UNASSIGNED: Peer interaction difficulties are often elevated amongst children with language disorders, yet the mechanisms underlying these difficulties are unclear. Previous research indicates that poor conflict management, social withdrawal, emotion regulation difficulties, and reduced prosocial behavior may contribute to peer interaction difficulties. However, this research often uses adult perspectives, failing to acknowledge child perceptions of these experiences. The present study aimed to qualitatively investigate perceptions of peer interactions from the perspective of children with language disorders.
UNASSIGNED: Seven participants aged between 7- and 10-years-old took part. All participants were diagnosed with a language disorder and had language as their primary area of difficulty. Participants were recruited from a specialist language school and via an online database. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, with participants given the choice to answer questions verbally or creatively, using toys or drawing materials. Interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.
UNASSIGNED: Participants valued play, conversation, and helping others. They felt that spending time with peers could alleviate loneliness. However, sometimes solitude was needed as social interaction could be overwhelming. Participants found conflict challenging and exhibited difficulties with regulating emotions. Participants relied on running away, retaliation, or asking an adult for help, to resolve conflict.
UNASSIGNED: The findings suggest that children with language disorders are socially motivated and have relative strengths in displaying prosocial behavior. However, children with language disorders require support to promote positive relationships. This support includes help with making deeper connections with peers, opportunities to spend time alone when needed, and providing adept conflict resolution and emotion regulation strategies.

UNASSIGNED: People with language difficulties cannot face challenges related to social skills. Those language disorders affect academic, work environments, and social interaction, leading to maladaptive and aggressive behaviors. Young inmates are at high risk of experiencing unrecognized language deficiencies. It is, therefore, necessary to analyze linguistic pathologies that can influence criminal behavior (drugs possession/consumption and gender violence crimes). There are many standardized tests to evaluate and detect language difficulties in adults in English. However, there are relatively few options in Spanish; there are no tests that evaluate language qualitatively and in depth. Most of the research is conducted with children and adolescents.
UNASSIGNED: To propose a reliable coding system for the correction and interpretation of narratives (essays and narratives) from the Battery for the Evaluation of Writing Processes (PROESC) in the prisoners charged of drugs possession or consumption and gender violence crimes.
UNASSIGNED: The sample was composed of 287 men.
UNASSIGNED: They completed the Demographic, Offense, and Behavioral Interview in Institutions, the International Personality Disorders Examination (IPDE), and PROESC.
UNASSIGNED: We found that the proposed coding system presented high concordance, that is, high inter-rater reliability.
UNASSIGNED: The classification system for the correction and interpretation of narratives was shown to be reliable.

UNASSIGNED: The assessment of language deficits can be valuable in the early clinical diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer\'s disease (AD).
UNASSIGNED: The present study aims to explore whether language markers at the macrostructural level could assist with the placement of an individual across the dementia continuum employing production data from structured narratives.
UNASSIGNED: We administered a Picture Sequence Narrative Discourse Task to 170 speakers of Greek: young healthy controls (yHC), cognitively intact healthy elders (eHC), elder participants with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and with AD dementia at the mild/moderate stages. Structural MRIs, medical history, neurological examination, and neuropsychological/cognitive screening determined the status of each speaker to appropriately groupthem.
UNASSIGNED: The data analysis revealed that the Macrostructure Index, Irrelevant Info, and Narration Density markers can track cognitive decline and AD (p < 0.001; Macrostructural Index: eHC versus AD Sensitivity 93.8%, Specificity 74.4%, MCI versus AD Sensitivity 93.8%, Specificity 66.7%; Narration Density: eHC versus AD Sensitivity 90.6%, Specificity 71.8%, MCI versus AD Sensitivity 93.8%, Specificity 66.7%). Moreover, Narrative Complexity was significantly affected for subjects with AD, Irrelevant Info increased in the narrations of speakers with MCI and AD, while Narration Length did not appear to indubitably differentiate between the cognitively intact groups and the clinical ones.
UNASSIGNED: Narrative Macrostructure Indices provide valuable information on the language profile of speakers with(out) intact cognition revealing subtle early signs of cognitive decline and AD suggesting that the inclusion of language-based assessment tools would facilitate the clinical process.

