Nicola Botting

Reader - developmental language impairment

Biography

Nicola trained as a psychologist completing a BSc Hons in Psychology (Hertfordshire) and an MA in Clinical Child Psychology (Nottingham), before then completing a PhD in Child Health (Liverpool). She has been researching language and communication difficulties for around 15 years.

Research Interests

Nicola's main research interests are specific language impairment, pragmatic language difficulties, autistic spectrum disorders, cognitive development, longitudinal study of psychological development, and also psychological outcomes of very low birthweight, which was the subject of her PhD.

Publications

• Hilari, K. and Botting, N. (eds) Communication disability across the lifespan. J & R Press (due Autumn 2011).
• Wadman, R., Botting, N., Durkin, K. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (in press) 'Changes in emotional health symptoms in adolescents with Specific Language Impairment' International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders.
• Camilleri, B. and Botting, N. (in press) Beyond static assessment of children's receptive vocabulary: A dynamic assessment of word learning ability.  Assessment in Education.
• Harris, J., Botting, N., Myers, L. and Dodd, B. (in press) The relationship between speech impairment, phonological awareness and early literacy development. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties.
• Manolitsi, M. and Botting, N. (in press). Language abilities in children with autism and language impairment: using narrative as an additional source of clinical information. Child Language Teaching and Therapy.
• Botting, N. (2010). 'It's not (just) what you do, but the way that you do it': underlying mechanisms, population differences and developmental pathways of narrative ability in atypical language learners.  Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 52 (10), 886-887.
• Hasson, N. and Botting, N. (2010). A pilot investigation into the usefulness of dynamic methods of language assessment in children with language impairments. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 26, 249-272
• Botting, N., Riches, N., Gaynor, M., and Morgan, G. (2010). Gesture production and comprehension in children with Specific Language Impairment. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 28, 51-70.
• Williams, D., Botting, N. and Boucher, J. (2008). Language in autism and specific language impairment: Where are the links? Psychological Bulletin, 134, 944-963.
• Botting, N. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2008). Social cognition, social behaviour and language in late adolescents with a history of SLI. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 26(2), 281-300.
• Conti-Ramsden, G. and Botting, N. (2008). Risk of affective disorders in adolescents with a history of SLI. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(5),516-525.
• Conti-Ramsden, G., Botting, N. and Durkin, K. (2008). Parental sources of reward and worry during the transition to adulthood of adolescents with and without a history of Specific Language Impairment (SLI).Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 51, 84-96.
• Myers, L. and Botting, N. (2008). Poor reading comprehension in the mainstream secondary classroom: its relationship to oral language. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 24(1), 95-114.
• Botting, N. (2007). Ch.3: SLI and Semantic-Pragmatic Disorder, in Part 2: Comprehension impairments in children with developmental disorders, Challenges in Language and Literacy Development. (Eds. Cain, K. and Oakhill, J.).
• Botting, N. (2007). The relationship between reading skill and descriptive picture narratives in late-primary age children with a history of language impairment. Educational and Child Psychology, 24(4), 31-43.
• Wetherell, D., Botting, N. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2007). Narrative in adolescent SLI: a comparison with peers across two different narrative genres. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 42(5),593-605.
• Wetherell, D., Botting, N. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2007). Aspects of narratives in adolescent SLI in relation to low non-verbal IQ. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 23(1),95-113.
• Botting, N. (2006). Ch.1: Language and cognitive development in Language and Social Disadvantage.  (eds. Ginsborg, J., and Clegg, J.): Whurr.
• Conti-Ramsden, G., Simkin, Z. and Botting, N. (2006). The prevalence of ASD in adolescents with a history of SLI. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(6),621-628.
• Botting, N., Simkin, Z. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2006). Associated reading skills in children with a history of Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Special Issue, Reading and Writing, 19,77-98.
• Botting, N. (2006). Ch.1: Language and cognitive development in Language and social disadvantage. (eds. Ginsborg, J., and Clegg, J.): Whurr.
• Pratt, C., Botting, N. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2006). Characteristics and concerns of mothers of adolescents with SLI. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 22(2), 177-196.
• Lloyd, H., Paintin, K. and Botting, N. (2006). Performance of children with different types of communication impairment on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF). Child Language Teaching Therapy, 22(1),47-68.
• Conti-Ramsden, G. and Botting, N. (2005). Specific Language Impairment in Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (section editor Elena Lieven): Elsevier.
• Hick, R., Botting, N. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2005). Short-term memory and vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome and children with specific language impairment. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 47, 532-538.
• Hick, R., Botting, N. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2005). Cognitive abilities in children with specific language impairment (SLI): Consideration of visuo-spatial skills. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 40(2), 137-149.
• Botting, N. and Adams, C. (2005). Semantic and inferencing abilities in children with communication disorders. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 40(1), 49-66.
• Botting, N. (2005). Non-verbal cognitive development and language impairment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46(3), 317-326.
• Botting, N. (2004). Teddy Talk, A book for children about language impairment. Able Publishing: Herts, UK.
• Conti-Ramsden, G. and Botting, N. (2004). Social difficulties and victimization in children with SLI at 11 years of age, Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 47, 145-161.
• Botting, N. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2004). Characteristics of Children with Specific Language Impairment. In Classification of Developmental Language Disorders. Verhoeven, L. and van Balkom, H. (eds). (Book chapter pp.23-38).
• Botting, N. (2004). Child Communication Checklist (CCC) scores and children with communication impairments at 11 years. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 39, 215-227.
• Botting, N., and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2003). Autism, primary pragmatic difficulties and Specific Language Impairment: can we distinguish them using psycholinguistic markers? Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 45,515-545.
• Botting, N., McCracken, W. and Conti-Ramsden G. (2002). SATS assessment results for children with a history of SLI : Effects of different junior school placements. Educational and Child Psychology, 19(4), 4-15.
• Botting, N. (2002). Narrative as a tool for the assessment of linguistic and pragmatic impairments. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 18(1), 1-22.
• Botting, N., Faragher, B., Knox, E., Simkin, Z. & Conti-Ramsden, G. (2001). Predicting pathways of SLI: What differentiates the best and the worst outcomes. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 42(8), 1013 -1020.
• Botting, N. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2001). Non-word repetition and language development in children with language impairments. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 36(4), 421-432.
• Conti-Ramsden, G., Botting, N. & Faragher, B. (2001). Psycholinguistic markers for SLI. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42(6), 741-748.
• Conti-Ramsden, G. and Botting, N. (2000). Educational outcomes for children with speech and language impairment. In Speech and Language Impairments in Children: Causes, Characteristics, Intervention and Outcome. Bishop, D.& Laurence, L. (eds.) (Book Chapter pp. 211-225). Philadelphia, PA, US: Psychology Press/Taylor & Francis.
• Botting, N., and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2000). Social and behavioural difficulties in children with language impairment, Child Language, Teaching and Therapy, 16(2), 105-120.
• Conti-Ramsden, G. and Botting, N. (1999). Classification of children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 42, 1195 -1204.
• Botting, N., and Conti-Ramsden, G. (1999). Pragmatic language impairment without autism: The children in question. Autism 3(4), 371-396.
• Botting, N., Powls, A., Cooke, R.W.I. and Marlow, N. (1998). Cognitive and educational outcome of very low birthweight children in early adolescence. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 40, 652-660.
• Botting, N. (1998). Semantic-pragmatic disorder as a distinct diagnostic entity: Making sense of the boundaries (a comment on Boucher). International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 33(1), 71-108.
• Botting, N., Powls, A.,Cooke, R.W.I. and Marlow, N. (1997). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorders and other psychiatric outcomes in very low birthweight children aged 12 years. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 38, 931-941.
• Botting, N., Conti-Ramsden, G. and Crutchley, A. (1997). Concordance between teacher/therapist opinion and formal language assessment scores in children with language impairment. European Journal of Disorders of Communication, 32(3), 317-327.
• Conti-Ramsden, G., Crutchley, A. and Botting, N. (1997). The extent to which psychometric tests differentiate subgroups of children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 40, 765-777.
• Powls, A., Botting, N., Cooke, R.W.I. and Marlow, N. (1996). Handedness in very low birth weight children at 12 years: Its relationship to perinatal and outcome variables, Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 38,585-593.
• Powls, A., Botting, N., Cooke, R.W.I. and Marlow, N. (1995). Motor impairment in children 12 to 13 years old with a birthweight of less than 1250g Arch of Dis in Childhood, 73(2), F62-F66.

