Lexical retrieval difficulties in children: a new approach combining modelling of impairment and intervention to help word-finding (Part 2)

Best, Wendy and Thomas, Michael and Masterson, Jackie (2017). Lexical retrieval difficulties in children: a new approach combining modelling of impairment and intervention to help word-finding (Part 2). [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-851839

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Data description (abstract)

This collection consists of naming accuracy scores from 20 children with word-finding difficulties on 100 items at different stages of an intervention study. We all experience difficulties in retrieving words occasionally. Children with difficulties learning language (around 7 per cent of the population) can experience considerable problems in retrieving words in their vocabulary. This difficulty can influence children's relationships, self-esteem and education. The study has three strands: Involves collecting data from children with typically developing language (TDL) and others with word-finding difficulties (WFD). Accuracy and speed of naming, and related skills involving processing word meaning and sounds will be compared for children at different stages of development. Neurocomputational modelling of the processes involved in word retrieval. Constraints within the model can be varied to reflect the patterns shown by children TDL and with WFD. The model will then be used to predict optimal intervention approaches for children with different underlying difficulties An experimentally controlled intervention in which children with WFD take part in one form of therapy most appropriate to their difficulty and one building on their strengths to determine which approach is more effective. Results on testing and on wider outcome measures will inform practice. By combining approaches from different disciplines, the research will inform understanding of typical and atypical language development and intervention.

Data creators:

Creator Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Best Wendy	UCL
Thomas Michael	Birkbeck College
Masterson Jackie	University College London

Contributors:

Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Hughes Lucy	UCL
Kapikian Anna	UCL Institute of Education
Fedor Anna	Birkbeck College
Roncoli Silvia	UCL Institute of Education

Sponsors:

ESRC

Grant reference:

RES-062-23-2721

Topic classification:

Health
Education
Psychology

Keywords:

language impairments, therapy

Project title:

Lexical retrieval difficulties in children: a new approach combining modelling of impairment and intervention to help word-finding

Grant holders:

Wendy Best, Michael Thomas, Jackie Masterson

Project dates:

From	To
4 January 2011	4 January 2015

Date published:

12 Apr 2016 11:07

Last modified:

06 Apr 2017 09:22

Coverage and Methodology

Collection period:

Date from:	Date to:
4 January 2011	3 October 2014

Country:

United Kingdom

Data collection method:

Data was collected via a confrontation naming task, presented on a computer. Target items were drawn from the following word sets: Funnell, Hughes and Woodcock (2006) and Druks and Masterson (2000). The materials consisted of 100 black and white line drawings of objects. The picture naming task was programmed using the experimental software DMDX (Forster & Forster, 2003) running on a laptop computer with a 15.4-inch screen. Naming responses were scored contemporaneously and were recorded using an external microphone connected to the laptop. All 100 items were presented in a single session divided into four blocks of 25 items each. The child was asked to provide a single word for each picture. The tester moved to the next item as soon as the child named the picture. Four fixed randomized orders were rotated across children during testing. Each trial began with the presentation of a fixation cross in the centre of the screen for 500 msecs. Then the picture appeared and stayed on the screen for a maximum of 10000 msecs. Three items, not used in the main testing session, were presented for practice. Feedback on accuracy was given during the practice trials but not during the main task. Participant selection: children were referred by the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators / Inclusion Managers at their schools. 20 children were included in the trial from 24 originally referred to the study. The children were aged from 6 to 8 years and had WFDs based on their performance on the Test of Word Finding Second Edition (TWF-2; German, 2000). The TWF-2 test assesses a potential disparity between word production and word comprehension. All children scored in the normal range on the comprehension component of the test, with a word-finding quotient of below 90. None of our sample had a diagnosis of dyspraxia, autistic spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or global developmental delay. Our consideration of WFDs does not entail that WFDs are the sole language deficit that these children experienced, although for many of the children study, it was the most salient. Children were not recruited if they were having one-to-one intervention for language during the period of the study. Please see the following publication for full details of our data collection methods: W. Best, A. Fedor, L. Hughes, A. Kapikian, J. Masterson, S. Roncoli, L. Fern-Pollak & M.S.C. Thomas (2015): Intervening to alleviate word-finding difficulties in children: case series data and a computational modelling foundation(see Related Resources).

Observation unit:

Individual

Kind of data:

Numeric

Type of data:

Experimental data

Resource language:

English

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