Linguistic performance as a function of abstract task demands in children with spina bifida

Children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus (SBH) have been observed to have deficits in discourse, characterized by a high frequency of irrelevant utterances and poorer performance with abstract than concrete language. The Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (PLAI) was used to compare children with SBH and language-age controls on discourse skills at four levels of abstraction. In addition, a qualitative assessment of differences in types of inadequate productions was conducted. Children with SBH performed comparably to controls on concrete levels of the PLAI, but they produced significantly more 'no response' and irrelevant responses than the controls.