1(in press, Applied Psycholinguistics) Electrophysiology in the Study of Developmental Language Impairments: Prospects and Challenges for a Top-Down Approach

There is a good deal of interest in the application of neurocognitive techniques to investigate the underpinnings of developmental language impairments (DLIs). Electrophysiological techniques such as EEG and MEG offer the promise of the ability to track brain activity with precision in time and space. This article describes a number of findings from studies of normal adults and children that are relevant to neurocognitive studies of DLIs, and outlines a series of challenges that should be met in order for electrophysiological measures to realize their promise. 3As more is learned about the language profiles and about the genetic underpinnings of Developmental Language Impairments (DLIs), a clear puzzle is emerging. On the one hand, the effects of specific genetic disorders on language appear to be surprisingly non-specific. Similar aspects of language appear to be impacted across a variety of disorders with different genetic causes. On the other hand, the effects of genetic disorders on language are highly specific. DLIs appear to selectively target certain subparts of language while sparing others. To take just one example, morphosyntactic difficulties associated with verb inflection in English are reported across a number of different DLIs