M. Conway, C.
Statistical learning is increasingly recognized as an important mechanism necessary for the successful acquisition of spoken language. Recent empirical findings demonstrate a link between statistical learning ability and language skill in both typical and atypical language situations. In this talk, we review several of our recent studies that have attempted to identify which aspects of statistical learning, if any, are associated with language development under adverse conditions. We review ongoing work with children who are deaf or hard of hearing as well as children with developmental dyslexia that show atypical behavioral and neural correlates of statistical learning. We also present recent work suggesting that statistical learning ability may play a moderating role in the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and language development; specifically, statistical learning may act as a buffer against the deleterious effects of being raised in a lower SES environment. Based on these findings, we suggest that statistical learning mechanisms can help elucidate the causes of language difficulties across a variety of developmental situations, and argue that it may be beneficial to develop language interventions that focus specifically on improving statistical learning skills.