Psychosocial outcomes at 15 years of children with a preschool history of speech-language impairment.
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.
Snowling
Margaret J
MJ
Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, UK. MJS19@york.ac.uk
Bishop
D V M
DV
Stothard
Susan E
SE
Chipchase
Barry
B
Kaplan
Carole
C
D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007360:Intelligence; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D007808:Language Therapy; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D013070:Speech Therapy; D013223:Statistics as Topic