Comparative studies between normal and language-disturbed children based on performance profiles
Affolter, F.; Brubaker, R.; Bischofberger, W.
Acta Oto-Laryngologica. Supplementum 323: 1-32
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0365-5237 PMID: 4533877 Document Number: 77397
Two groups of 30 children ranging in age from 3-10 yr were studied. The 1st was made up of normal children while the 2nd group consisted of speech and language handicapped children. Severely speech and language handicapped children can be distinguished from normal children, not only on the basis of their language difficulties, but also on the basis of their general behavior, elaborative function and speech sound production. The differences point to a disturbance primary to language acquisition affecting sensorimotor performances in Piaget's meaning. Modality specific input functions were an adequate basis upon which to distinguish the clinical from the normal group. The severely speech and language handicapped children studient were not a homogeneous group but represented 2 subgroups which differed in several respects.