Intonation abilities of children with Williams syndrome: A preliminary investigation (original) (raw)

Investigating prosodic ability in Williams syndrome

Clinical linguistics & phonetics

This paper investigates whether people with Williams syndrome (WS) have prosodic impairments affecting their expression and comprehension of four main uses of intonation. Two adolescent males with WS were assessed using the PEPS-C battery, which considers prosodic abilities within a psycholinguistic framework, assessing prosodic form and function in both the input and output domains. The performances of the subjects with WS were compared with control data for age and language-comprehension matched children. The results revealed significant prosodic impairment affecting all areas of the profile. Crucially, however, different profiles of strengths and weaknesses were revealed for the two subjects. The results support the growing view that WS is a heterogeneous population in terms of linguistic abilities.

Psycholinguistic abilities of children with Williams syndrome

Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2012

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues.

Pitch range and vowel duration in the speech of children with Williams syndrome

This paper reports the pitch range and vowel duration data from a group of children with Williams syndrome (WS) in comparison with a group of typically developing children matched for chronological age (CA) and a group matched for receptive language abilities (LA). It is found that the speech of the WS group has a greater pitch range and that vowels tend to be longer in duration than in the speech of the typically developing children. These findings are in line with the impressionistic results reported by Reilly, Klima and Bellugi [17].

Late phonological development in Williams syndrome

Frontiers in Psychology

Williams syndrome is a neurodevelopmental genetic disorder characterized by a unique phenotype, including mild to moderate intellectual disability and an uneven neuropsychological profile of relative strengths and weaknesses. Language structure components (i.e., phonology, morphosyntax, and vocabulary) have been considered an area of specific ability compared to pragmatic language use. However, research on phonological development in Williams syndrome is very scarce, and it suggests atypical patterns. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the profiles of late phonological development in Spanish-speaking children, adolescents, and adults with Williams syndrome, based on the analysis of five classes of processes (Syllable Structure, Substitution, Omission, Assimilation, and Addition) in spontaneous speech. The phonological profiles of seven children (aged 3–8 years), and seven adolescents and young adults (aged 14–25 years) with Williams syndrome were compared with tw...

Linguistic Development of Children with Williams Syndrome: A Control Study

PEDIATRICS, 2008

based on the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, standardized in healthy Greek children. RESULTS: Children with IGE performed significantly poorer in all subtests except the auditory closure subtest (Table 1). No significant difference was found between the 2 subgroups. A negative correlation was found between disease duration and the score in auditory memory (r ϭ Ϫ0.368; P ϭ .025).

Speech Prosody in Down's and Williams Syndrome: A Comparison

Expressive and receptive speech prosody in a group of children with Williams syndrome and Down's syndrome are compared with each other and also with typically developing children using a computerized test battery. It is found that the WS children outperform the DS children on all expressive aspects of prosody, despite having comparable receptive language and non-verbal skills. This suggests that differences in prosodic ability may be linked to genetic disorder.

Language abilities in Williams syndrome: A critical review

2007

Abstract Williams syndrome is a rare genetic disorder in which, it is claimed, language abilities are relatively strong despite mild to moderate mental retardation. Such claims have, in turn, been interpreted as evidence either for modular preservation of language or for atypical constraints on cognitive development.

Language and Conversational Abilities in Williams Syndrome: How Good is Good?

International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 2001

Grammatical performance of individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) has been reported as being unimpaired, despite their comparatively low IQ and poor general cognitive ability. Specific language impairment (SLI) is often seen as the converse of WS, showing poor linguistic ability relative to level of cognitive functioning. Detailed profiles of language functioning in four children with WS and four with SLI are presented which show a much less clear-cut picture than is often portrayed and suggest that children with WS may be less linguistically able than is commonly reported. A comparison of results on standardised tests with performance in real conversations shows that not only the children with SLI but also those with WS have significant linguistic difficulties. This has clear implications for their management by speech and language therapists.

Are 3-to-8-year-old children with Williams syndrome good word-learners?

NeuroReport, 2010

This study investigated the phonetic processing of new words in 3-to-8-year-old children with Williams syndrome (WS). Word-learning abilities were evaluated with a task involving the learning of two phonetically similar words for two different objects. Overall, children with WS were able to process fine phonetic details while establishing new word-object links. Their performance pattern was predicted by their mental age and was characterized by an asymmetrical processing of consonant and vowel information to the advantage of consonants found with this task in younger, typically developing, children. These results show delayed but relatively preserved word-learning abilities in WS, and this trajectory is discussed in comparison with typical development.