Prematurity is associated with a wide range of adverse outcomes, including persistent difficulties learning language. It is highly challenging to determine at an early age which preterm children are most at risk for language impairment. To break ground, this project adopts an innovative, integrative approach to (impaired) language development, relating detailed linguistic error profiles of school-aged children born preterm to early brain, cognitive and motor development. The results of this study on developmental cascades from brain to behavior will elucidate why children develop language difficulties, allowing for their early identification and the timely start of interventions.
Young children face the daunting task of learning words. Whereas some children perform this task seemingly effortlessly, for others this is challenging. Yet, the reasons for these individual differences are unclear. Especially the role of child-internal, cognitive factors is uncertain. Comparing a typically developing population to an atypically developing population can shed light on this problem.
Children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), a relatively frequently occurring genetic condition, constitute one such atypically developing population. Although 22q11DS is characterized by a heterogeneous presentation of clinical symptoms, impaired language development has been reported for the majority of affected children. Vocabulary is greatly affected. This is likely to have substantial negative effects in later life, specifically regarding literacy skills and academic success. Furthermore, cognitive skills known to be associated with vocabulary development in typically developing children (notably memory and attention), are impaired in children with 22q11DS. Investigating these cognitive skills in relation to their vocabulary impairments can enhance our understanding of the role of these cognitive processes in vocabulary development in general.
With a linguistically informed longitudinal study, we will compare vocabulary development in children with 22q11DS to typically developing children matched on chronological age and mental age. Additionally, we will investigate the role of cognitive skills in their word learning abilities and the relation to their other language skills. Theoretically, this will contribute to elucidating individual differences in vocabulary development. Clinically, it will provide knowledge on the vocabulary development of children with 22q11DS, which can be applied in diagnostics and interventions.
The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a unique model for studying psychosis risk. There are strong indications that psychosis is foreshadowed by atypical language characteristics. This project investigates language in relation to (pre)psychotic symptoms in 22q11DS, supporting our understanding of developmental mechanisms and early identification of this devastating mental illness.
Globally, 10.6% of births worldwide are preterm (<37 weeks of gestation) (Chawanpaiboon et al., 2019), which accounts for 15 million preterm births per year. Preterm born neonates are at risk for short-term and long-term morbidities (e.g., Onofrio et al., 2013; Teune et al., 2011) following disruptions in brain development (e.g., de Kievit et al., 2012; Kwon et al., 2016; Salvan et al., 2017; Woodward et al., 2012). The current project focuses on the language skills of children born preterm. Language is an important and multidimensional higher-order function that relies on the interaction between environmental factors and child-internal processes, such as gene expression, synapse formation, and cognitive mechanisms. Proper brain development early in life is highly important for successful language acquisition (DoY hub ‘1001 critical days’, 2017). Unsurprisingly, many preterm children experience persistent language difficulties (Barre et al., 2011; Van Noort-Van der Spek et al., 2012; Vandormael et al., 2018; Zimmerman, 2017).
Weak language skills impact on subsequent development in other domains with consequences far beyond language. For example, language is crucial for children’s academic and socioemotional development, for successful relationships with family and peers, overall health, wellbeing and work (e.g., Bleses et al., 2016; Longobardi et al., 2016). A better understanding of the language profile of preterm children as well as early precursors of, and mechanisms underlying their language difficulties is therefore necessary. In this project, we will analyze data from a large cohort of extremely preterm children (<28 weeks of gestation) who have been followed from birth until 8.5 years of age.
Currently, many multilingual children are misdiagnosed. To improve this situation, LITMUS language assessment tests have been developed as part of the COST Action IS0804 - Language Impairment in a Multilingual Society: Linguistic patterns and the road to assessment. In this usability study an online environment will be developed and adapted in collaboration with speech language therapists to make the LITMUS tests available and accessible for speech-language therapists in the Netherlands.
Specific language impairment (SLI) in children is characterized by severe and persistent difficulties in acquiring a native language, unrelated to intellectual disability, physical limitations, or psychosocial deprivation. The etiology of SLI, in particular the role of neurocognitive processes such as learning and information processing, is poorly understood. Progress in this domain is difficult because of the large etiologic and phenotypic heterogeneity of the SLI population. Here, we propose to address this challenge by examining a population with developmental language impairment resulting from a uniform etiology: the 22q11.2 deletion (22q11DS). Children with 22q11DS display delayed language development, and learning- and information processing deficits similar to SLI. The fact that all 22q11DS share the same genetic etiology provides us with a unique opportunity to identify the mechanisms underlying this language disorder.
The first 1001 days of a child’s life, from conception to the age of two, are of vital importance for the development of our complex brain. The brain structure (e.g. different cell types, connections between brain regions) is formed, which will determine a range of skills and cognitive abilities of the child later in life. This project will focus on language development, as an example of an important skill that is dependent on proper brain development. How do stimuli in the first 1001 days influence language acquisition (and disorders)?
This study investigates relationships between language abilities and cognitive control in bilingual minority children in the Netherlands. The aim is to better understand the cognitive effects of bilingualism and to disentangle effects of bilingualism and Developmental Language Disorder.