Contributions of early motor deficits in predicting language outcomes among preschoolers with developmental language disorder

Abstract

Purpose: We assessed the extent to which language, speech, and fine/gross motor skills in preschoolers with developmental language disorder (DLD; also referred to as specific language impairment) predicted language outcome two years later.

Method: Participants with DLD (n = 15) and typical development (TD; n = 14) completed language, speech, and fine/gross motor assessments annually, beginning as 4- to 5-year-olds (Year 1 timepoint) and continuing through 6 to 7 years of age (Year 3 timepoint). We performed Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analyses to examine the relative contributions of Year 1 language, speech, and motor skills to Year 3 language outcome in each group.

Result: Among children with DLD, Year 1 fine/gross motor scores positively correlated with Year 3 language scores, uniquely explaining 40% of the variance in language outcomes. Neither Year 1 language, speech-sound, nor speech-motor scores predicted language outcome in this group. Among children with TD, only Year 1 language predicted language outcome.

Conclusion: This small longitudinal study reveals that, among preschoolers with DLD, certain early fine/gross motor deficits predict persistent language impairment. Future research that includes larger sample sizes and motor tasks that incorporate complex sequencing will enhance the understanding of the relationship between language, speech, and motor skills; specifically, whether certain motor deficits simply co-occur with language deficits or whether they are tied to DLD through shared impairments in sequential learning mechanisms.

Keywords:

• developmental language disorder
• specific language impairment
• motor development
• procedural learning
• speech-language pathology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Acknowledgements

We thank the study participants and their families, and Dr. Pat Deevy for her assistance with recruitment and assessment.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at http://10.1080/17549507.2021.1998629.

Notes

1 Though the category of DLD may be broader than that of SLI, we refer to each fairly interchangeably throughout this work. We use the term SLI when that reflects the perspective of the researcher to whom we are referring, and when it more aligns with a particular point we are discussing. Because we investigate domains beyond language, we conservatively approach the standard inclusion criteria for SLI (Leonard, 2014) to ensure alignment with classic studies.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grants R01 DC04826 and DC016813 awarded to Lisa Goffman.