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The study of specific language impairment (SLI) in children has focused largely on endpoint measures of language production and comprehension. Even online reaction time studies of language processing are typically limited to examining the activation or processing load at specific points in time. Event related potentials (ERP) provide continuous information regarding brain responses to speech and language. Furthermore, they provide information regarding the origin and specific timing of these responses. In this presentation, I will review the basics of ERPs and provide a survey of research we and other investigators have conducted including speech perception, lexical processing, and syntactic processing in children with SLI and typically developing peers. Where possible, I will relate the ERP data to behavioral responses. The implications of these findings for proposals regarding the underlying causes for SLI will be discussed with particular reference to working memory, attention, and control of attention.
Supported by grants R01 DC003885 (Schwartz) R03 DC006175 (Hestvik) from NIDCD and HD46193 (Shafer) from NICHD
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