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The oral and written narrative language skills of adolescent students in youth detention and the impact of language disorderUnmet 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. 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. The students, who were aged 14- to 17- years, were all speakers of Standard Australian English, and 11 (46%) students met criteria for language disorder (LD).
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Early vocabulary development: The importance of joint attention and parent-child book readingThe current study brought a bioecological approach to children’s early vocabulary development using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children...
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Prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal risk factors for specific language impairment: A prospective pregnancy cohort studyAlthough genetic factors are known to play a causal role in specific language impairment (SLI), environmental factors may also be important. This study...
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Early development of emerging and English-proficient bilingual children at school entry in an Australian population cohortChildren who enter school with limited proficiency in the language of instruction face a range of challenges in negotiating this new context, yet limited...
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Evidence for shared deficits in identifying emotions from faces and from voices in autism spectrum disorders and specific language impairmentWhile autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and specific language impairment (SLI) have traditionally been conceptualized as distinct disorders, recent findings...
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Aspects of speech-language abilities are influenced by MECP2 mutation type in girls with Rett syndromeThis study investigates relationships between methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 gene (MECP2) mutation type and speech-language abilities in girls with Rett syndrome.
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Sex-specific associations between umbilical cord blood testosterone levels and language delay in early childhoodPreliminary evidence suggests that prenatal testosterone exposure may be associated with language delay. However, no study has examined a large sample of...
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Do Children with Specific Language Impairment have a Cognitive Profile Reminiscent of Autism? A Review of the LiteratureThis paper reviews relevant literature on whether individuals with SLI exhibit cognitive characteristics reminiscent of autism.
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Rethink needed on literacy interventionA new study by The Kids Research Institute Australia has found current early intervention programs are failing to identify a large proportion of children with language an
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Inner speech impairments in autismThree experiments investigated the role of inner speech deficit in cognitive performances of children with autism.