| An assessment of the language competencies of a group of 42 Native American children, half of whom were diagnosed FAS, was conducted in rural South Dakota. Receptive and expressive language skills were evaluated and compared between and within groups. Statistical analysis of the results of the Test of Language Development-Primary, Revised (TOLD-P:2) indicated depressed language scores for the younger children with FAS when compared to age and culturally matched peers. Although the receptive-expressive language gap was significantly different between groups, it was not indicative of a receptive language deficit in FAS children. In contrast, there were no significant differences in expressive and receptive language quotients between groups in the older cohort of children who were administered the Test of Language Development-I:2 (TOLD-I:2).;These findings are in keeping with an earlier study of Native Canadian children in which younger children with FAS showed more global deficits than older subjects (Carney & Chermak, 1991).;In contrast, there were no significant differences in expressive and receptive language quotients between groups in the older cohort of children. The differences between receptive and expressive language skills was also insignificant in these groups.;Recommendations for further investigation into the language abilities of children with FAS were given, as well as for the study of vision and hearing deficits, which impact the development of language. Several recommendations were offered to teachers of these children to facilitate compensation for possible language deficits. |
