Contributions of phonological and verbal working memory to language development in adolescents with fragile X syndrome.
Summary of "Contributions of phonological and verbal working memory to language development in adolescents with fragile X syndrome."
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability. Although language delays are frequently observed in FXS, neither the longitudinal course of language development nor its cognitive predictors are well understood. The present study investigated whether phonological and working memory skills are predictive of growth in vocabulary and syntax in individuals with FXS during adolescence. Forty-four individuals with FXS (mean age = 12.61 years) completed assessments of phonological memory (nonword repetition and forward digit recall), verbal working memory (backward digit recall), vocabulary, syntax, and nonverbal cognition. Vocabulary and syntax skills were reassessed at a 2-year follow-up. In a series of analyses that controlled for nonverbal cognitive ability and severity of autism symptoms, the relative contributions of phonological and working memory to language change over time were investigated. These relationships were examined separately for boys and girls. In boys with FXS, phonological memory significantly predicted gains in vocabulary and syntax skills. Further, verbal working memory was uniquely associated with vocabulary gains among boys. In girls with FXS, phonological and working memory skills showed no relationship with language change across the 2-year time period. Our findings indicate that, for adolescent boys with FXS, acquisition of vocabulary and syntax may be constrained by the ability to maintain and manipulate phonological representations online. Implications for the identification and treatment of language disorders in this population are discussed. The present study is the first to identify specific cognitive mechanisms contributing to language growth over time in individuals with FXS.
Affiliation
Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W. Johnson Street, Madison, WI, 53706, USA, eipierpont@wisc.edu.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders
ISSN: 1866-1947
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21993552
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11689-011-9095-2
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Language Tests
Tests designed to assess language behavior and abilities. They include tests of vocabulary, comprehension, grammar and functional use of language, e.g., Development Sentence Scoring, Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Scale, Parsons Language Sample, Utah Test of Language Development, Michigan Language Inventory and Verbal Language Development Scale, Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, Northwestern Syntax Screening Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Ammons Full-Range Picture Vocabulary Test, and Assessment of Children's Language Comprehension.
Language Therapy
Rehabilitation of persons with language disorders or training of children with language development disorders.
Language
A verbal or nonverbal means of communicating ideas or feelings.
Child Language
The language and sounds expressed by a child at a particular maturational stage in development.
Language Development Disorders
Conditions characterized by language abilities (comprehension and expression of speech and writing) that are below the expected level for a given age, generally in the absence of an intellectual impairment. These conditions may be associated with DEAFNESS; BRAIN DISEASES; MENTAL DISORDERS; or environmental factors.
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