University of Iowa, Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, 250 Hawkins Drive, 7 WJSHC, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2010 Jan;41(1):108-17. doi: 10.1044/0161-1461(2009/08-0057).
This article describes a database that was created in the process of conducting a large-scale epidemiologic study of specific language impairment (SLI). As such, this database will be referred to as the EpiSLI database. Children with SLI have unexpected and unexplained difficulties learning and using spoken language. Although there is no uniform standard for the diagnosis of SLI, the construct encompasses a language deficit occurring in the presence of grossly normal sensory and nonverbal cognitive abilities (H. Tager-Flusberg & J. Cooper, 1999). Although these language difficulties are most apparent during the preschool and early school years, evidence now exists that these problems are usually present well into adulthood and are probably present throughout a person's life (see, for instance, C. J. Johnson et al., 1999; S. E. Stothard, M. J. Snowling, D. V. M. Bishop, B. B. Chipchase, & C. A. Kaplan, 1998; J. B. Tomblin, 2008).
Much of what we know of these children has come from research on children who have been clinically identified and served. Certainly, by studying those who are being served, our research base is most likely to be relevant to clinical services. However, there is a danger in this research strategy. It is quite possible that not all children with SLI are clinically identified and served within our service delivery systems. In such circumstances, there is the potential for systematic factors to influence which children do or do not find their way to clinical service.
If our research questions are concerned with the characteristics of the actual population of children with SLI that exists in our communities and not just those who are being served, then we need to turn to methods of epidemiology to aid our research.
本文描述了一个在进行特定语言障碍（SLI）大规模流行病学研究过程中创建的数据库。因此，这个数据库将被称为 EpiSLI 数据库。患有 SLI 的儿童在学习和使用口语方面存在意外且无法解释的困难。尽管 SLI 的诊断没有统一的标准，但该结构包含在存在明显正常感觉和非语言认知能力的情况下出现的语言缺陷（H. Tager-Flusberg 和 J. Cooper，1999 年）。尽管这些语言困难在学龄前和小学早期最为明显，但现在有证据表明，这些问题通常在成年期仍然存在，并且可能在人的一生都存在（例如，见 C. J. Johnson 等人，1999 年；S. E. Stothard、M. J. Snowling、D. V. M. Bishop、B. B. Chipchase 和 C. A. Kaplan，1998 年；J. B. Tomblin，2008 年）。
我们对这些儿童的了解大部分来自对已被临床识别和服务的儿童的研究。当然，通过研究那些正在得到服务的儿童，我们的研究基础最有可能与临床服务相关。然而，这种研究策略存在风险。很有可能并非所有患有 SLI 的儿童都在我们的服务提供系统中被临床识别和服务。在这种情况下，系统因素有可能影响哪些儿童会或不会找到通往临床服务的途径。
如果我们的研究问题关注的是存在于我们社区中的实际 SLI 儿童群体的特征，而不仅仅是那些正在得到服务的儿童，那么我们需要转向流行病学方法来辅助我们的研究。
