A – 53 The Impact of Speech Delay History on Visual and Verbal Memory in Children

Abstract Objective Children with developmental language disorders (including language disorder, speech-sound disorder, dyslexia, and dysgraphia) often show working memory deficits. However, it remains unclear whether a history of developmental speech delay (HSD), but no formal diagnosis, impacts memory functioning. This study examined whether HSD predicts verbal and visual memory in children and adolescents, independent of current language-related diagnoses. We hypothesized that those with HSD compared to typically developed peers would exhibit poorer verbal memory, but similar visual memory. Method This study retrospectively analyzed data from neuropsychological evaluations of patients between ages 5 to 17 (M=10.8, SD=3.57) referred to a rural Connecticut outpatient clinic from 2023-2024. Participants were fluent in English and had an FSIQ above 70. Memory functioning was assessed using Child and Adolescent Memory Profile (ChAMP). Analysis included a covariate linear regression to analyze whether HSD predicted verbal and visual memory scores while controlling for current language-related diagnoses. Results HSD significantly predicted lower verbal memory (R2=0.12, F(2,62)=4.33, p=0.02; β=0.33, p< 0.01, 95% CI=[0.09,0.56]), but not visual memory (R2=0.09, F(2,62)=2.96, p=0.06; β=0.10, p=0.41, 95% CI=[-0.14,0.34]). Additionally, there was a significant difference between HSD (M=7.79, SD=2.77) and no HSD (M=10.3, SD=3.24) in list memory (t(63)= -3.16, p< 0.01, CI=[-1.33,-0.29]). There was no significant difference between HSD (M=9.75, SD=3.17) and no HSD (M=10.3, SD=3.00) in story memory (t(63)=-0.72, p=0.47, CI=[-0.69,0.32]). Conclusion A history of speech delay may predict deficits in verbal memory in children and adolescents. However, providing additional structure and/or meaningful context may mitigate these deficits.