Collecting language acquisition data from understudied urban communities: A reply to Cristia et al.

In the target article, Cristia, Foushee, Aravena-Bravo, Cychosz, Scaff, and Casillas (2022) convincingly show the need to broaden the current language acquisition research base, not only in linguistic diversity, but also in terms of regions and cultural groups studied. In conducting acquisition research in understudied populations, such as in rural settings, the authors highlight the importance of using a multi-method approach. They present the challenges in adapting these methods to new settings and offer possible ways to promote this type of research. In this commentary, we extend the discussion to understudied urban communities, as we encounter several of the concerns raised in Cristia et al. when collecting observational and experimental language acquisition data from Metro Manila, Philippines. We first describe the community we study, the challenges and modifications needed for conducting research in this setting, and end with a discussion of possible strategies to promote research in communities with understudied populations.

Daily Living Skills in Adolescent and Young Adult Males With Fragile X Syndrome.

By adulthood, most males with fragile X syndrome (FXS) require support to navigate day-to-day settings. The present study cross-sectionally: (1) characterized the profile of daily living skills in males with FXS and (2) examined associated participant characteristics (i.e., fragile X mental retardation protein [FMRP] expression, nonverbal cognition, language, autism symptomatology, and anxiety symptomatology) using the Waisman-Activities of Daily Living questionnaire. Males with FXS (n = 57, ages 15-23 years) needed more help/support in the areas of domestic and community daily livings skills, than in the area of personal daily living skills. Significant associations were observed between reduced daily living skills and lower nonverbal cognition, receptive language, expressive language, and increased autism symptomatology. Receptive language emerged as the strongest unique predictor of daily living skill performance.

Speech-language pathology in the Philippines: reflections on the past and present, perspectives for the future.

The field of speech-language pathology in the Philippines has come a long way since its inception in 1978. This article provides an overview of the profession, including a description of the distribution, work settings, and scope of practice of the speech-language pathologists in the Philippines. It highlights the strengths and unique aspects of the profession such as the experience of working with bi-/multilingual clients, honed clinical reasoning, family involvement, and exposure to inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to service delivery. Further, this paper discusses issues and challenges that need to be addressed for continued growth of the profession.