BUCLD46 Slower Processing Speed in DLD Dataset and RStudio File

Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) may exhibit slower processing compared to age-matched neurotypical peers. Processing speed has been linked to various linguistic skills and might serve as a global indicator of individual differences in language abilities. To date, there has been no systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies. Hence, we do not know whether slower processing in DLD is domain-general or restricted to linguistic and/or auditory tasks. This meta-analysis used Robust Variance Estimation to compare response/reaction times (RTs) of DLD (mean age = 8.9 years; range = 4-23 years) and age-matched neurotypical groups (k = 45; m = 140). Moderators included task (simple RT, choice RT, naming, interference control), stimulus type (linguistic/nonlinguistic), stimulus modality (auditory/non-auditory), and response modality (verbal/nonverbal). Age was included as a covariate. The overall effect indicated slower processing speed in DLD groups (g = .47, p -value less than .001, 95% CI = .38; .56). All subgroup analyses were significant, indicating slower processing across tasks and stimulus/response conditions. Stimulus modality moderated effects: counter to auditory processing theories of DLD, larger effects were drawn from studies using non-auditory as opposed to auditory stimuli. No other moderators approached significance. Individuals with DLD exhibit slower processing across varied tasks, suggesting a domain-general deficit. The findings underscore the need to provide accommodations for slower processing in educational and employment settings. Future work is needed to validate use of simple nonverbal and nonlinguistic RT-based measures in diagnosis, which may aid in identifying children with DLD in linguistically diverse communities.