1st Student's Major
Speech, Hearing, and Rehabilitation Services
1st Student's College
Allied Health and Nursing
Students' Professional Biography
Maureen Boyle is a student in the Speech, Hearing and Rehabilitation Services Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Mentor's Name
Patricia Hargrove
Mentor's Department
Speech, Hearing, and Rehabilitation Services
Mentor's College
Allied Health and Nursing
Abstract
Literature claims individuals with Williams syndrome (WS), a rare congenital genetic mental retardation syndrome, easily engage in conversation and demonstrate unique and advanced linguistic skills compared to typically developing peers (TDP). These claims are supported by limited empirical evidence, however. One method of judging advanced linguistic skills is to compare the production of complex/compound sentences of children with WS and their TDP. The purpose of the study was to determine whether children with WS use more complex/compound sentences than children who are typically developing. Twelve subjects participated in the study. Six subjects with WS (SWS), mean age 15, and 6 subjects who are typically developing, mean age 6-4. Subjects were matched according to gender and verbal performance. Two judges evaluated 100 utterances (oral statements) from each of the12 subjects and determined the sentence type of each utterance. Compound, complex and complex/compound sentences were coded. Data were analyzed employing Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT), a set of computer programs designed to analyze and interpret language samples. The range, mean and standard deviation for each sentence type were computed. Results indicate TDP display a greater number of complex, compound and complex/compound sentences compared to SWS. Implications are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Boyle, Maureen
(2001)
"Production of Complex/Compounds Sentences in the Spontaneous Speech of Typically Developing Children and Children with Williams Syndrome,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato: Vol. 1, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56816/2378-6949.1182
Available at:
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/jur/vol1/iss1/2
Creative Commons License
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