Early language impairment and young adult delinquent and aggressive behavior.
Clinic and forensic studies have reported high rates of language impairments in conduct disordered and incarcerated youth. In community samples followed to early adolescence, speech and language impairments have been linked to attention deficits and internalizing problems, rather than conduct problems, delinquency, or aggression. This study examines the young adult antisocial outcomes of speech or language impaired children. Language impaired boys had higher levels of parent-rated delinquency symptoms by age 19 than boys without language impairment, controlled for verbal IQ and for demographic and family variables. Language impaired boys did not differ from controls in self-reported delinquency or aggression symptoms on a standardized checklist; however, language impaired boys reported higher rates of arrests and convictions than controls. Language impairment was not related to aggression or delinquency in girls. We examine alternate models of the interrelationships between language, academics, and behavior, at ages 5, 12, and 19.
Psychology Department, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
E B
EB
Brownlie
Joseph H
JH
Beitchman
Michael
M
Escobar
Arlene
A
Young
Leslie
L
Atkinson
Carla
C
Johnson
Beth
B
Wilson
Lori
L
Douglas
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003710:Demography; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010290:Parents; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*