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Identifying specific language impairment in deaf children acquiring British Sign Language: Implications for theory and practice
Author(s) -
Mason Kathryn,
Rowley Katherine,
Marshall Chloe R.,
Atkinson Joanna R.,
Herman Rosalind,
Woll Bencie,
Morgan Gary
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
british journal of developmental psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 2044-835X
pISSN - 0261-510X
DOI - 10.1348/026151009x484190
Subject(s) - specific language impairment , sign language , psychology , grammar , comprehension , sentence , language disorder , linguistics , language development , developmental psychology , cognition , philosophy , neuroscience
This paper presents the first ever group study of specific language impairment (SLI) in users of sign language. A group of 50 children were referred to the study by teachers and speech and language therapists. Individuals who fitted pre‐determined criteria for SLI were then systematically assessed. Here, we describe in detail the performance of 13 signing deaf children aged 5–14 years on normed tests of British Sign Language (BSL) sentence comprehension, repetition of nonsense signs, expressive grammar and narrative skills, alongside tests of non‐verbal intelligence and fine motor control. Results show these children to have a significant language delay compared to their peers matched for age and language experience. This impaired development cannot be explained by poor exposure to BSL, or by lower general cognitive, social, or motor abilities. As is the case for SLI in spoken languages, we find heterogeneity within the group in terms of which aspects of language are affected and the severity of the impairment. We discuss the implications of the existence of language impairments in a sign language for theories of SLI and clinical practice.