ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of temporal processing, and its role in language acquisition. Drawing on top-down and bottom-up processing, the chapter focuses on how the brain processes sensory information and includes an overview of the structures of the brain involved in temporal processing. In particular, the role of the temporal and frontal lobes and the physiology of neuronal activation are considered. Neurons fire within neuronal networks with a variety of speed, rhythm, and patterns of firing to convey information. Speech patterns are discussed as rapidly changing acoustic events that lead to rapid neurological firing patterns. Difficulty with temporal processing including the rapidly changing acoustic signal of speech has been noted in adults with reading difficulties, and children with language disorders. These deficits in temporal processing are discussed in relation to assessment and remediation of delayed language acquisition, reading deficits, and auditory processing disorders.
