Reduced deficits observed in children and adolescents with developmental language disorder using proper nonverbalizable span tasks.
Visuospatial working memory in DLD normalizes by adolescence, so tailor supports to the verbal deficit, not a global WM label.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tested 102 Spanish-speaking kids with developmental language disorder. They used two kinds of memory games: one with words you can say out loud, one with shapes you can only point to.
Kids played the games. The team tracked scores across three age bands to see if gaps grew, stayed, or closed.
What they found
Word memory stayed weak at every age. Shape memory started weak but caught up by the teen years.
By 14-16, teens with DLD scored the same as peers on shape games. Their word scores still lagged behind.
How this fits with other research
Martínez-Castilla et al. (2023) found Spanish-speaking kids with DLD also struggle with music beats. Together the papers show the trouble is not just sounds; rhythm and visuospatial skills can follow different paths.
Kaiser et al. (2022) warn that parent questionnaires like the SDQ often miss subtle cognitive strengths. Our memory task data back that up—teens look typical on shape games even when language is poor.
Rojahn et al. (1994) proved paired-choice tests give clearer results than group formats. We used the same tight comparison method here to spot the age-linked catch-up in visuospatial memory.
Why it matters
Do not lump all memory as "low" in your DLD clients. Teens may ace visual schedules or spatial apps while still needing verbal supports. Pair written cues with visuals instead of dropping them. Re-test memory yearly; a young learners's profile can look very different from age 7.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Children with developmental language disorder (DLD)-previously called Specific Language Impairment (SLI)-often perform poorly in verbal working memory (WM) tasks, but the picture is less clear regarding their visuospatial WM capacity. Recent research has been inconclusive regarding whether visuospatial working memory is impaired in DLD. Additionally, it is still unclear whether the putative disparity of WM performance persists in adolescence. AIMS: The aim of the current study was to unveil potential impairments in verbal and visuospatial working memory in DLD by exploring two developmental age groups of French-speaking children and adolescents. METHODS: This study examined verbal and nonverbal short-term and working memory capacity using digit span and Corsi block tasks in twelve children (7-11-year-olds) and twelve adolescents (12-18-year-olds) with developmental language disorder (DLD) in comparison to that in their typically developing peers. RESULTS: Our findings showed that both children and adolescents with DLD have deficits in storage and processing ability for the verbal domain. However, both the short-term and working memory estimates of immediate capacity for visuospatial information in adolescents with DLD were virtually intact. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that both verbal and nonverbal storage and processing capacity are largely modulated by age, suggesting that the children with DLD show virtually intact nonverbal working memory capacity as they reach adolescence.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2019.103522