CAUSATIVE ALTERNATIONS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIFIC LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT

Alternating verbs to indicate or to relinquish cause requires an under standing of semantic and syntactic knowledge. This study evaluated the ability of children with specific language impairment (SLI) to produc e the causative alternation in comparison to age peers and to language peers. The children with SLI were proficient in lexically alternating verbs, yet provided Fewer passive and periphrastic constructions and more different verbs and adjectival responses. Overgeneralization erro r data suggest that the semantic systems of some children with SLI wer e similar to their age comparisons, individual differences within the SLI group suggested that some children were adept at providing syntact ic responses and overgeneralizations, whereas some of the SLI group pr ovided less mature responses of no alternations and no responses. Thes e findings demonstrate a syntactic deficit in the causative alternatio n for some children with SLI.