Which clinical marker is commonly used for identifying SLI?

The identification of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) often focuses on the individual’s performance in certain cognitive tasks that reflect their language capabilities. Non-word repetition ability serves as a clinical marker for SLI because it examines a child's capacity to process and reproduce unfamiliar sounds and structures, which is fundamental for vocabulary development and syntax. Children with SLI typically struggle with non-word repetition tasks compared to their peers, making this a reliable indicator.

This specificity makes non-word repetition a valuable tool in distinguishing children who exhibit typical linguistic development from those who may have an underlying language impairment. This marker directly assesses phonological processing and memory, both of which are integral to language acquisition.