Specific language impairment in Italian: the first steps in the search for a clinical marker

Recent studies of children with specific language impairment (SLI) have
identified language measures that seem quite accurate in distinguishing
preschool-age children with SLI from their normally developing peers.
However, the studies have focussed exclusively on English, and it is clear
from the literature that the SLI profile varies between languages. This
paper reports on three studies designed to assess the utility of
particular language measures for Italian. In the first two studies, it was
found that a composite measure based on the use of definite singular
articles and third-person plural inflections showed good sensitivity and
specificity in distinguishing Italian-speaking children with SLI from
their typically developing peers. The third study showed that the same
composite can be applied successfully to individual cases of SLI. Some of
the additional steps needed to evaluate this composite measure are
discussed.