The structure of conversation in mentally retarded children

Abstract

The conversational structure of eight children with mild to moderate retardation was examined in this study. Frequency of conversational exchanges, types of exchanges, initiation and continuity within exchanges, and exchange complexity were determined in conversational samples obtained during free-play interactions between each child and an unfamiliar adult. The conversational structure of this group of retarded children was compared to that of one group of normally developing children matched on the basis of general language level, and to another group of normally developing children matched by chronological age. Retarded children were similar to language-matched control subjects in terms of overall frequency of exchanges, frequency of type I exchanges and a lower frequency of complex exchanges, but they initiated and continued exchanges in a way that was consistent with both control groups. A characteristic pattern displayed by retarded children was the high use of simple exchanges and the high production of type III exchanges.

Key Words:

• mental retardation
• conversation structure
• language use
• pragmatics