Developmental Language Disorder: A Consequence of Exemplar-Based Learning?
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| Title: | Developmental Language Disorder: A Consequence of Exemplar-Based Learning? |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Nick Riches (ORCID |
| Source: | First Language. 2026 46(3):495-515. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Descriptors: | Developmental Disabilities, Language Impairments, Brain, Cognitive Style, Language Acquisition, Reference Groups, Morphemes, Syntax, Sentence Structure |
| DOI: | 10.1177/01427237251371762 |
| ISSN: | 0142-7237 1740-2344 |
| Abstract: | Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) present with unexplained difficulties with both expressive and receptive language. A key conundrum is why their prognoses are often poorer than children with evidenced brain lesions. How can children with early focal lesions acquire language so well compared with children with DLD who do not present with gross neurological abnormalities? A possibility raised by Dell and Chang in 2013 is that learning in DLD is fundamentally derailed by an exemplar-based learning style. Such a process has been robustly demonstrated in studies of artificial neural networks. This theoretical article discusses exemplar theory, the role exemplars may play in language development, and surveys evidence suggesting an exemplar-based learning style in DLD. It concludes that this provides a plausible new approach to both explaining the condition and designing new therapies. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1507540 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) present with unexplained difficulties with both expressive and receptive language. A key conundrum is why their prognoses are often poorer than children with evidenced brain lesions. How can children with early focal lesions acquire language so well compared with children with DLD who do not present with gross neurological abnormalities? A possibility raised by Dell and Chang in 2013 is that learning in DLD is fundamentally derailed by an exemplar-based learning style. Such a process has been robustly demonstrated in studies of artificial neural networks. This theoretical article discusses exemplar theory, the role exemplars may play in language development, and surveys evidence suggesting an exemplar-based learning style in DLD. It concludes that this provides a plausible new approach to both explaining the condition and designing new therapies. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0142-7237 1740-2344 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/01427237251371762 |
