Ruth Uwer et al.: Automatic processing of tones and speech stimuli in children with specific language impairment

In this study, children with typical development and SLI performed a behavioral test of consonant discrimination: /da/ba/ga/ and MMN was measured. The MMN amplitudes between groups were compared. Additionally, the behavioural discrimination performance was assessed.

Children with SLI had attenuated MMN amplitudes to speech stimuli, but there was no significant difference between the two diagnostic subgroups expressive and receptive SLI. MMN to tone stimuli did not differ between the groups. Children with SLI made more errors in the discrimination task, but discrimination scores did not correlate with MMN amplitudes. The present data suggest that children with SLI show a specific deficit in automatic discrimination of consonant-vowel syllables differing in place of articulation, whereas the processing of simple tone differences seems to be unimpaired.

Published in: Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 2002