Specific language impairment: Continuing clinical concerns

This article reviews current trends in the study of children with specific language impairment (SLI). SLI is defined as significant limitation in language ability in the absence of accompanying hearing impairment, low nonverbal intelligence, or neurological damage. Our understanding of SLI is as dynamic as the disorder itself and new information often challenges current clinical practices. Four areas of current research are highlighted to draw attention to new evidence that provides an opportunity for reconsideration of current clinical practice: (1) heterogeneity in the group of children identified with SLI, (2) diagnostic criteria used to identify SLI, (3) auditory processing, and (4) short-term memory.