Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research Vol.55 683-694 June 2012. doi:10.1044/1092-4388(2011/10-0263)
© American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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Article

Nonword Repetition: The Relative Contributions of Phonological Short-Term Memory and Phonological Representations in Children With Language and Reading Impairment

Judith Rispensa
Anne Bakera
a University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication

Correspondence to Judith Rispens: J.E.Rispens{at}uva.nl

Purpose: This study investigates the relative contributions of phonological short-term memory and phonological representations to nonword repetition (NWR). This was evaluated in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and/or reading impairment (RI); it was also studied from a developmental perspective by comparing 2 groups of typically developing (TD) children who differed in age.

Method: NWR, digit span, vocabulary, and word and nonword discrimination were tested in 2 groups of TD children: one group matched on chronological age (CA TD group: n = 41, mean age = 7;8 [months;years]), and one language age–matched control group (LA TD group: n = 16, mean age = 5;8). Also, 10 children with SLI, 14 children with RI, and 23 children with SLI and RI (hereafter, SLI + RI) participated and were matched to the age of the CA TD group.

Results: For the TD children, NWR was predicted by discrimination, digit span, and age. The interaction between discrimination ability and age was also significant. Children with SLI + RI were significantly impaired on NWR compared with all other groups. A regression analysis, including the CA TD group and the children with SLI and/or RI, showed that digit span, discrimination ability, and group (SLI + RI) contributed significantly to NWR.

Conclusions: Phonological short-term memory and phonological representations both significantly contribute to NWR. The predictive strength of the quality of phonological representations changes during development.

KEY WORDS: nonword repetition, specific language impairment (SLI), reading impairment, language development


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