ABSTRACT
This chapter examines studies that have applied the methods in exploring the neurobiology of typical and atypical language development. Children who fail to acquire age-appropriate language skills, despite normal non-verbal intelligence and adequate educational opportunities, fit the diagnostic category of Specific Language Impairment (SLI). An array of neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques has enabled us to study the brain structure and function of child language disorders. The scientific mapping between brain and language behavior is now proceeding at an exceptionally rapid pace. Contributions to brain development have traditionally been characterized as either genetic or environmental. A more specific understanding of genetic-environmental effects on neurodevelopment may be gained by considering the postnatal process of synaptic pruning. The consensus is that SLI is associated with early neurodevelopmental abnormalities, rather than with acquired insults to the brain. The hereditary nature of SLI has been corroborated by numerous studies, only several of which have examined neurobiological data.
