LANGUAGE-IMPAIRED PRESCHOOLERS - A FOLLOW-UP INTO ADOLESCENCE

This paper reports a longitudinal follow-vp of 71 adolescents with a p reschool history of speech-language impairment, originally studied by Bishop and Edmundson (1987). These children had been subdivided at 4 y ears into those with nonverbal IQ 2 SD below the mean (General Delay g roup), and those with normal nonverbal intelligence (SU group). At age 5;6 the SLI group was subdivided into those whose language problems h ad resolved, and those with persistent SLI. The General Delay group wa s also followed up. At age 15-16 years, these children were compared w ith age-matched normal-language controls on a battery of tests of spok en language and literacy skills. Children whose language problems had resolved did not differ from controls on rests of vocabulary and langu age comprehension skills. However, they performed significantly less w ell on tests of phonological processing and literacy skill. Children w ho still had significant language difficulties at 5;6 had significant impairments in all aspects of spoken and written language functioning, as did children classified as having a general delay. These children fell further and further behind their peer group in vocabulary growth over time.