Shelley Gray - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Shelley Gray

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 2017

Purpose The purpose of this study was to add to our understanding of the dimensionality of oral l... more Purpose The purpose of this study was to add to our understanding of the dimensionality of oral language in children and to determine whether oral language and listening comprehension are separate constructs in children enrolled in preschool (PK) through 3rd grade. Method In the spring of the school year, children from 4 states ( N = 1,869) completed multiple measures of oral language (i.e., expressive and receptive vocabulary and grammar) and listening comprehension as part of a larger study of the language bases of reading comprehension. Results Initial confirmatory factor analysis found evidence that measures of oral language and listening comprehension loaded on two separate factors in PK through 3rd grade; however, these factors were highly correlated at all grades. Conclusions These results suggest that oral language and listening comprehension are best characterized as a single oral language construct in PK through 3rd grade. The implications for early identification and inte...

Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 1992

The purpose of this study was to field-test a treatment strategy for bringing about articulation ... more The purpose of this study was to field-test a treatment strategy for bringing about articulation carryover in school-age children. Subjects were 8 elementary school students who misarticulated /s/ or /r/ in conversation outside the treatment setting, but who correctly articulated the target phoneme 80% or more of the time in conversation with the speech-language pathologist in the treatment setting. The self-monitoring treatment strategy of Koegel, Koegel, and Ingham (1986) and Koegel, Koegel, Van Voy, and Ingham (1988) was selected for field-testing. Data were collected in the context of a multiple-baseline-across-subjects research design. Results of this study did not replicate the positive treatment effects found in the Koegel et al. studies. The results are discussed in relation to the subject, treatment, environment, and measurement variables that may have accounted for the discrepancy in treatment effectiveness.

Topics in Language Disorders, 2013

Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 2013

Purpose This study examined the development and validation of a criterion-referenced Spanish–Engl... more Purpose This study examined the development and validation of a criterion-referenced Spanish–English Language Proficiency Scale (SELPS) that was designed to assess the oral language skills of sequential bilingual children ages 4–8. This article reports results for the English proficiency portion of the scale. Method The SELPS assesses syntactic complexity, grammatical accuracy, verbal fluency, and lexical diversity based on 2 story retell tasks. In Study 1, 40 children were given 2 story retell tasks to evaluate the reliability of parallel forms. In Study 2, 76 children participated in the validation of the scale against language sample measures and teacher ratings of language proficiency. Results Study 1 indicated no significant differences between the SELPS scores on the 2 stories. Study 2 indicated that the SELPS scores correlated significantly with their counterpart language sample measures. Correlations between the SELPS and teacher ratings were moderate. Conclusions The 2 stor...

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 2014

Purpose In this study, the authors assessed the effects of phonotactic probability and neighborho... more Purpose In this study, the authors assessed the effects of phonotactic probability and neighborhood density on word-learning configuration by preschoolers with specific language impairment (SLI) and typical language development (TD). Method One hundred thirty-one children participated: 48 with SLI, 44 with TD matched on age and gender, and 39 with TD matched on vocabulary and gender. Referent identification and naming were assessed in a computer-based learning context. Results For referent identification, preschoolers with TD benefited from high phonotactic probability, and the younger group also benefited from low neighborhood density. In contrast, the SLI group benefited only from high neighborhood density. For naming, older preschoolers with TD benefited most from low-density words, younger preschoolers with TD benefited most from words with high phonotactic probability, and the SLI group showed no advantage. Conclusion Phonotactic probability and neighborhood density had differe...

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 2006

Purpose This study assessed the fast mapping performance of children with specific language impai... more Purpose This study assessed the fast mapping performance of children with specific language impairment (SLI) across the preschool to kindergarten age span in relation to their phonological memory and vocabulary development. Method Fifty-three children diagnosed with SLI and 53 children with normal language (NL) matched for age and gender (30 three-year-olds, 18 four-year-olds, 28 five-year-olds, and 30 six-year-olds) participated. Children’s phonological memory was assessed using nonword repetition and digit span tasks. Receptive vocabulary was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—III. Children learned the names for 8 objects during 2 fast mapping tasks. Results Overall, the NL group demonstrated significantly better performance on phonological memory and vocabulary measures across the age span; however, performance on the fast mapping task differed significantly only at age 5. Phonological memory and existing receptive vocabulary did not predict fast mapping ability. ...

Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Jul 1, 2011

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the efficacy of a new preschool oral language an... more The purpose of this investigation was to examine the efficacy of a new preschool oral language and early literacy curriculum package (Teaching Early Literacy and Language [TELL]) for children with developmental speech and/or language impairment (DSLI) either as a primary (e.g., specific to speech and/or language) or secondary impairment (e.g., developmental delay that includes DSLI). Participants included 118 children (30 females, 88 males, M age = 53.58 months) with DLSI and their 29 preschool teachers. The design was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with assignment to experimental versus contrast conditions at the classroom level. Teachers in TELL classes received formal training, in-class support, and mentoring to implement the curriculum. Dependent measures for the children included scores on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool 2nd edition (CELF-P2), the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Preschool (PALS-PreK), the Renfrew Bus Story (BUS), and a receptive and expressive vocabulary measure developed for this investigation (VOCAB). Results indicated that when compared to the contrast group, children in the TELL condition demonstrated greater gains on the phonological awareness subtest of the CELF-P2, the sentence length score of the BUS, the letter sounds, beginning sound awareness, and rhyme awareness subtests of the PALS-PreK, and VOCAB. Results suggest that the TELL curriculum package has promise for promoting gains in early literacy and oral language skills in preschool children with DLSI.

Journal of Child Language

Purpose Little is known about the relationship between sentence production and phonological worki... more Purpose Little is known about the relationship between sentence production and phonological working memory in school-age children. To fill this gap, we examined how strongly these constructs correlate. We also compared diagnostic groups’ working memory abilities to see if differences co-occurred with qualitative differences in their sentences. Method We conducted Bayesian analyses on data from seven- to nine-year-old children (n = 165 typical language, n = 81 dyslexia-only, n = 43 comorbid dyslexia and developmental language disorder). We correlated sentence production and working memory scores and conducted t tests between groups’ working memory scores and sentence length, lexical diversity, and complexity. Results Correlations were positive but weak. The dyslexic and typical groups had dissimilar working memory and comparable sentence quality. The dyslexic and comorbid groups had comparable working memory but dissimilar sentence quality. Conclusion Contrary to literature-based pre...

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to test the hypotheses (a) that children with dyslexia have... more Purpose: The purpose of our study was to test the hypotheses (a) that children with dyslexia have spoken word learning deficits primarily related to phonology and (b) that children with dyslexia and concomitant developmental language disorder (DLD) have word learning deficits related to both phonology and semantic processing when compared to peers with typical development (TD).Method: Second-graders with dyslexia (n = 82), concomitant dyslexia and DLD (dyslexia + DLD; n = 40), and TD (n = 167) learned names and semantic features for cartoon monsters in 5 carefully controlled word learning tasks that varied phonological and semantic demands. The computer-based tasks were played in 6 different word learning games. We analyzed results using Bayesian statistics.Results: In general, the dyslexia + DLD group showed lower accuracy on tasks compared to the dyslexia and TD groups. As predicted, word learning tasks that taxed phonology revealed deficits in the dyslexia group, although there w...

Scientific Studies of Reading, 2020

We examined sixth graders' detection of inconsistencies in narrative and expository passages, con... more We examined sixth graders' detection of inconsistencies in narrative and expository passages, contrasting participants who were monolingual speakers (N=85) or Spanish-English DLLs (N=94) when recruited in pre-kindergarten (PK). We recorded self-paced reading times and judgements about whether the text made sense, and took an independent measure of word reading. Main findings were that inconsistency detection was better for narratives, for participants who were monolingual speakers in PK, and for those who were better word readers. When the text processing demands were increased by separating the inconsistent sentence and its premise with filler sentences there was a stronger signal for inconsistency detection during reading for better word readers. Reading patterns differed for texts for which children reported an inconsistency compared to those for which they did not, indicating a failure to adequately monitor for coherence while reading. Our performance measures indicate that narrative and expository texts make different demands on readers. RUNNING HEAD: Coherence monitoring: process vs product 3 The Process and Product of Coherence Monitoring in Young Readers: Effects of Reader and Text Characteristics Reading comprehension involves the construction of an integrated and coherent representation of the information presented in the text (Johnson-Laird, 1983; Kintsch, 1998). This representation is updated continuously as the text unfolds and readers integrate successive ideas and concepts into the existing model (Rapp & Kendeou, 2007). Theoretically, monitoring the coherence of a text is critical in the construction of a mental representation of its content. Individuals who evaluate the adequacy of their comprehension will detect when information within the text is hard to integrate into the existing mental model, and may take action such as re-reading or inference making (Gernsbacher, 1990; Kintsch, 1998; Rapp & van den Broek, 2005). We extend previous research on coherence monitoring in young readers by examining the influence of critical reader and text characteristics on both the product and process of this skill. The importance of coherence monitoring (also referred to as comprehension monitoring) to successful reading comprehension is evident from studies examining individual differences in reading comprehension and its development: Coherence monitoring is weak in children with poor reading comprehension (Ehrlich et al., 1999; Oakhill et al., 2005) and predictive of concurrent and subsequent reading comprehension between 7 to 12 years, over and above word reading, vocabulary, and grammar (Language and Reading Research Consortium (LARRC) & Yeomans-Maldonado, 2017; Kim, 2015; Oakhill & Cain, 2012). Thus, coherence monitoring is well established as critical for successful reading comprehension. Coherence monitoring is typically assessed using an error detection task, in which participants are presented with materials that include deliberate anomalies, such as nonwords, prior knowledge violations, or internal inconsistencies where two details in the text

