A COMPARISON OF SPOKEN LANGUAGE ABILITIES IN CHILDREN WITH APHASIA, AUTISM, LEARNING DISABILITIES, AND NORMAL LANGUAGE ABILITIES

The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the language abilities of children with aphasia (severe language disorders), autism, learning disabilities, and normal language abilities. All participants were students in Jefferson Parish Public Schools and were matched according to several factors that have been found to influence language development.;A statistically significant difference in the spoken language of the four groups of children was found in the analysis of the school language sample (p < .05) and in performance on the Clark-Madison Test of Oral Language (p < .05). Discriminant analysis and analysis of variance were used to test significance. Analysis of results indicated that all groups exhibited the same problems in spoken language but to a different degree. As severity of the disorder decreased, language complexity generally increased and errors in the form and use of speech decreased.;After preliminary procedures to determine eligibility for this study, 42 students participated in the collection of three language measures. The Clark-Madison Test of Oral Language was administered to each child, and two language samples were collected. One sample was collected in the school, and a second sample was collected in the child's home. Language samples were analyzed in terms of word use, sentence formation, error production, and communicative quality.