Do Adolescents With Specific Language Impairment Understand Driving Terminology?

Abstract

Purpose This study examined if adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI) understand driving vocabulary as well as their typically developing (TD) peers. Method A total of 16 adolescents with SLI and 16 TD comparison adolescents completed a receptive vocabulary task focused on driving terminology derived from statewide driver's manuals. Results The SLI group understood fewer driving-related terms when compared with the TD comparison group. Although both groups performed comparably in understanding simple noun driving terminology, the SLI group had greater difficulty comprehending compound noun and verb driving terms. Discussion The decreased understanding of terms found in driver's manuals for adolescents with SLI has implications for how they access necessary information for learning the driving rules, regulations, and procedures important for securing a driver's license.