Nonword production performance according to vocal rehearsal condition in children with language delay

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the rehearsal method of improving phonological short-term memory ability by examining the performance of nonword production according to vocal rehearsal condition in children with language delay and normal language. Methods: The participants in this study were 17 children with language delay (LD group) and 17 children with normal language (NL group). The study utilized nonwords and abstract pictures with 3 different conditions of rehearsal suppression, vocal rehearsal 5 times, and vocal rehearsal 10 times. During the vocal rehearsal, the children had to rehearse and then produce the nonword. Results: The results of this study are as follows. First, the LD group showed significantly lower performance in the nonword production in rehearsal suppression condition and the vocal rehearsal 10 times condition than the NL group. Second, the LD group had different error types according to the vocal rehearsal condition, but NL group had constant error types regardless of the conditions. Third, both groups showed a correlation between vocabulary and the performance of nonword production. Conclusion: The performance of nonword production of children with language delay is lower than that of children with normal language, which means that children with language delay have a lower phonological short-term memory capacity. In addition, rehearsal has a positive effect on phonological short-term memory improvement, and it implies an association between phonological short-term memory ability and vocabulary. © 2017 Korean Academy of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.