Do Adolescents With Specific Language Impairment Understand Driving Terminology?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Tactile Vibrating Toolkit and Driving Simulation Platform for Driving-Related Research
Published on: December 18, 2020
Jessica M Pandolfe1, Kacie Wittke1, Tammie J Spaulding1
1University of Connecticut, Storrs.
Purpose:
This study examined if adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI) understand driving vocabulary as well as their typically developing (TD) peers.
Method:
A total of 16 adolescents with SLI and 16 TD comparison adolescents completed a receptive vocabulary task focused on driving terminology derived from statewide driver's manuals.
Results:
The SLI group understood fewer driving-related terms when compared with the TD comparison group. Although both groups performed comparably in understanding simple noun driving terminology, the SLI group had greater difficulty comprehending compound noun and verb driving terms.
Discussion:
The decreased understanding of terms found in driver's manuals for adolescents with SLI has implications for how they access necessary information for learning the driving rules, regulations, and procedures important for securing a driver's license.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Learning Disabilities
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Components of Language
Genetic Lingo
Language and Cognition