This research presents two stable language metrics, namely Successful Prediction Rate (SPR) and Disfluency (DF), to objectively quantify the linguistic disturbances associated with schizophrenia. These novel language metrics can capture both off-topic responses and incoherence in patients\' speech by modeling speech information and fine-tuning techniques. Additionally, these metrics exhibit cultural sensitivity while providing a more comprehensive evaluation of linguistic abnormalities in schizophrenia. This research fine-tuned the ELECTRA Pretrained Language Model on a 750 MB text corpus obtained from major Chinese mental health forums. The effectiveness of the fine-tuned language model is verified on a group comprising 38 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 25 meticulously matched healthy controls. The study explores the association between the fine-tuned language model and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) items. The results demonstrate that SPR is higher in healthy controls, indicating better language understanding by the pre-trained language model. Conversely, DF is higher in individuals with schizophrenia, indicating more inconsistent language structure. The relationship between linguistic features and P2 (conceptual disorganization) reveals that patients with positive P2 exhibit lower SPR and higher DF. Binary logistic regression using the combined SPR and DF features achieves 84.5 % accuracy in classifying P2, exceeding the performance of traditional features by 20.5 %. Moreover, the proposed linguistic features outperform traditional linguistic features in discriminating FTD (formal thought disorder), as demonstrated by multivariate linear regression analysis.

Theories of bilingual language production predict that bilinguals with Alzheimer\'s disease (AD) should exhibit one of two decline patterns. Either parallel decline of both languages (if decline reflects damage to semantic representations that are accessed by both languages), or asymmetrical decline, with greater decline of the nondominant language (if decline reflects reduced ability to resolve competition from the dominant language with disease progression). Only two previous studies examined decline longitudinally with one showing parallel, and the other asymmetrical, decline. We examined decline over 2-7 years (3.9 on average) in Spanish-English bilinguals (N = 23). Logistic regression revealed a parallel decline pattern at one year from baseline, but an asymmetrical decline pattern over the longer decline period, with greater decline of the nondominant language (when calculating predicted probabilities of a correct response). The asymmetrical decline pattern was significantly greater for the nondominant language only when including item-difficulty in the model. Exploratory analyses across dominance groups looking at proportional decline relative to initial naming accuracy further suggested that decline of the nondominant language may be more precipitous if that language was acquired later in life, but the critical interaction needed to support this possibility was not statistically significant in a logistic regression analysis. These results suggest that accessibility of the nondominant language may initially be more resilient in early versus more advanced AD, and that AD affects shared semantic representations before executive control declines to a point where the ability to name pictures in single-language testing block is disrupted. Additional work is needed to determine if asymmetrical decline patterns are magnified by late age of acquisition of the nondominant language, and if more subtle impairments to executive control underlie impairments to language switching that occur in the earliest stages of AD (even preclinically).

The S3 Guideline on the Treatment of Language Development Disorders: Summary of Recommendations Abstract: The German S3 Guidelines on the Treatment of Developmental Speech and Language Disorders (AWMF: No. 049-015) were published on the AWMF homepage at the end of 2022. The German Society for Phoniatrics and Paedaudiologie coordinated the work and developed the guideline text together with linguists and speech and language therapists. Many scientific medical societies consented to the respective recommendations. For the first time in the German-speaking area, the guideline group reviewed international research results on the treatment of various speech and language disorders and formulated evidence- or consensus-based recommendations for clinical care. The present article summarizes these recommendations and evaluates the guidelines from the perspective of child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy.
Zusammenfassung: Die S3-Leitlinie zur Therapie von Sprachentwicklungsstörungen (AWMF: Nr. 049-015), die Ende 2022 auf der Homepage der AWMF veröffentlich wurde, ist unter Federführung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Phoniatrie und Pädaudiologie in Kooperation mit zahlreichen Sprachwissenschaftler_innen und Sprachtherapeut_innen entwickelt und von zahlreichen wissenschaftlichen medizinischen Fachgesellschaften konsentiert worden. Die Leitliniengruppe hat erstmalig für den deutschen Sprachraum versucht, die internationale Studienlage zur Therapie unterschiedlicher Sprach- und Sprechstörungen aufzuarbeiten und darauf basierend Evidenz- oder auch Konsensus-basierte Empfehlungen für die klinische Versorgung zu formulieren. In dem vorliegenden Artikel werden diese Empfehlungen zusammenfassend dargestellt, und es wird eine Wertung der Leitlinie aus Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrischer Sicht vorgenommen.

