ABSTRACT
A s noted in chapter 1 (Schwartz), children with specific language impairment (SLI)exhibit significant deficits in their language ability, yet do not display the symptomsassociated with other clinical populations. These children earn age-appropriate scores on nonverbal tests of intelligence, they pass screening tests for hearing acuity and oral-motor structure and function, and they do not show clear evidence of neurological disease or impairment. The term “specific language impairment” is not the clinical label always adopted; other terms still in use include “developmental dysphasia” and the more general term “language impairment.” However, regardless of the term, the existence of language disorders without accompanying deficits in other areas has been widely recognized by researchers and clinicians alike. Not surprisingly, this kind of disorder has been reported in many different languages. Yet, despite the apparently universal nature of this disorder, there are striking differences in how SLI manifests itself across languages.
