FAMILIAL AGGREGATION OF PHONOLOGICAL DISORDERS - RESULTS FROM A 28-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

This investigation isa follow-up to a longitudinal speech and educatio nal outcome study involving approximately 400 normally developing chil dren that was initiated in 1960. From this database, two groups, of su bjects (now aged 32-34), their spouses, and all of their offspring ove r the age of 3:0 (years:months) completed a battery of cognitive-lingu istic and interview measures. One group (probands) consisted of 24 adu lts with a documented history of a moderate phonological-language diso rder that persisted through at least the end of the first grade. The o ther group (controls) consisted of 28 adults who were known to have ha d normal articulation abilities as children. Results of this study dem onstrated that, in comparison for the children of controls, the childr en of the proband subjects performed significantly more poorly on all tests of articulation and expressive language functioning and were sig nificantly more likely to have received articulation treatment. There was, however, no evidence that specific misarticulations or phonologic al processes traveled within proband families. These results are. in a greement with those of most previous family studies that have demonstr ated an increased rate of occurrence of speech-language disorders of u nknown origin in families including a first-degree relative who is sim ilarly affected.