Play and prosociality are associated with fewer externalizing problems in children with developmental language disorder: The role of early language and communication environment.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: A child's ELCE is potentially important not only for the development of language but also for social development. Furthermore, in the absence of adequate language ability, play and prosocial behaviours may allow children with DLD to deploy, practise and learn key social skills, thus protecting against externalizing problems. We suggest that consideration be given to play- and prosociality-based educational and therapeutic services for children with DLD. What this paper adds What is already known on this subject On the whole, children with DLD tend to have poorer mental health compared with their unaffected peers. There are, however, considerable differences and poor outcomes are not inevitable. What this study adds to the existing knowledge We demonstrate that children's ECLE is important for the development of social play behaviours and prosociality. Whilst children with DLD tend to have less competent social play and lower levels of prosociality compared with their unaffected peers, those with more competent social play and higher levels of prosociality are likely to have fewer externalizing problems later in childhood. We speculate that in the absence of adequate structural language ability, play and prosocial behaviours allow children with DLD to deploy, practise and learn key relationship skills, alongside behavioural and emotional regulation skills, thus protecting against externalizing problems. What are the potential or actual clinical ...

Source: International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders - June 3, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Toseeb U, Gibson JL, Newbury DF, Orlik W, Durkin K, Pickles A, Conti-Ramsden G Tags: Int J Lang Commun Disord Source Type: research