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Connections Among Language Knowledge, Language Processing, and Nonlinguistic Cognitive Processing in Bilingual Children with Language Impairment

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Language Development and Disorders in Spanish-speaking Children

Part of the book series: Literacy Studies ((LITS,volume 14))

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Abstract

Background and rationale. Children with Primary (or Specific) Language Impairment (PLI) show subtle weaknesses in cognitive areas such as processing speed and working memory; such weaknesses appear on both nonlinguistic tasks such as shape detection and on language processing tasks such as nonword repetition and rapid automatic naming. The relationship between processing weaknesses and the impaired linguistic performance that characterizes children with PLI is not yet clear. Bilingual children with PLI offer additional insight into relations across domains (cognitive and linguistic) in two different languages while holding within-learner factors constant. Cross-linguistic relations in this population can also provide insight into language learning mechanisms.

Aim. The purpose of this chapter is to explore relationships among three constructs (nonlinguistic cognitive processing, language processing, and language knowledge) in both first (L1) and second (L2) languages of school-age Spanish-English bilingual children with PLI. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data, we examine initial cognitive-linguistic associations and how change in one domain may influence another over time.

Methods. This chapter is based on a sample of 52 school-age bilingual children with PLI who lived in the Midwestern region of the United States, spoke Spanish as the primary home language, and received school instruction in English. Children participated in a treatment study in which they completed one of three conditions targeting nonlinguistic cognitive processing, English language, or both Spanish and English language skills.

Participants completed testing before and after treatment and three months after the completion of treatment in three areas: (1) Nonlinguistic cognitive processing: working memory and processing speed; (2) Language processing in Spanish and English: nonword repetition and rapid automatic naming; (3) Language knowledge in Spanish and English: omnibus language skill as measured by standardized testing.

Results and Discussion. We found significant associations between nonlinguistic cognitive processing and linguistic skill in the L1 and L2 that are discussed in terms of the nature of PLI and effective remediation for the disorder. Immediately following treatment, we found evidence that treating nonlinguistic cognitive processing skills could improve language. However, the converse was also true: treating language skills appeared to improve nonlinguistic cognitive processing. Longer-term outcomes suggested that gains were maintained better in children who received language-based treatment. We also found significant cross-linguistic relations, and evidence that treatment gains may generalize from the L1 to the L2, but not from the L2 to the L1. Study findings support general processing mechanisms that influence both linguistic and nonlinguistic domains in children with PLI.

The data described in this chapter were collected with the support of a grant from the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders. (NIDCDR21DC010868) awarded to Kathryn Kohnert, by an NIDCD R21Postdoctoral Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research awarded to Giang Pham, and by a University of Minnesota Graduate School Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship awarded to Kerry Danahy Ebert.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Kerry Danahy Ebert

  2. San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Giang Pham

Authors
  1. Kerry Danahy Ebert
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  2. Giang Pham
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Correspondence to Kerry Danahy Ebert .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital General “Dr. Manuel Gea González”, Mexico City, Mexico

    Alejandra Auza Benavides

  2. Program in Speech and Hearing, CUNY Graduate Center, New York, New York, USA

    Richard G. Schwartz

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Ebert, K.D., Pham, G. (2017). Connections Among Language Knowledge, Language Processing, and Nonlinguistic Cognitive Processing in Bilingual Children with Language Impairment. In: Auza Benavides, A., Schwartz, R. (eds) Language Development and Disorders in Spanish-speaking Children. Literacy Studies, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53646-0_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53646-0_9

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