Predictors of print knowledge in children with specific language impairment: experiential and developmental factors

Many children with specific language impairment (SLI) demonstrate delays in print knowledge, yet the reasons for these delays are not well understood. The present study investigates the degree to which developmental risk factors and home literacy experiences predict the print knowledge of children with SLI.

Direct child measures, maternal reports, and observations from 41 mothers and their preschool-aged children with SLI assessed child language and attentional difficulties, family socioeconomic status, the frequency and quality of home literacy, and children's print knowledge.

Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that individual differences in children's oral language abilities did not explain individual variability in print knowledge. The quality of home literacy was the only significant predictor of print knowledge, but its influence was moderated by children's attentional difficulties.

Findings reveal that language difficulty is not an adequate explanation for the print knowledge delays of children with SLI and suggest that literacy experiences may play an important role in the print knowledge attainment of children with SLI. The quality of home literacy appears to foster print knowledge by compensating for attentional difficulties in children with SLI but is not sufficient to promote print knowledge in children with SLI without attentional difficulties.