Membership of Boards and Professional Associations 

• Joint Editor of International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders
  http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13682822.asp
• Member of the editorial board of Child Language Teaching and Therapy http://www.arnoldpublishers.com/journals/pages/chi_lan/02656590.htm
• Member of the British Psychological Society (& Developmental Section) http://www.bps.org.uk/
• Member of the European Society of Developmental Psychology http://www.esdp.info/default.asp
• Member of the Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health http://www.acamh.org.uk/

PhD/MPhil Supervision

• Rachel Hick (PhD; 2004) Cognitive development in SLI and DS (Manchester with Gina Conti-Ramsden)
• Catherine Pratt (MPhil; 2004) Parental concerns and SLI
  (Manchester with Gina Conti-Ramsden)
• Dee Wetherell (PhD; 2005) Narrative genre and SLI
  (Manchester with Gina Conti-Ramsden)
• Bernard Camilleri (PhD; 2009)  Dynamic Assessment of Receptive Vocabulary in SLI (City)
• Natalie Hasson (PhD student - current)  SLI Intervention based on Dynamic Assessment (City)
• Celia Harding (PhD student - current) The effect of a non-nutritive sucking therapy on later weaning and speech development (City)
• Kristi Poppi (PhD student - current) A retrospective study of intervention in autism: a cross-cultural study
• Ruth Deutsch (PhD student - current) Validity and reliabilty of the Cognitive Abilities Profile (CAP): a consultative tool based on dynamic assessment approaches.

Are you a parent?

If you have found this site because you are a parent of a child with language impairment, Nicola is very happy for you to email her. 

She is not a speech language therapist and so can't usually help with your child's difficulty, but she can tell you a bit more about the research and can sometimes point parents in the right direction for getting the help they need.

Nicola is also keen to hear from anyone who would like to help with research projects.

This usually means telling us about your child's language and allowing your child to play some game-like language tasks with us (at home or school). She is also interested in people willing in principle to donate 1st birthday videos of their child with language problems.

She would like to start a study looking at the early sounds that babies make even before anyone knows they have a problem with communicating.  The project is only an idea at the moment but it might help us to spot early signs of language difficulty.  Videos would be copied onto DVD and returned to you. Only Nicola and one other researcher would see them.

If this sounds like the sort of thing you would like to help with, or if you would like to help with other research projects you find on these pages please let her know!