Neural Correlates of Processing Syntax in Music and ... - PubMan

Specific Language Impairment 85
opment of this disorder. It is, therefore, unlikely that they provide an exclusive explana-
tion and not yet clear, how the genetic factors fit with other causal explanations of SLI.
Even though psychosocial influences can be regarded as risk factors, moderating the
severity of SLI, most presumably they also will not provide an exclusive causal explanation.
6.4 Specific language impairment and music perception
There is very few evidence concerning music perception in children with language
disorders (Alcock, Passingham, Watkins, & Vargha-Khadem, 2000; Overy, Nicolson,
Fawcett, & Clarke, 2003) and only few studies investigated music perception in children
with SLI (e.g., Sallat, 2007; Weinert, 2000). For example, the ability to discriminate
sounds of different frequency (pitch) may be impaired in SLI (for review, see
McArthur & Bishop, 2001). Otherwise, there is a lack to find consistently a relation of
nonverbal auditory deficits and problems with speech perception (see, e.g., Rosen,
2003). Therefore it might be interesting to determine in how far music perception is
influenced in children with SLI.
Music therapy is common practise in the treatment of language impairment (Albert,
Sparks, & Helm, 1973; Jungblut & Aldridge, 2004; Sparks & Holland, 1976). Music
may also be utilized as soothing background music in special education populations (as
children with SLI). Such therapeutic techniques included the structured use of music to
reduce arousal which, in turn, increased attention and improved concentration (Savan,
1999). Unfortunately, there is comparably sparse scientific research regarding the principles
on the basis of which both kinds of therapies work.
A strong relationship exists between music and language with music influencing, e.g.,
prosodic and semantic processing. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that there are
common underlying neural resources of music and language processing. Specifically, a
strong overlap was found for the neural substrates of music- and linguistic-syntactic
processing. Moreover, prosody, i.e. the musical aspects of language, was demonstrated
to contribute importantly to language learning. It may especially pave the way to the
acquisition of syntax.
6.5 Conclusion
The different theoretical accounts to account for SLI and the heterogeneous pattern of
deficiencies found in these children make it difficult to draw a firm conclusion. Instead,
there is lack of causal explanation and one is left with a lot of puzzle pieces that not
easily fit together. There are lots of possible risk factors which may result in SLI when