Which statement best distinguishes Specific Language Impairment (SLI) from a hearing impairment in language diagnosis?

• A. SLI features language impairment with normal hearing.
• B. Hearing impairment involves auditory deficits.
• C. Nonverbal IQ is typically impaired in SLI.
• D. Hearing impairment results in enhanced language development.

Answer: (A)

Normal hearing with language impairment is the defining distinction here. Specific Language Impairment is identified when a child shows persistent language difficulties despite having hearing within normal limits and typical nonverbal cognitive abilities. In other words, the problem isn’t with access to speech sounds but with the language system itself. Audiology confirms that hearing is not the source of the language delay, so the impairment points to a language-specific disorder. By contrast, a true hearing impairment would cause language delays because the child cannot reliably hear speech sounds, and nonverbal IQ is typically not the central issue in SLI. The other statements either misstate cognitive abilities or imply language can be enhanced by hearing loss, which doesn’t align with how these conditions affect language development.