Purpose: This systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis examines the accuracy of sentence repetition (SR) tasks in distinguishing between typically developing (TD) children and children with developmental language disorder (DLD). It explores variation in the way that SR tasks are administered and/or evaluated and examines whether variability…

Purpose: Children with residual speech sound disorders (RSSD) have shown differences in neural function for speech production, as compared to their typical peers; however, information about how these differences may change over time and relative to speech therapy is needed. To address this gap, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)…

A well-established imitative repertoire can facilitate the acquisition of functional communication, social behaviors, and observational learning. Although early intensive behavioral intervention programs for young children with autism incorporate imitation training, learners with autism may exhibit difficulties in acquiring an imitative…

Motor stereotypies are frequently reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, but determinants of stereotypies remain poorly understood. In this study, a randomized sample of children with diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder was investigated to identify the prevalence and determinants of stereotypies. A total of 134 children who…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review of research on oral and laryngeal diadochokinesis (DDK) in children and adults, either typically developing/developed or with a clinical diagnosis. Method: Searches were conducted with PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and legacy sources in retrieved articles. Search terms…

Despite their high prevalence and clinical importance in autism, unusual and restricted interests remain under-researched and poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize the frequency and type of interests in autism by coding caregivers' open-ended responses in a sample of 237 autistic children and adolescents (M[subscript age] = 8.27…

Background: Research in word-finding difficulties is sparse, especially in languages other than English. As a result, the factors associated with the frequency of word-finding behaviours are poorly understood, particularly in discourse. Aims: This exploratory study is the first to collect data relative to the expected frequency of word-finding…

Background: The challenge of assessing all languages of multilingual children by clinicians who do not speak the children's heritage languages is a global problem amplified by the increase in recent migration as well as a lack of available assessment tools. Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of using a novel scoring schema to assist English-speaking…

The purpose of the study was to characterize repetitive phenomena in Williams syndrome (WS). The parents of 60 subjects with WS completed the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) or Children's Y-BOCS, the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale, the Stereotyped Behavior Scale, and the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale--Parent Version. Nineteen…

We reconcile competing theories of the role of phonological memory in reading development, by uncovering their dynamic relationship during the first 5 years of school. Phonological memory, reading and phoneme awareness were assessed in 780 phonics-educated children at age 4, 5, 6 and 9. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that phonological…

Background: Non-word repetition (NWR) tests are an important way speech and language therapists (SaLTs) assess language development. NWR tests are often scored whilst participants make their responses (i.e., in real time) in clinical and research reports (documented here via a secondary analysis of a published systematic review). Aims: The main…

Word learning depends on attention -- children must focus on the right things at the right times. However, autistic children often display restricted interests, limiting their intake of stimuli during word learning. This study investigates how category interests influence word learning in autism and neurotypical development. Autistic and…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of the delivery of complex syntax recast therapy via telepractice to Spanish-English bilingual children and provide preliminary evidence of the efficacy of this approach. Method: Fifteen bilingual children with developmental language disorders were stratified based on language…

Poor sleep quality and low behavioral functioning are commonly reported in children with autism spectrum disorder. This study examined the impact of exercise on sleep on melatonin level and behavioral functioning in the population. Children with autism spectrum disorder (n = 55; age = 10.97 ± 1.90) were randomly allocated to a morning jogging…

Restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) is one of the two core diagnostic features used to determine the severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) is widely used to measure the presence and severity of a variety of RRBs in individuals with ASD. Previous studies have implemented a factor analysis…