title: Patterns of language comprehension deficit in abused and neglected children.
abstract: The similarity between factors associated with child abuse/neglect and those associated with language disability suggests that maltreated children are a population at risk for language problems. This study investigated the performance of three groups of abused/neglected children and a matched group of nonmaltreated subjects on three tests of language comprehension. Results revealed significant differences among groups for all measures. Severely neglected children obtained the lowest scores on all tests; the abused children consistently obtained lower scores than the controls; and generally neglected children showed the smallest difference in performance from the control group. These findings suggest a model for understanding relationships between abuse/neglect and language disability.
authors.affiliation: Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Langlois
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male