Auditory processing and speech perception in children with specific language impairment: relations with oral language and literacy skills.
Poor speech-in-noise perception in grade 1 forecasts later reading struggles even after controlling phonological skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Vandewalle et al. (2012) followed grade-1 students with specific language impairment.
They tested how well each child heard speech in noise.
Later, they checked reading growth and compared it to phonological awareness scores.
What they found
Kids who mis-heard speech in first grade had slower reading gains later.
The link stayed even after removing the effect of phonological skills.
Children who had both SLI and reading delay showed the worst speech perception.
How this fits with other research
Lundström et al. (2014) also used quasi-experiments with early-elementary children.
They found that poor phonological memory, not speech perception, held back kids with ID.
The two studies together show different processing bottlenecks for different groups.
Grey et al. (2022) add that meeting early hearing benchmarks boosts spoken language.
All three papers agree: early auditory factors shape later academic skills.
Why it matters
Screen speech-in-noise skills when children enter school.
A quick five-minute test can flag readers who will need extra help.
Add listening games to your reading intervention.
Targeting clear speech input may save hours of phonics drill later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This longitudinal study investigated temporal auditory processing (frequency modulation and between-channel gap detection) and speech perception (speech-in-noise and categorical perception) in three groups of 6 years 3 months to 6 years 8 months-old children attending grade 1: (1) children with specific language impairment (SLI) and literacy delay (n = 8), (2) children with SLI and normal literacy (n = 10) and (3) typically developing children (n = 14). Moreover, the relations between these auditory processing and speech perception skills and oral language and literacy skills in grade 1 and grade 3 were analyzed. The SLI group with literacy delay scored significantly lower than both other groups on speech perception, but not on temporal auditory processing. Both normal reading groups did not differ in terms of speech perception or auditory processing. Speech perception was significantly related to reading and spelling in grades 1 and 3 and had a unique predictive contribution to reading growth in grade 3, even after controlling reading level, phonological ability, auditory processing and oral language skills in grade 1. These findings indicated that speech perception also had a unique direct impact upon reading development and not only through its relation with phonological awareness. Moreover, speech perception seemed to be more associated with the development of literacy skills and less with oral language ability.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.11.005