Jh. Beitchman et al., LONG-TERM CONSISTENCY IN SPEECH LANGUAGE PROFILES .2. BEHAVIORAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SOCIAL OUTCOMES/, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35(6), 1996, pp. 815-825
Objective: This study examined the 7-year behavioral, emotional, and s
ocial outcome of speech/language-impaired and control children selecte
d from a community sample. Method: Speech/language and psychosocial me
asures were administered to the children at ages 5 and 12.5 years. Usi
ng children's age 5 speech/language test results, a cluster analysis w
as performed to ascertain whether specific linguistic subgroups would
emerge. The association between speech/language cluster at age 5 and p
sychosocial functioning at age 12.5 was examined. Results: Children wi
th receptive and pervasive speech/language problems at age 5 demonstra
ted greater behavioral disturbance than children without such impairme
nt. Controlling for initial behavioral status, early childhood languag
e profile was still associated with behavioral and social competence r
atings, 7 years later. Children without receptive language problems sh
owed superior social adjustment. Conclusions: Empirically supported sp
eech/language classifications identified as early as age 5 were associ
ated with behavioral disturbance in late childhood. Receptive and perv
asive speech/language impairment in early childhood was associated wit
h the greatest risk at follow-up. Early auditory comprehension problem
s may be a specific risk factor for later aggressive and hyperactive s
ymptoms. These findings identify the need for effective intervention w
ith speech/language-impaired children.