Research summary
Speech sound disorder (SSD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) present significant barriers to preschool children’s academic and social participation. Dr. Karla Washington, Canada Research Chair in Monolingual and Multilingual Paediatric Speech-Language Pathology, aims to help children communicate effectively by improving how we diagnose and treat these disorders.
Children who speak more than one language daily tend to be over- or under-referred for treatment, making misdiagnosis a key barrier to getting help. Washington and her research team are addressing this misdiagnosis in the under-studied context of children who speak Jamaican Creole and English. In a separate research strand, they are also characterizing the neural basis of DLD in hopes of better understanding the memory-language mechanisms that underpin grammar learning and impairment. Ultimately, their work will contribute to a better understanding of both SSD and DLD in children.