Characterizing the Motor Skills in Children with Specific Language Impairment
S. Karger AG
Pysyvä osoite
Verkkojulkaisu
Tiivistelmä
Background/Aims:
Specific language impairment (SLI) is characterized by deficits in
language ability. However, studies have also reported motor impairments
in SLI. It has been proposed that the language and motor impairments in
SLI share common origins. This exploratory study compared the gross,
fine, oral, and speech motor skills of children with SLI and children
with typical development (TD) to determine whether children with SLI
would exhibit difficulties on particular motor tasks and to inform us
about the underlying cognitive deficits in SLI.
Methods: A total of 13 children with SLI (aged 8–12 years) and 14 age-matched children with TD were administered the Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition and the Verbal Motor Production Assessment for Children to examine gross and fine motor skills and oral and speech motor skills, respectively.
Results: Children with SLI scored significantly lower on gross, fine, and speech motor tasks relative to children with TD. In particular, children with SLI found movements organized into sequences and movement modifications challenging. On oral motor tasks, however, children with SLI were comparable to children with TD.
Conclusion: Impairment of the motor sequencing and adaptation processes may explain the performance of children with SLI on these tasks, which may be suggestive of a procedural memory deficit in SLI.
Methods: A total of 13 children with SLI (aged 8–12 years) and 14 age-matched children with TD were administered the Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition and the Verbal Motor Production Assessment for Children to examine gross and fine motor skills and oral and speech motor skills, respectively.
Results: Children with SLI scored significantly lower on gross, fine, and speech motor tasks relative to children with TD. In particular, children with SLI found movements organized into sequences and movement modifications challenging. On oral motor tasks, however, children with SLI were comparable to children with TD.
Conclusion: Impairment of the motor sequencing and adaptation processes may explain the performance of children with SLI on these tasks, which may be suggestive of a procedural memory deficit in SLI.