Parental evaluation of behavioral problems in children with developmental language disorder

Objective: Children with developmental language disorder (OLD) often suffer from problems in everyday communication and react with social withdrawal or oppositional behavior. In light of the lack of studies in preschool children regarding this topic, the present study analyzes the occurrence of behavioral problems in children with DLD aged 4;0 to 5;11 years. Furthermore, we assessed differences in parental perception regarding their child's behavior. Methods: This monolingual, Caucasian study sample consisted of 30 children with DLD and 40 healthy controls. The groups were matched for nonverbal IQ and socioeconomic status. All children were examined for their language proficiency level. The Child Behavior Checklist was used to detect behavioral problems. Results: The study revealed significant differences between children with DLD and the control group on several syndrome scales including the total problem scale. Children with DLD always showed more severe symptoms and also reached T-scores in clinical range (64) significantly more often. The parental perception did not differ. Conclusions: The results indicate the presence of behavioral problems in children with DLD already in preschool age. In particular, we found social problems, attention problems, and internalizing disorders.