Relationship between parenting behaviours and specific language impairmentin children

This study investigated the relationship between parenting behaviours and s pecific language impairment (SLI) in children. Using a case-control design, data on 177 kindergarten children with SLI and 925 kindergarten children w ho were typically developing were collected using a parental questionnaire. Parents were interviewed about parenting practices classified into the fol lowing categories: conversing with children, teaching behaviours, the child 's daily routine and discipline. The results revealed that parents of child ren who were normally developing had engaged their children in particular c onversational activities more frequently than had parents with children wit h SLI. Parents of children diagnosed with SLI tended to teach their childre n school readiness skills (the alphabet and colours) and discipline their c hildren more frequently. These relationships continued to hold after contro lling for maternal education and family economic need with the exception of teaching children colour names. The results suggested that additional inve stigations that examine the association between these parental behaviours a nd children's language status through direct observation are warranted.