Purpose: Four children identified with language impairment (LI) participated in a social communication intervention to increase the production of validating comments, including making positive statements, sharing information, and asking peers questions about themselves. Method: A case study design was used. Baseline measures were collected from 3…

Adolescents with impaired language comprehension and formulation skills often experience difficulty keeping up with the linguistic and social demands of peer interaction. This clinical exchange describes an individualized treatment program designed to increase the conversational skill of an adolescent male with language impairment. Treatment…

Teachers were asked to rate the emotion regulation behaviors of 41 children (ages 6-13) with specific language impairment (SLI) and 41 typical peers. Overall, children with SLI received significantly lower ratings than typical children. Sex differences were also found, with boys with SLI having notably lower ratings than other groups on the…

This pilot study examined the playground social behaviors of eight children (ages 6-10) with language impairments (LI) and their typical peers. Analysis of videotape recordings found LI children spent significantly less time interacting with peers and demonstrated significantly more withdrawn behaviors than did their peers, with group membership…

This pilot study examined how the individual social-behavioral profiles of six children with language impairment (LI) influenced their ability to work with two typically developing children in cooperative groups. Although the success of individual interactions was highly variable, the LI child's social profile was a good predictor of ability to…

Elementary classroom teachers rated the withdrawn and social behaviors of 41 children with language impairments (LI) and 41 typically developing peers using the Teacher Behavioral Rating Scale. Teachers rated children with LI as more reticent than typically developing children, and boys with LI as displaying more solitary-active withdrawal…

This study investigated the ability of 10 children (ages 6-7) with specific language impairment (SLI), 10 children of the same chronological age, and 10 children at similar levels of language functioning to maintain conversational topics. Results found that subjects with SLI contributed more inappropriate utterances and demonstrated difficulty…

Speech-language clinicians should offer specific suggestions to classroom teachers for dealing with language handicapped children. Suggestions may touch upon listening behavior, classroom emotional climate, as well as specific techniques for talking with children (modeling, expatiation, expansion). Specific activity ideas may also be offered. (CL)

Thirteen subjects (aged 5:6 to 6:6) with language disorders were given elicited imitation and spontaneous language tasks, and their performance was compared among and within subjects. The two procedures produced significantly correlated results for some children but not for others. Analysis of specific syntactic forms also produced variable…

This article presents a case study of a nine-year-old male with language impairment and specific pragmatic disabilities. His interactions with an adult, a language age-matched peer, and a chronological age-matched peer were observed and analyzed to determine conversational responsiveness and assertiveness. Findings support Fey's (1986) verbal…

This paper on the relationship of language impairment, social skills, and socioemotional behavior introduces the following issues: the influence of language impairment on the social interactions of children; the association between language and challenging behavior; and the relationship between language impairment, social problems, and psychiatric…