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Research Article
Research Article
December 2009

Modeling Developmental Language Difficulties From School Entry Into Adulthood: Literacy, Mental Health, and Employment Outcomes

Publication: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Volume 52, Number 6
Pages 1401-1416

Abstract

Purpose

Understanding the long-term outcomes of developmental language difficulties is key to knowing what significance to attach to them. To date, most prognostic studies have tended to be clinical rather than population-based, which necessarily affects the interpretation. This study sought to address this issue using data from a U.K. birth cohort of 17,196 children, following them from school entry to adulthood, examining literacy, mental health, and employment at 34 years of age. The study compared groups with specific language impairment (SLI), nonspecific language impairment (N-SLI), and typically developing language (TL).

Method

Secondary data analysis of the imputed 5-year and 34-year data was carried using multivariate logistic regressions.

Results

The results show strong associations for demographic and biological risk for both impairment groups. The associations are consistent for the N-SLI group but rather more mixed for the SLI group.

Conclusions

The data indicate that both SLI and N-SLI represent significant risk factors for all the outcomes identified. There is a strong case for the identification of these children and the development of appropriate interventions. The results are discussed in terms of the measures used and the implications for practice.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Volume 52Number 6December 2009
Pages: 1401-1416

History

  • Received: Aug 5, 2008
  • Accepted: Mar 21, 2009
  • Published in issue: Dec 1, 2009

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Key Words

  1. specific language impairment
  2. nonspecific language impairment
  3. literacy
  4. mental health
  5. employment

Authors

Affiliations

Centre for Integrated Healthcare Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Robert Rush
Centre for Integrated Healthcare Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Ingrid Schoon
Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom
Samantha Parsons
Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom

Notes

Contact author: James Law, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh EH21 6UU, United Kingdom. E-mail: [email protected].

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