The authors summarize results of their own and others' research of auditory language processing deficits associated with learning disabilities in children and adolescents. Among findings reported are that learning disabled children exhibit delays in the acquisition of morphological and syntactic rules, delays in logical growth, short-term memory…

A 14-year-old nonverbal severely handicapped boy received instruction in receptive language based on learning a "yes-no" indicator response and a variety of basic concepts. The procedures included scaling of preferences for common objects and basic teaching procedures for a "yes-no" indicator response to the question, "Do you like this?"…

Ability to follow imperatives with one to five separate directives was measured in 18 retarded (mean IQ 50) and 18 nonretarded adolescents. Recorded were the number and sequence of directions correctly followed as well as the types of errors made. The retarded adolescent demonstrated deficiencies in following two, three, and four directives, while…

Intended for teachers of elementary age hearing impaired students, the article describes the Test of Receptive Language Ability and the Test of Expressive Language Ability. (SBH)

The study of effects of mode (manual only, manual plus oral, and manual plus oral plus aural) and language (Signed English or American Sign Language) on the comprehension of deaf students (mean age 16 years) found no significant treatment effect for mode of presentation; there was an interaction between languages and mode. (Author/DB)

The listening comprehension performance of 64 educable mentally retarded students (mean age 15) and a nonretarded younger sample was assessed when using the following types of advance organizers: knowledge statements; knowledge-plus-purpose statements; control (no information). Among all subjects, comprehension scores were significantly higher in…

The role of cues in language acquisition was examined in three experiments. When the cue marked the phrase structure of sentences, adult subjects successfully learned syntax. When input was identical but lacked that cue, subjects failed to learn significant portions of syntax. (Author/GDC)

Results of the study of receptive and expressive language abilities of 30 Down's Syndrome adolescents suggested that early recurrent otitis media may play an important role in the language deficits commonly found among Down Syndrome persons. (Author/DB)

This review of research examines investigations that have focused on the effect of reinforcer specificity on the acquisition of both language comprehension and production skills by learners with severe handicaps. Issues regarding the use of intervention strategies that employ reinforcer specificity are discussed. (Author/JW)

Two studies examined cross-modal transfer of sign language performance in 11 and 12 children (ages 6-17) with speech, language, or hearing disorders and mild to moderate retardation. Findings indicated that transfer from receptive to productive signing required explicit training, particularly of complex forms. (CL)

Receptive communication skills of 118 severely and profoundly deaf persons, (9-20 years old) were assessed by a multiple-choice pictorial test. The most efficient method of communication was found to be reading, followed by total communication and manual communication; oral methods were clearly the least effective. (Author/CL)

The article considers how three types of language skills (receptive, functional expressive, and descriptive expressive) can be integrated into typical gross and fine motor activities for language delayed preschoolers. (Author/CL)

Examined the degree of temporal stability of the PPVT-R for 56 Native-American, Mexican-American, and Anglo-American kindergarten children. In addition, stability was examined for home language groups. Results indicated that strong temporal stability existed over an eight-month period for all students. (JAC)