Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
Child Language Doctoral Program, The University of Kansas, Lawrence.
J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2022 Sep 12;65(9):3471-3490. doi: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00578. Epub 2022 Aug 16.
Children exposed to adversity (e.g., chronic poverty, traumatic events, and maltreatment) are at increased risk for performing below age expectations on norm-referenced language assessments, but it is unknown whether the risk is higher for specific language impairment (SLI). This exploratory study investigated whether adversity exposure is associated with reduced grammar knowledge and SLI.
The syntax subtest of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation-Norm-Referenced (DELV-NR) assessment was administered to 30 school-age children with known histories of adversity exposure. Their primary caregiver also completed a comprehensive adversity exposure measure, which captured adverse event type, frequency, chronicity, and severity. Analyses included tests, correlations, Mann-Whitney U tests, and chi-square.
Overall, the sample performed below age expectations on the DELV-NR Syntax subtest, and a higher percentage of participants (20%) met diagnostic criteria for SLI than expected. The SLI and typical language (TL) groups did not significantly differ in adversity dosage, frequency, chronicity, or severity; however, participants in the SLI group were 1.46 times more likely to have experienced physical trauma than the participants in the TL group.
Children with known histories of adversity exposure presented with grammatical deficits and SLI more often than expected based on the DELV-NR normative sample; however, features of the adverse event did not associate with SLI status except for exposure to physical trauma (e.g., physical abuse and victimization). Future research is needed to investigate the prevalence and potential causal pathways of SLI in this population.
暴露于逆境（例如，慢性贫困、创伤事件和虐待）的儿童在参照常模的语言评估中表现低于年龄预期的风险增加，但尚不清楚这种风险是否因特定语言障碍（SLI）而更高。本探索性研究调查了逆境暴露是否与语法知识减少和 SLI 有关。
对 30 名有已知逆境暴露史的学龄儿童进行了语言变异诊断评估-常模参照（DELV-NR）评估的语法子测验。他们的主要照顾者还完成了一项全面的逆境暴露测量，该测量捕捉了不良事件的类型、频率、持续性和严重程度。分析包括 t 检验、相关性、曼-惠特尼 U 检验和卡方检验。
总体而言，该样本在 DELV-NR 语法子测验中的表现低于年龄预期，并且有更高比例的参与者（20%）符合 SLI 的诊断标准，高于预期。SLI 和典型语言（TL）组在逆境剂量、频率、持续性或严重程度方面没有显著差异；然而，SLI 组的参与者经历身体创伤的可能性比 TL 组的参与者高 1.46 倍。
有已知逆境暴露史的儿童在语法缺陷和 SLI 方面的表现比基于 DELV-NR 常模样本预期的更为常见；然而，除了身体创伤（例如身体虐待和受害）之外，不良事件的特征与 SLI 状态无关。需要进一步研究来调查该人群中 SLI 的患病率和潜在的因果途径。
