Behaviour in Children with Language Development Disorders

Author(s)

Ulrike Willinger, Esther Brunner, Gabriele Diendorfer-Radner, Judith Sams, Ulrike Sirsch, Brigitte Eisenwort

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study was to explore the univariate and multivariate differences in behavioural problems among children with disorders in expressive or mixed receptive-expressive language development and children with unimpaired language development. Method: Ninety-four children with language development disorders (LDD) between the ages of 4 and 6 years and 94 children (matched by age and sex) without disorders of language development were compared concerning behavioural problems, as measured by the German version of the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18. Results: Thirty-two children (34%) with LDD showed behavioural problems in the clinical range, whereas only 6 control subjects (6%) had scores in this range. Univariate group comparisons between patients and control subjects showed significant differences in all 8 syndromes and the scale "other problems," with patients having higher scores. Multivariate stepwise discriminant analysis showed a significant discriminant function by the scales "other problems," "social problems," "anxious-depressed," thought problems," "attention problems," and "delinquent problems." Conclusions: In general, our results agree with several studies that report that children with speech and language disorders are at special risk for developing behavioural problems. Neurodevelopmental immaturity may be one factor underlying both the disorder in language development and the behavioural problems.

Organisation(s)

Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology

External organisation(s)

Landeskrankenhaus Klagenfurt, Medizinische Universität Wien

Journal

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Volume

48

Pages

607-614

No. of pages

8

ISSN

0706-7437

Publication date

2003

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

5010 Psychology

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/055721ec-eff6-4009-9e24-cd53f224d5ba