RESIDUAL EFFECTS OF PRESCHOOL PHONOLOGY DISORDERS IN GRADE SCHOOL, ADOLESCENCE, AND ADULTHOOD

This study used a cross-sectional design to examine the performance of people with a history of a preschool phonology disorder on measures of phonology, reading, and spelling at preschool age (n = 20), grade school age (n = 23), adolescence (n = 17), and adulthood (n = 17). Results showed that at each age group, subjects with a history of a disorder performed more poorly than control subjects matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status in all domains. Comparisons across each successive age group revealed a higher performance on measures from preschool to grade school age, and a smaller but steady improvement from grade school age to adolescence to adulthood. Subjects with a history of other language problems, in addition to the phonology disorder overall, performed more poorly than subjects with a history of a preschool phonology disorder alone on the reading and spelling measures. These findings suggest that remnants of a preschool phonology disorder are detectable past grade school age and into adulthood.