmental language disorder (DLD). : A total of 132 typically developing children across three age groups between 4 to 6 years (4;0-4;11, 5;0-5;11, 6;0-6;11, years;months), and 94 children with DLD aged 5 years, were assessed using the NCA. : There was a significant increase in both literal and inferential scores for TD children from 4 to 6 years.