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Assessing morphosyntax in Spanish-speaking children
1Communication Sciences and Disorders, Jesse H. Jones Communication Center, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, USA.
Seminars in Speech and Language
|April 17, 2001
Summary
Accurate assessment of Spanish-speaking children's morpho-syntactic skills requires understanding the language system and using appropriate tasks. This guides clinicians in developing effective assessment strategies for language impairments.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Assessing Spanish morpho-syntactic skills is crucial for identifying language impairments in children.
- Effective assessment relies on a deep understanding of the Spanish morpho-syntactic system and its acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the nature and acquisition of the Spanish morpho-syntactic system.
- To highlight aspects critical for communicative competence and challenging for children with language impairments.
- To inform the development of effective assessment tasks.
Main Methods:
- Review of the Spanish morpho-syntactic system and its developmental trajectory.
- Discussion of assessment strategies including spontaneous language sample analysis and structured probes.
- Consideration of task naturalness and linguistic demands.
Main Results:
- The Spanish morpho-syntactic system presents specific challenges for children with language impairments.
- Understanding developmental nuances is key to designing tasks that elicit target structures.
- Both spontaneous and structured assessment methods have roles in evaluation.
Conclusions:
- Clinicians need a strong foundation in Spanish morphosyntax to accurately assess children.
- Assessment task design must consider linguistic demands and naturalness to reflect true communicative competence.
- Targeted assessment approaches are essential for identifying and addressing language impairments.