ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with a group of conditions collectively termed specific language impairment. These conditions, seen in approximately 1 in every 1000 children (Stevenson and Richman, 1976), are characterized by the late onset and slow development of language in children whose general intellectual abilities are not significantly below those expected for their chronological age. Longitudinal and follow-up studies of language impairment suggest that across time children with language impairments continue to have linguistic difficulties at least through childhood (Aram & Nation, 1978; de Ajuriaguerra, Jaeggi, Guignard, Kocher, Maquard, Roth, & Schmid, 1965; Scott & MacVean, 1978; Weiner, 1972; Wolpaw & Nation, 1977) and adolescence (Morley, 1973; Weiner, 1974) and into early adulthood (Kerschensteiner & Huber, 1975). However, the long-term effects of language impairment may clearly vary with factors such as the nature and severity of the linguistic deficit, where, for example, children with less severe limitations may show the greatest development across time (Petrie, 1975).
