Behavior Profiles Of Language-impaired Children Aged 4 Through 7 (speech Pathology, Language Disorders).

The study was designed (a) to examine the prevalence of behavior problems in young language-impaired children with and without associated articulation handicaps, (b) to identify differences in behavior problems related to demographic variables in clinically referred and non-referred children and (c) to determine behavior problems in children with mild, moderate and severe handicaps. Parents of 413 language-impaired children and 412 matched non-referred children, aged four to seven years, completed checklist ratings on 90 items describing speech, language and social behaviors. Classroom teachers rated the 209 school children in each referral group on performance in reading, writing, mathematics and classroom participation. Analyses of variance on individual items showed that referred children had significantly more behavior problems than non-referred children. Referral status accounted for greater amounts of variance in behavior items than did age. The effects of gender, socioeconomic status and interactions among demographic variables were minimal. A principal components analysis of the items yielded six interpretable factors common to both referred and non-referred groups. Composite behavioral indices derived from the six factors were labelled Language and Social Isolation, Aggression, Anxiety, Withdrawal, Clumsy and Somatic. Of the first four indices, Language and Social Isolation primarily distinguished the two clinical groups. Clumsy and Somatic proved ineffective in clinical differentiation. A stepwise discriminant function analysis resulted in correct classification of 85% of non-referred and 66% of referred cases. Incorrectly classified cases were likely to be non-referred cases from lower SES backgrounds and referred children with mild language handicaps. Children with severe language disorders had the most severe behavior problems. Poor academic performance was significantly associated with severity of language handicap. The addition of an articulation handicap made minor differences to ratings on individual items, but none to the behavioral indices. From the reported prevalence rates, information on behavior traditionally gathered during case histories needs re-assessment. Behavior management and monitoring of academic performance are priorities in children with severe language impairments. Information derived from ratings and indices may be useful in constructing models of language impairment in young children.Ph.D.Developmental psychologyPsychologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/127675/2/8422350.pd