Assessing conversational disability

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Conversational disability diagnosis lacks standardized assessment tools.
• Growing number of children diagnosed with conversational difficulties.
• Need for objective methods to evaluate conversational skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an objective assessment of conversational skills in two children with communication difficulties.
• To identify specific conversational behaviors and potential areas for therapeutic intervention.
• To differentiate between severe developmental delay and a disorder in conversational ability.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of naturally occurring conversations of two children with identified conversational difficulties.
• Systematic scanning for specific conversational skills (e.g., attention-getting, topic initiation, cohesion, repair).
• Application of conversational analysis principles for objective appraisal.

Main Results:

• Children exhibited difficulties in securing attention, initiating topics, and maintaining discourse cohesion.
• Observed behaviors largely mirrored those of typically developing young children.
• Assessment highlighted specific deficits and potential intervention targets.

Conclusions:

• The two subjects presented with severe delays in conversational development rather than a distinct disorder.
• Conversational analysis provides an objective framework for assessing and intervening in childhood communication difficulties.
• Findings suggest a need to re-evaluate diagnostic criteria for conversational impairments.