Psychosocial outcomes at 15 years of children with a preschool history of speech-language impairment.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Evidence suggests there is a heightened risk of psychiatric disorder in children with speech-language impairments. However, not all forms of language impairment are strongly associated with psychosocial difficulty, and some psychiatric disorders (e.g., attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) are more prevalent than others in language-impaired populations. The present study assessed the psychosocial adjustment in adolescence of young people with history of speech-language impairment, and investigated specific relationships between language deficits and psychiatric disorders.

METHODS:
Seventy-one young people (aged 15-16 years) with a preschool history of speech-language impairment were assessed using a psychiatric interview (K-SADS) supplemented by questionnaires probing social encounters and parental reports of behaviour and attention. Their psycho-social adjustment was compared with that of a cross-sectional control group of age-matched controls.

RESULTS:
Overall the rate of psychiatric disorder was low in the clinical sample and children whose language delay had resolved by 5.5 years had a good outcome. For those whose language difficulties persisted through the school years, there was a raised incidence of attention and social difficulties. These difficulties were partially independent and associated with different language profiles. The group with attention problems showed a profile of specific expressive language difficulties; the group with social difficulties had receptive and expressive language difficulties; and the group with both attention and social difficulties was of low IQ with global language difficulties.

CONCLUSIONS:
Amongst children with speech-language delays at 5.5 years, those with more severe and persistent language difficulties and low nonverbal IQ are at higher risk of psychiatric morbidity in adolescence.

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Author information

Author/s: Snowling, Margaret J (MJ); Bishop, D V M (DV); Stothard, Susan E (SE); Chipchase, Barry (B); Kaplan, Carole (C);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, UK. MJS19(-atsign-)york.ac.uk

Grants: (Agency:Wellcome Trust)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines (J Child Psychol Psychiatry), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Aug; vol 47 (issue 8) : pp 759-65

Dates: Created 2006/08/10; Completed 2006/12/15; Revised 2007/11/15;

PMID: 16898989, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Anxiety Disorders - diagnosis; epidemiology; psychology; therapy
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; epidemiology; psychology
Child
Child, Preschool
Comorbidity
Conduct Disorder - diagnosis; epidemiology; psychology; therapy
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dysthymic Disorder - diagnosis; epidemiology; psychology; therapy
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Incidence

Intelligence
Language Development Disorders - diagnosis; epidemiology; psychology; therapy
Language Therapy
Male
Mental Disorders - diagnosis; epidemiology; psychology; therapy
Outcome Assessment (Health Care)
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Social Adjustment
Socioeconomic Factors
Speech Disorders - diagnosis; epidemiology; psychology; therapy
Speech Therapy
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