Phonological patterns (templates) in 5p deletion syndrome

Abstract

Whole word phonological patterns (templates) in utterances produced by children with 5p deletion syndrome are analysed, addressing four questions: (1) Are children with 5p deletion syndrome able to generalise over words? (2) How does the template score of children with 5p deletion syndrome relate to those of typically developing children and of the target language? (3) How do the template scores relate to other phonological measures, PCC and consonant variegation? (4) What can the relationship between template scores and phonological measures tell us about templates? Children with 5p deletion syndrome are able to generalise over words, some to a target like extent, others generalise more than expected for their age. The template scores relate to other phonological measures, with two exceptions. The exceptions indicate that the template score of a child with articulatory difficulties may reflect more detailed representations of the words in memory than she is able to express.