Information Processing Characteristics of the Patients with Specific Language Impairment Using Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristic pattern of information processing in the children with specific language impairment (SLI) using the Kaufman-Assessment Battery (K-ABC) for children. METHOD: Thirty patients were responded to K-ABC. Twenty-three of them were diagnosed as SLI without any abnormalities in other developmental areas, visual or auditory system. Seven patients showed language delay with other developmental abnormalities. Mean chronological age of SLI patients was 61.0 months. Patterns of information processing was measured using K-ABC. Sequential processing, simultaneous processing, mental processing, and achievement scales were obtained and compared between two groups. RESULTS: In SLI patients, sequential processing, simultaneous processing, mental processing, and achievement scales were 32.9+/-34.2, 54.3+/-26.9, 42.5+/-31.1, and 33.8+/-28.7, respectively. The SLI patients showed significantly poor scales in sequential than in simultaneous processing (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The patients with SLI exhibited significant deficits in sequential processing, whereas simultaneous processing was better than that of the other group in this study. This characteristics of SLI patients will be useful for understanding and establishing proper therapeutic strategies for these patients.