Visual check back in children with Specific Language Impairment

Sensitivity to eye gaze is suggested to be an important prerequisite for intersubjectivity and for normal language development. The present study investigated visual check back in two age groups of typically developed children and one group of childrenwith Specific Language Impairment (SLI, n = 10). The control childrenwere matched to the SLI children with regard to language level (LMC, n = 10) and to age (AMC, n = 10). Play setting situations, including child and teacher,weredesigned to elicit the children’s use of visual checkback. The children with lower language level (SLI children aged 5:0 and LMC children aged 2:1) gave visual check back significantlymore seldom than thehigher language level children (aged 5:1) and they alsoneededmore time for giving checkback, i.e. there is a relationbetweenvisual check back and language level. The results indicate that children with SLI have a deviant visual communication that further worsens their already limited communicative ability. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author at: Karolinska University Hospital, B69, S 141 86 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: +46 8 5858 7426; fax: +46 8 5858 1505. E-mail address: [email protected] (I.-M. Tallberg).