Language and Independence in Adolescents With and Without a History of Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

Abstract

Achieving behavioral independence is a key task of adolescent development. This 1 article of a companion set of 2 (the 2nd addressing the topic of parental perspectives) presents an investigation of the impact of language ability on independence. Longitudinal and follow-up data from 120 adolescents with a history of specific language impairment (SLI), as well as concurrent data on a comparison group of 118 typically developing (TD) young people, are reported. Parental and self-report measures were used to examine independent functioning related to everyday living at the end of compulsory education (16 years of age). Adolescents with SLI are less independent than their TD peers, and level of independence is associated with poor early language and poor later literacy skills. Language and literacy play a larger role in adolescent independent functioning than nonverbal abilities in both TD adolescents and adolescents with SLI.