SpeechPathology.com Phone: 800-242-5183


Signature Healthcare

Specific Language Impairment

John Oller Jr, Ph.D

September 1, 2003

Share:

Question

What is Specific Language Impairment? What is the appropriate treatment?

Answer

Unfortunately, in the long and growing list of language, learning, and communication disorders, the category ''Specific Language Impairment'' (SLI), in spite of its misleading label, may be the least ''specific'' of all. It is typically defined in a roundabout way by placing just about everything in the category that is believed to have some connection with language and yet that does not fit any other category well. It is defined by excluding every kind of communication difficulty that seems to have another, better explanation: for instance, if the problem can be attributed to hearing deficit, or to any anatomical problem (e.g., structural malformation), or to general mental retardation, it is not supposed to be regarded as SLI. Individuals with any SLI are supposed to have normal intellectual abilities (above 85 on nonverbal or performance tests, unlike persons with mental retardation) but lower than expected scores on verbal tasks. According to the collective wisdom of communication disorders specialists, while individuals with SLI have lower verbal scores than should be expected on the basis of their nonverbal (performance) scores on standardized tests (as is also the case with so-called language/learning disabilities/disorders or LLD), their nonverbal performance scores (unlike cases of mental retardation) are expected to fall in the normal range.

As a result, SLI is a lumpy rag-bag of a category invented for poorly understood cases that do not fit the other categories. The manifestations range the gamut from phonological, morphological, lexical, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic delays, blocks, or oddities. In short, SLI is a category in serious need of theoretical and empirical improvement.

And thank you for asking.

Bio:

John W. Oller, Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Head Department of Communicative Disorders
Director, Doris B. Hawthorne Center for Special Education and Communicative Disorders
University of Louisiana at Lafayette

An elected member of the New York Academy of Sciences, John Oller is an experimentalist and measurement expert in language, literacy, communication, and intelligence. Oller has authored or co-authored thirteen professional books and more than two hundred professional articles. In 1984, he won the Modern Language Association Mildenberger Medal an international prize for the best book on foreign language teaching. At the invitation and expense of foreign governments and other agencies Oller has lectured in England, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, Quebec, Cyprus, Canada, and throughout the United States. He has served as principal mentor to 40 doctoral students, and has published research with 77 students and colleagues. Current work concerns language proficiency and nonverbal intelligence, autism, and the theory of abstraction. Oller is a regular reviewer for scholarly journals, commercial publishers and such agencies as the National Science Foundation, the U. S. Department of Education, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He serves as an editorial consultant in linguistics, education, measurement, language teaching, psychology of language, communication disorders, mass media, and communication. He has appeared on nationally syndicated programs on television and radio.


john oller jr

John Oller Jr, Ph.D


Related Courses

Serving as an Expert Witness: It’s in Our SLP Scope of Practice
Presented by Brenda Seal, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, Lissa Power-deFur, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, ASHA Fellow
Video

Presenters

Brenda Seal, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA FellowLissa Power-deFur, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, ASHA Fellow
Course: #10129Level: Introductory1 Hour
  'I took this course because it was different than the courses I typically take'   Read Reviews
SLPs may be asked to serve as an expert witness without prior experience, training, and/or guidance from our professional literature. This course offers guidance on terminology, procedures, cautions, cases, role plays, and recommendations for successful practice as an expert witness.

Facilitating First Verbs through Shared Book Reading
Presented by Susan Hendler Lederer, PhD, CCC-SLP
Video

Presenter

Susan Hendler Lederer, PhD, CCC-SLP
Course: #9735Level: Introductory1 Hour
  'The theories about learning verbs and the examples of books'   Read Reviews
This course discusses early verb acquisition, choosing first verb targets, and a variety of strategies to facilitate verb learning using children’s picture books as a therapy context.

Language Outcomes of Children with Trauma Histories: Understanding the Impact
Presented by Yvette D. Hyter, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
Video

Presenter

Yvette D. Hyter, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
Course: #9737Level: Advanced1.5 Hours
  'Good information'   Read Reviews
This is Part 1 of a two-part series. This course is designed to explain the influences that various types of childhood experiences with trauma and maltreatment have on development. The focus is on language and social-pragmatic communication skills of children.

Children with Trauma Histories: Assessment, Intervention, and Advocacy
Presented by Yvette D. Hyter, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
Video

Presenter

Yvette D. Hyter, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
Course: #9738Level: Advanced1.5 Hours
  'This course was very informative'   Read Reviews
This is Part 2 of a two-part series. This course features assessment protocols for determining language abilities of children with trauma histories and evidence-based, trauma-informed intervention strategies. It discusses the responsibility of trauma-informed speech, language and hearing professionals to advocate for children who have experienced trauma.

Reading Comprehension and the SLP: Foundational Understanding
Presented by Angie Neal, MS, CCC-SLP
Audio

Presenter

Angie Neal, MS, CCC-SLP
Course: #10763Level: Intermediate1 Hour
  'Angie is such a great presenter! Thank you so much for speaking about topics that I can use in my everyday setting'   Read Reviews
This is Part 1 of a two-part series. This course provides SLPs with foundational knowledge needed to directly address and collaboratively support reading comprehension across all grade levels. Models of language and reading comprehension, comprehension processes vs. products, instruction in comprehension skills vs. strategies, factors in reading comprehension difficulties, and connections to general education are discussed.

Our site uses cookies to improve your experience. By using our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.