Prerequisites for speech development: visual, auditory and tactile pattern discrimination

Many children with delayed language development exhibit no hearing loss, no mental retardation, no motor problems, nor any structural deformities. They are said to suffer from 'central disturbances'. Evidence is presented, on the basis of an extensive test battery, that these children have difficulties in integrating either sensory inputs of different modalities or temporal sequences of stimuli. In addition, the details of a study are presented in which the development, with age, of sensory pattern perception and discrimination is quantitatively evaluated. The performance of the children in recognizing identity (or differences) of two consecutive stimuli is measured. Visual, auditory, as well as tactile sensory modalities are tested. The children, whose development between the ages of 4 and 10 is followed, are asked to discriminate between patterned stimuli, presented in series of increasing complexity. Preliminary results are discussed.