Utilizing relevance theory, this study investigated the ability of children with Asperger syndrome (AS) and high-functioning autism (HFA) to use context when answering questions and when giving explanations for their correct answers. Three groups participated in this study: younger AS/HFA group (age 7-9, n=16), older AS/HFA group (age 10-12, n=23) and a normally functioning control group (age 7-9, n=23). The results indicated that the younger AS/HFA group did less well when answering contextually demanding questions compared to the control group, and the performance of the older AS/HFA group fell in between the younger AS/HFA group and the control group. Both AS/HFA groups had difficulties explaining their correct answers, suggesting that they are not always aware of how they have derived answers from the context.

???The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, First Language, 27 (3) , 2007, Copyright SAGE Publications Ltd at: http://fla.sagepub.com/ " DOI: 10.1177/0142723707076568 [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]This research explores the development of pragmatic comprehension within the framework of relevance theory. Participants were 210 typically developing Finnish children aged from 3 to 9 years. The children were asked questions targeting the pragmatic processes of reference assignment, enrichment and implicature, as proposed by relevance theory. Results indicate that increasing ability to use contextual information in comprehension is related to age. The largest increase in correct answers occurred between the ages of 3 and 4 years. Answering reference assignment questions was not problematic for any of the age groups. Answering enrichment and implicature questions reflected the children's increasing ability to use more complex contextual information in the comprehension process. This supports the processing model suggested by relevance theory

Background: For many years research and practice have noted the impact of the heterogeneous nature of Developmental Language Disorder (also known as language impairment or specific language impairment) on diagnosis and assessment. Recent research suggests the disorder is not restricted to the language domain and against this background, the challenge for the practitioner is to provide accurate assessment and effective therapy. The speech and language therapist aims to support the child and their carers to achieve the best outcomes. However, little is known about the experiences of the speech and language therapist in the assessment process, in contrast to other childhood disorders, yet their expertise is central in the assessment and diagnosis of children with language disorder. Aims: This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of speech and language therapists involved in the assessment and diagnosis of children with Developmental Language Disorder including the linguistic and non-linguistic aspects of the disorder. Methods and procedures: The qualitative study included three focus groups to provide a credible and rich description of the experiences of speech and language therapists involved in the assessment of Developmental Language Disorder. The speech and language therapists who participated in the study were recruited from different types of institution in three NHS trusts across the UK and all were directly involved in the assessment and diagnosis procedures. The lengths of speech and language therapist experience ranged from 2 years to 38 years. The data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis within a phenomenological approach. Outcomes and results: The analysis of the data showed three main themes relating to the speech and language therapists' experience in assessment and diagnosis of Developmental Language Disorder. These themes were the participants' experiences of the barriers to early referral (subthemes-parents' misunderstanding and misconceptions of Developmental Language Disorder, bilingualism can mask Developmental Language Disorder and public lack of knowledge of support services), factors in assessment (subthemes-individual nature of impairments, choosing appropriate assessments, key indicators and identifying non-language difficulties) and the concerns over continued future support (subthemes-disadvantages with academic curriculum, disadvantages for employment, impact of Developmental Language Disorder on general life chances). Conclusions and implications: This study provides first-hand evidence from speech and language therapists in the assessment of children with Developmental Language Disorder, drawing together experiences from speech and language therapists from different regions. The implications are that support for early referral and improved assessment tools are needed together with greater public awareness of Developmental Language Disorder. The implications are discussed in relation to the provision of early and effective assessment and the use of...

Children's ability to infer and integrate information in the comprehension of pragmatic meaning was found to be influenced by the available context. As children become more competent they are able to utilize verbal context and integrate information. Children with specific language impairment and those with pragmatic language impairment were found to be developmentally delayed at making inferences, but children with pragmatic language impairment had particular difficulty in integrating contextual information. Findings support the view that a cognitive approach to assessing pragmatic comprehension deficits could provide clinicians with a useful tool.

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