Bilingualism, DLD, and processing speed (Ebert, 2021)

Purpose: This study examined the influences of bilingualism and developmental language disorder (DLD) on nonverbal processing speed. DLD is associated with slower processing speed, but the extent to which slowing extends to bilingual populations is not established. The possible presence of bilingual cognitive effects could also lead to faster processing speed among bilingual children.Method: Participants included 108 children of ages 6–8 years, including 56 Spanish–English bilinguals (29 with DLD and 27 with typical development) and 52 English-only monolinguals (25 with DLD and 27 with typical development). Language testing (in both languages for bilingual children) was combined with parent and school report to classify children as having DLD or typical language development. Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were excluded from the sample. Reaction time from a choice visual detection task was used to index nonverbal processing speed.Results: Children with DLD demonstrated slower processing speed than their typically developing peers, whereas bilingual children demonstrated faster processing speed than monolinguals. The effects of DLD and bilingualism did not interact.Conclusions: This study replicates prior findings of slowed processing speed among children with DLD in both monolingual and bilingual children. Evidence of faster processing speed among bilingual children contributes to the complex literature surrounding the circumstances of bilingual cognitive effects.Supplemental Material S1. Additional language exposure details for BI-TD and BI-DLD groups.Ebert, K. D. (2021). Revisiting the influences of bilingualism and developmental language disorder on children’s nonverbal processing speed. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00156研究目的：本研究探讨双语状态与发展性语言障碍（developmental language disorder, DLD）对儿童非言语加工速度的影响。发展性语言障碍与加工速度减慢存在关联，但该加工减慢效应是否同样波及双语人群尚未明确；此外，双语认知效应的潜在存在也可能使双语儿童的加工速度更快。 研究方法：本研究的参与者为108名6~8岁儿童，其中包括56名西班牙语-英语双语儿童（29名患有发展性语言障碍，27名语言发育典型）以及52名仅使用英语的单语儿童（25名患有发展性语言障碍，27名语言发育典型）。通过双语儿童的双语言测试结合家长与学校评定报告，对儿童是否患有发展性语言障碍或存在典型语言发育进行分类。本研究排除了患有注意缺陷多动障碍（attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder）的被试。本研究采用选择式视觉检测任务的反应时作为非言语加工速度的评估指标。 研究结果：患有发展性语言障碍的儿童相较于语言发育典型的同伴，加工速度更慢；而双语儿童的加工速度则快于单语儿童。发展性语言障碍与双语状态的效应未产生交互作用。 研究结论：本研究验证了此前的研究结论：无论是单语还是双语儿童，患有发展性语言障碍者的加工速度均会减慢。双语儿童加工速度更快的研究结果，进一步丰富了围绕双语认知效应发生情境的复杂研究文献。 补充材料S1：西英双语典型发育组（BI-TD）与西英双语发展性语言障碍组（BI-DLD）的额外语言暴露细节。 Ebert, K. D. (2021). 重新探讨双语状态与发展性语言障碍对儿童非言语加工速度的影响. 《言语、语言与听力研究杂志（Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research）》. 提前在线出版. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00156