Which statement is true regarding the ability to seek clarification in children with SLI?

Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) often face challenges in communication that impact various aspects of language use, including the ability to seek clarification and repair conversational breakdowns. This difficulty stems from their underlying language processing issues, which hinder their ability to both understand when a message is unclear and to formulate appropriate clarifying questions or repairs.

When children with SLI encounter a conversational misunderstanding or find that they do not fully comprehend what has been said, they may struggle to recognize the need for clarification or to effectively initiate a follow-up question. This can lead to gaps in communication, as they may not have the language skills to signal confusion or to pursue clarification in a manner that is typical for their peers.

In contrast, typical language development would involve children being more adept at recognizing moments of misunderstanding and actively engaging in clarifying the conversation, which is essential for social interactions and effective communication. Therefore, the statement reflecting that children with SLI struggle with seeking clarification accurately captures one of the significant challenges they face.