Interactive play: the frequency of related verbal responses

The potential relationship between interactive play and the frequency of related responding to comments was investigated within the dyadic interactions among a 4-year-old Specifically Language Impaired (SLI) boy and normal-language users. The normal-language users were of similar chronological age or language level to the SLI boy. The results indicated that the SLI boy's frequency of related responding was variable but consistently associated with the following: the ratio of other-directed partner turns in play; the frequency of a particular discourse pattern; and the frequency of shared reference across the discourse pattern. Unlike related responses of the SLI child, the frequencies of related responses of normal children were essentially stable. Implications of the differences are discussed.