Heritability of specific language impairment depends on diagnostic criteria

• Published in: Genes, brain and behavior Vol. 7; no. 3; pp. 365 - 372
• Main Authors: Bishop, D. V. M., Hayiou‐Thomas, M. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2008
• Subjects: Aging; Child; Child, Preschool; Cognition; Diagnosis, Differential; Etiology; Female; heritability; Humans; Language Disorders - diagnosis; Language Disorders - genetics; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Original; Phenotype; specific language impairment; speech; Speech Disorders - genetics; Surveys and Questionnaires; twins

Heritability estimates for specific language impairment (SLI) have been inconsistent. Four twin studies reported heritability of 0.5 or more, but a recent report from the Twins Early Development Study found negligible genetic influence in 4‐year‐olds. We considered whether the method of ascertainmen...