Emotional consequences of communication disorders in childhood

To target health services aimed at the impact of maladjustment secondary to a chronic disorder, it is necessary to identify specific disorders that increase the risk of maladjustment. This thesis examines whether children with communication disorders are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems than those who are healthy or those with other chronic disorders. It also studies whether children with communication disorders are more likely than the comparison groups to develop mental health problems or to persist in having these problems as young adults. To answer these questions, cross-sectional and cohort analyses were conducted on 2,638 children from the Ontario Child Health Survey and 11,744 children from the British National Child Development Study.Children with communication disorders from both studies were found to have more emotional and behavioral problems than those who were healthy or those with chronic physical disorders. In neither sample, however, was there evidence to conclude that these psychological problems increase or persist in early adulthood.The implications of these findings for public health and clinical practice are discussed