Response time in adults with a history of language difficulties

The purpose of the study was to investigate speed of processing in college students with a history of problems with language. Affected individuals (n=16) were identified through a self-reported history of language and/or reading difficulties, and compared to a group of 16 unaffected individuals. Measures of language ability and a battery of response time tasks were administered. Results showed that the affected group had lower language performance and slower response time than the unaffected group. Better language performance was associated with faster response time, and this relationship was stronger in the affected group. These findings are consistent with the literature showing that language impairment often persists into adulthood. Further investigation of the relation between processing speed and language ability may help describe vulnerabilities for adults with language problems, as well as ways to promote compensation for those vulnerabilities.

Readers will (1) increase understanding of associations between processing speed and language in children and adults; (2) become familiar with a method for assessing processing speed; and (3) increase understanding of possible vulnerabilities in adults with a history of language and/or reading problems.