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 2020

Purpose We investigated four theoretically based latent variable models of word learning in young... more Purpose We investigated four theoretically based latent variable models of word learning in young school-age children. Method One hundred sixty-seven English-speaking second graders with typical development from three U.S. states participated. They completed five different tasks designed to assess children's creation, storage, retrieval, and production of the phonological and semantic representations of novel words and their ability to link those representations. The tasks encompassed the triggering and configuration stages of word learning. Results Results showed that a latent variable model with separate phonological and semantic factors and linking indicators constrained to load on the phonological factor best fit the data. Discussion The structure of word learning during triggering and configuration reflects separate but related phonological and semantic factors. We did not find evidence for a unidimensional latent variable model of word learning or for separate receptive an...

Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2020

Problem/Purpose: Young children with developmental speech and/or language impairment (DSLI) often... more Problem/Purpose: Young children with developmental speech and/or language impairment (DSLI) often fail to develop important oral language and early literacy skills that are foundational for subsequent schooling and reading success. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the efficacy of the TELL curriculum and associated evidence-based teaching practices in promoting the acquisition of oral language and early literacy skills for preschool children with DSLI. Participants: Participants included 202 male and 87 female preschoolers with DSLI in the absence of other developmental impairment. Children ranged in age from 43 to 63 months. They were enrolled in 91 inclusive preschool classes and their corresponding classroom teachers were all female. Method: In this cluster RCT, classroom teachers were randomly assigned to implement the TELL curriculum or to continue with their business-as-usual (BAU) curriculum. Proximal outcomes were assessed with investigator-developed curriculum-based measures (CBM) administered six times over the school year and an investigator-developed assessment of vocabulary targeted in TELL. Standardized tests of oral language (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool-2 nd Edition), and early literacy skills (Test of Preschool Early Literacy), and a benchmarked early literacy assessment (Phonological Awareness and Literacy Screening PreK) were administered at the beginning and end of the school year to determine impact on more distal outcomes. Results: Results indicated a significant TELL effect for all CBMs at later measurement points with Cohen's ds in the medium (.43) to very large (1.25) range. TELL effects were also noted for the vocabulary measures with small to medium between-group effect sizes (Cohen's f^2 range from .02 to .44). There were no significant TELL effects for the more distal measures. Conclusion: Based on progress measures, the TELL curriculum was effective for improving the oral language and early literacy skills of young children with DSLI.

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 2019

Purpose Compared to children with typical development, children with dyslexia, developmental lang... more Purpose Compared to children with typical development, children with dyslexia, developmental language disorder (DLD), or both often demonstrate working memory deficits. It is unclear how pervasive the deficits are or whether the deficits align with diagnostic category. The purpose of this study was to determine whether different working memory profiles would emerge on a comprehensive battery of central executive, phonological, visuospatial, and binding working memory tasks and whether these profiles were associated with group membership. Method Three hundred two 2nd graders with typical development, dyslexia, DLD, or dyslexia/DLD completed 13 tasks from the Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children–Working Memory ( Gray, Alt, Hogan, Green, & Cowan, n.d. ) that assessed central executive, phonological, and visuospatial/attention components of working memory. Results Latent class analyses yielded 4 distinct latent classes: low overall (21%), average with high number updating (30%)...

Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, Jan 5, 2018

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in performance between monolingual and Spani... more The purpose of this study was to examine differences in performance between monolingual and Spanish-English bilingual second graders (aged 7-9 years old) on executive function tasks assessing inhibition, shifting, and updating to contribute more evidence to the ongoing debate about a potential bilingual executive function advantage. One hundred sixty-seven monolingual English-speaking children and 80 Spanish-English bilingual children were administered 7 tasks on a touchscreen computer in the context of a pirate game. Bayesian statistics were used to determine if there were differences between the monolingual and bilingual groups. Additional analyses involving covariates of maternal level of education and nonverbal intelligence, and matching on these same variables, were also completed. Scaled-information Bayes factor scores more strongly favored the null hypothesis that there were no differences between the bilingual and monolingual groups on any of the executive function tasks. Fo...

Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, Jan 6, 2018

Orthographic facilitation describes the phenomenon in which a spoken word is produced more accura... more Orthographic facilitation describes the phenomenon in which a spoken word is produced more accurately when its corresponding written word is present during learning. We examined the orthographic facilitation effect in children with dyslexia because they have poor learning and recall of spoken words. We hypothesized that including orthography during spoken word learning would facilitate learning and recall. Children with dyslexia and children with typical development (n = 46 per group), 7-9 years old, were matched for grade and nonverbal intelligence. Across 4 blocks of exposure in 1 session, children learned pairings between 4 spoken pseudowords and novel semantic referents in a modified paired-associate learning task. Two of the pairings were presented with orthography present, and 2 were presented with orthography absent. Recall of newly learned spoken words was assessed using a naming task. Both groups showed orthographic facilitation during learning and naming. During learning, ...

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, Jun 12, 2017

The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children - Working Memory (CABC-WM) is a computer-based ... more The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children - Working Memory (CABC-WM) is a computer-based battery designed to assess different components of working memory in young school-age children. Working memory deficits have been identified in children with language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia(1)(,)(2) and language impairment(3)(,)(4), but it is not clear whether these children exhibit deficits in subcomponents of working memory, such as visuospatial or phonological working memory. The CABC-WM is administered on a desktop computer with a touchscreen interface and was specifically developed to be engaging and motivating for children. Although the long-term goal of the CABC-WM is to provide individualized working memory profiles in children, the present study focuses on the initial success and utility of the CABC-WM for measuring central executive, visuospatial, phonological loop, and binding constructs in children with typical development. Immediate next steps are to...

Annals of Dyslexia, 2017

thank you for your willingness to serve as masked visual analysts. Your support helped provide ad... more thank you for your willingness to serve as masked visual analysts. Your support helped provide additional control to my study. A special thanks to Dr. Shara Brinkley, your friendship and insight throughout my graduate studies has been greatly appreciated. I would like to thank all the wonderful doctoral students past and present in room 2222 who I have leaned on over the years. Your kindness and encouragement gave me strength. Special thanks to

Dyslexia (Chichester, England), Jan 12, 2017

In children with dyslexia, deficits in working memory have not been well-specified. We assessed s... more In children with dyslexia, deficits in working memory have not been well-specified. We assessed second-grade children with dyslexia, with and without concomitant specific language impairment, and children with typical development. Immediate serial recall of lists of phonological (non-word), lexical (digit), spatial (location) and visual (shape) items were included. For the latter three modalities, we used not only standard span but also running span tasks, in which the list length was unpredictable to limit mnemonic strategies. Non-word repetition tests indicated a phonological memory deficit in children with dyslexia alone compared with those with typical development, but this difference vanished when these groups were matched for non-verbal intelligence and language. Theoretically important deficits in serial order memory in dyslexic children, however, persisted relative to matched typically developing children. The deficits were in recall of (1) spoken digits in both standard and...

Journal of memory and language, 2017

This study investigated the structure of working memory in young school-age children by testing t... more This study investigated the structure of working memory in young school-age children by testing the fit of three competing theoretical models using a wide variety of tasks. The best fitting models were then used to assess the relationship between working memory and nonverbal measures of fluid reasoning (Gf) and visual processing (Gv) intelligence. One hundred sixty-eight English-speaking 7-9 year olds with typical development, from three states, participated. Results showed that Cowan's three-factor embedded processes model fit the data slightly better than Baddeley and Hitch's (1974) three-factor model (specified according to Baddeley, 1986) and decisively better than Baddeley's (2000) four-factor model that included an episodic buffer. The focus of attention factor in Cowan's model was a significant predictor of Gf and Gv. The results suggest that the focus of attention, rather than storage, drives the relationship between working memory, Gf, and Gv in young school...