BACKGROUND: Identifying language disorders earlier can help children receive the support needed to improve developmental outcomes and quality of life. Despite the prevalence and impacts of persistent language disorder, there are surprisingly no robust predictor tools available. This makes it difficult for researchers to recruit young children into early intervention trials, which in turn impedes advances in providing effective early interventions to children who need it.
OBJECTIVE: To validate externally a predictor set of six variables previously identified to be predictive of language at 11 years of age, using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) birth cohort. Also, to examine whether additional LSAC variables arose as predictive of language outcome.
METHODS: A total of 5107 children were recruited to LSAC with developmental measures collected from 0 to 3 years. At 11-12 years, children completed the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, 4th Edition, Recalling Sentences subtest. We used SuperLearner to estimate the accuracy of six previously identified parent-reported variables from ages 2-3 years in predicting low language (sentence recall score ≥ 1.5 SD below the mean) at 11-12 years. Random forests were used to identify any additional variables predictive of language outcome.
RESULTS: Complete data were available for 523 participants (52.20% girls), 27 (5.16%) of whom had a low language score. The six predictors yielded fair accuracy: 78% sensitivity (95% confidence interval (CI) = [58, 91]) and 71% specificity (95% CI = [67, 75]). These predictors relate to sentence complexity, vocabulary and behaviour. The random forests analysis identified similar predictors.
CONCLUSIONS: We identified an ultra-short set of variables that predicts 11-12-year language outcome with \'fair\' accuracy. In one of few replication studies of this scale in the field, these methods have now been conducted across two population-based cohorts, with consistent results. An imminent practical implication of these findings is using these predictors to aid recruitment into early language intervention studies. Future research can continue to refine the accuracy of early predictors to work towards earlier identification in a clinical context.
CONCLUSIONS: What is already known on the subject There are no robust predictor sets of child language disorder despite its prevalence and far-reaching impacts. A previous study identified six variables collected at age 2-3 years that predicted 11-12-year language with 75% sensitivity and 81% specificity, which warranted replication in a separate cohort. What this study adds to the existing knowledge We used machine learning methods to identify a set of six questions asked at age 2-3 years with ≥ 71% sensitivity and specificity for predicting low language outcome at 11-12 years, now showing consistent results across two large-scale population-based cohort studies. What are the potential or clinical implications of this work? This predictor set is more accurate than existing feasible methods and can be translated into a low-resource and time-efficient recruitment tool for early language intervention studies, leading to improved clinical service provision for young children likely to have persisting language difficulties.

Language disorders, which are still very poorly detected, are often present in abused children. While the consequences are well known and long-lasting, little is known about the development and specific characteristics of these children, depending on where they were placed, the type of abuse they suffered and the age at which they were placed. This finding led to a review of the literature aimed at better defining the state of knowledge on the subject, for the benefit of better detection and treatment.

OBJECTIVE: This tutorial discusses the importance of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) supporting individuals with language disorders in their understanding of others\' cognitive and affective states (theory of mind, ToM), with a special consideration given to applying these suggestions with individuals who are neurodivergent.
METHODS: I motivate this tutorial by first reviewing the literature related to ToM and language abilities for various populations of individuals with language difficulties, highlighting the need for explicitly targeting the language-related skills that are thought to underlie ToM for individuals with language disorders. I next present concrete examples of how to support ToM through literacy-based activities. I follow this discussion with a short description of how these activities may be applied with individuals who are neurodivergent through concrete examples, such as how inclusion of neurodivergent characters in storybooks can aid in educating children about understanding others\' perspectives. It further emphasizes the importance of discussing various types of mental and emotional states for individuals who share as well as differ in their neurotypes.
CONCLUSIONS: Language skills are an integral part of ToM abilities. SLPs play an important role in supporting clients\' academic, literacy, and social outcomes and can support important perspective-taking skills through associated language/communication skills. The various skills that fall under the umbrella term \'theory of mind\' can be appropriately incorporated into intervention and literacy-based tasks in a way that respects differences in neurotype while still building important language and communication skills for clients.

BACKGROUND: Emerging research shows that children and young adults (CYAs) with cerebral palsy (CP) are at higher risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, little is known about the clinical and functional characteristics of CYAs with these co-occurring disorders.
OBJECTIVE: To estimate associations between a diagnosis of ADHD among CYAs with CP and clinical and functional characteristics.
METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional study used data from the electronic health records of CYAs (aged 4-26 years) with CP (n = 1145). We used bivariate and multivariable analyses to estimate associations between an ADHD diagnosis, CP type, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level, speech or language disorder, and intellectual disability.
RESULTS: 18.1 % of CYAs with CP had a diagnosis of ADHD. CYAs with spastic-bilateral CP had lower odds of ADHD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.58; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.96). Odds of having ADHD were significantly lower for those with GMFCS levels III-V (AOR = 0.10; 95 % CI, 0.06-0.15).
CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that a diagnosis of ADHD among CYAs with CP was associated with greater clinical and functional impairments compared to counterparts without ADHD. Findings highlight the need to screen for both conditions because of the high comorbidity rates in this population.