title: Language Problems Among Abused and Neglected Children: A Meta-Analytic Review.
abstract: Research data show that exposure to abuse and neglect has detrimental effects on a child's language development. In this meta-analysis, we analyze studies (k = 23), to compare the language skills (receptive language, expressive language, pragmatics) of children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect with the language skills of children who have not experienced abuse and/or neglect and to examine whether age or type of maltreatment moderate the relationship between maltreatment and language skills. Results confirm that the language skills of children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect are delayed when compared to children who have not experienced abuse and/or neglect. Compared to older children, young children seem particularly vulnerable to abuse and neglect. No significant differences were demonstrated concerning the type of maltreatment suffered by the child. These findings support the necessity of early detection of language problems in abused and neglected children as well as early intervention in order to implement interventions that will positively stimulate their development.
authors.affiliation: Département de réadaptation, Programme de maîtrise en orthophonie, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale (CIRRIS), Québec, QC, Canada audette.sylvestre@fmed.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Audette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sylvestre
authors.affiliation: Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada; Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale (CIUSS-CN), Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Ève-Line
authors.initials: ÈL
authors.lastname: Bussières
authors.affiliation: Département d'études sur l'enseignement et l'apprentissage, Faculté des sciences de l'éducation, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouchard
mesh_terms: D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male
keywords: child abuse; child and adolescent development; child maltreatment; meta-analysis; neglect; prevention