Leibniz-Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft Leibniz-Gemeinschaft

Verbal and non-verbal indicators to identify circumscribed language development disorders in successively bilingual kindergarten children (DRUSLI 1)

Successive bilingual children are often misdiagnosed with regard to Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Currently, no reliable procedures are available that detect a risk for SLI in successive bilingual children. This project aims to find verbal and non-verbal markers that allow identifying successive bilingual children who are at risk for developing SLI. In a longitudinal study we are going to test successive bilingual children in 6 months intervals over a period of one year (3 times). At the starting point children are between 4;0-4;5 years old. Children whose language abilities in both languages permanently stay behind their peers after our last test session at age 5;0-5;5 are likely to be at risk for SLI.