| This study investigated the effects of language delays of communication impaired children on a cognitive test. The sample consisted of 59 communication impaired children, 24 male and 25 female, between the ages of 6 and 17 (mean age of 9 years and one month) and a control group of 59 children without communication impairment, 24 male and 25 female, between the ages of 6 and 17 (mean age of 9 years). Cognitive performance was measured on the Differential Ability Scales (DAS). All participants were administered the six school-age core subtests.; Results indicated that language delays did, in fact, negatively impact the overall cognitive performance of communication impaired children. A significant difference between the overall cognitive performance of the communication impaired and control groups was found.; Implications of this study suggest that depressed IQ scores may result in certain children not meeting the criteria for a Specific Learning Disability (SLD); that the use of a discrepancy formula in identifying children with SLD is flawed; and that the SLD and Speech and Language Impairment (SLI) categories may not be mutually exclusive. |
