Performance on Natural Dissemblance Tasks in 7-11 Year-Old, Language-Impaired and Typically Developing Children Performance on Natural Dissemblance Tasks in 7-11 Year-Old, Language-Impaired and Typically Developing Children

by Quist, Noel 1982-

Studies over the past several years have shown that children with language

impairment (LI) have greater difficulty in social situations than typically developing

children. More specifically, studies have shown that children with LI have more

difficulty with dissemblance. This study was conducted to assess whether these children

are less likely to dissemble in real-life situations. Forty-four children aged 7 to 11 years

(22 LI and 22 typically developing) were presented with four situations designed to elicit

dissemblance. Their reactions were scored and compared. The results of this study

showed subtle differences between children with LI and typically developing children.

Children with LI were more likely to display emotions, and the typically developing

children were more likely to have non-committal and dissembled responses. These tasks

were pilots, and further research is suggested.