Prevalence Of Language Disorders Research Articles

Impact of language disorders on children’s everyday lives from 4 to 13 years: Commentary on Le, Mensah, Eadie, McKean, Schiberras, Bavin, Reilly and Gold (2020)

This paper by Le et al. (2020) is a valuable addition to the literature because it provides evidence regarding the trajectories of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with language disorders from the ages of 4-13years. The authors found that higher language scores were associated with better HRQoL particularly in the school and social domains. Of the children in the low language group, 40% were in the stable-high HRQoL trajectory, while the others were in the reduced-slow-decline (26%) and low-rapid-decline (34%) HRQoL groups. Despite the prevalence of language disorder and its impact on many aspects of children's everyday lives, many professionals and members of the public are still unaware of this condition and its potential consequences. The publication of the Le et al. (2020) paper is timely because it coincides with a call to action to support these children by McGregor (2020). McGregor (2020) argued that we fail children with developmental language disorders both in terms of research and service provision. In her recent discussion paper, she provided evidence that these children face significant risks with regard to academic achievement: they are 6 times more likely to have reading disabilities, 6 times more likely to have spelling difficulties, 4 times more likely to have difficulties with mathematics and 12 times more likely to present with all three difficulties.

Pausing Mid-Sentence: An Ecological Model Approach to Language Disorder and Lived Experience of Young Male Offenders.

International research evidence has firmly established a high prevalence of language disorder in young offender populations. Less is known about young offenders’ perspectives on their own language abilities. The study recruited an opportunity sample of 10 young men in custody at a Scottish youth offending institution who had recent experience of segregation. This mixed-methods study investigated participants’ views on their language and communication abilities to inform future support and intervention, and formal language assessment was also administered to investigate indicative prevalence of language disorder within the sample. It focused on their communication with professionals and peers in justice, education and welfare settings. Results of standardised language assessment indicated the presence of language disorder in 44% (n = 4) of the sample (n = 9). Thematic analysis of interview data led to formulation of three themes: Valuing Communication, Literacy and Learning; Exerting Control; and Seeking Support. The first theme is discussed with reference to Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model. Participants offered reflective and rich views on their lived experience. They provided perspectives on features of successful interaction with peers and authority figures, importance of effective communication and the difficulties they encountered. This study argues for additional communication support for young people in the justice system.

Sex Differences in Functional Brain Networks for Language.

Men and women process language differently, but how the brain functions to support this difference is poorly understood. A few studies reported sex influences on brain activation for language, whereas others failed to detect the difference at the functional level. Recent advances of brain network analysis have shown great promise in picking up brain connectivity differences between sexes, leading us to hypothesize that the functional connections among distinct brain regions for language may differ in males and females. To test this hypothesis, we scanned 58 participants' brain activities (28 males and 30 females) in a semantic decision task using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We found marked sex differences in dynamic interactions among language regions, as well as in functional segregation and integration of brain networks during language processing. The brain network differences were further supported by a machine learning analysis that accurately discriminated males from females using the multivariate patterns of functional connectivity. The sex-specific functional brain connectivity may constitute an essential neural basis for the long-held notion that men and women process language in different ways. Our finding also provides important implications for sex differences in the prevalence of language disorders, such as dyslexia and stuttering.

Language Abilities in Boys With Chronic Behavior Disorders

Oral language abilities in 20 boys with chronic behavior disorder (CBD) were investigated using 20 standardized language measures. As a group, boys with CBD performed significantly more poorly than the normative population, with 16 of the subjects scoring in the below-average range on at least four of the language measures. Compared to expected language levels based on IQ scores, 10 of the subjects presented inconsistent language skills. It appears that boys with CBD display a much higher prevalence of language disorders than the population at large. Overall, abstract language and concepts, as well as linguistically complex structures, were shown to be difficult for the boys with CBD.