Acquisition of lexical morphology in simple partial epilepsy

In the study of language acquisition following early brain damage, results have been divergent. On one hand, some studies claim that language eventual ly resumes to normal, whereas, on the other hand, studies show lasting defi cits throughout development. Discrepancies in the results could arise from different etiologies and tests used. This study attempts to determine the e xtent to which the development of verb production is affected in later deve lopment in children who had simple partial epilepsy (SPE). Measures of dive rsity and fluency of three verb types, namely main verbs, auxiliary and cop ula verbs, and nonfinite verbs were used on three children diagnosed as SPE and compared to control groups. Our main results show a limited production of auxiliary verbs. Further analysis of their productions suggest a telegr aphic style of speech, as reflected by a superior production of nonfinite v erb type compared with normal children. These findings are interpreted as r eflecting long-lasting consequences of early brain damage with respect to l anguage development. (C) 2001 Academic Press.