On Memory in Specific Language Impairment (sli)

The term “Specific Language Impairment” (SLI) refers to disturbances in acquiring the skills needed for language, especially the syntactic and morphological components, in children who are not diagnosed with structural anomalies of the brain, hearing impairments, or significant general learning impairments, and who have not been deprived of contact with other people (Rapin 1996). Several important theories on the pathomechanisms of SLI include memory deficits, especially working and phonological memory. Of particular interest is the procedural deficit hypothesis advanced by Michael T. Ullman and Elizabeth I. Pierpont, which attempts to integrate neuronal, cognitive, and linguistic research on SLI and explain the heterogeneity of the deficits ascribed to this disorder, and will be described in this article. The importance of testing various aspects of memory in individual diagnosis will also be analysed, with particular reference to the co-occurrence of SLI and dyslexia.