ABSTRACT
Children with specific language impairment (SLI) constitute one of the groups of children for whom the question of a genetics of language is highly relevant. These are children who show significant deficits in language ability but do not meet the criteria for other disability categories. In particular, children with SLI show normal hearing, age-appropriate scores on nonverbal tests of intelligence, no clear signs of neurological impairment, and none of the symptoms (apart from a language problem) associated with autism. Although children with SLI vary in the severity of their language deficits, the problems are often long-standing (e.g., Aram, Ekelman, &Nation, 1984; Weiner, 1985). The familial concentration of this disorder raises the possibility that it has a genetic basis (e.g., Tallal, Ross, & Curtiss, 1989; Tomblin, 1989).
