Language Problems in Children with Learning Disabilities: Do They Interfere with Maternal Communication?

• Published in: Journal of learning disabilities 1999-01, Vol.32 (1), p.22-35
• Main Authors: Poikkeus, Anna-Maija, Ahonen, Timo, Närhi, Vesa, Lyytinen, Paula, Rasku-Puttonen, Helena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Achievement tests; Age; Biological and medical sciences; Boys; Child; Child clinical studies; Child development; Child language; Child-directed speech; Children & youth; Cognitive Development; Communication; Developmental disorders; Dyslexia; Elementary Education; Families & family life; Family Environment; Grade 2; Humans; Intelligence Quotient; Intelligence tests; Internal-External Control; Interpersonal communication; Language Acquisition; Language Development Disorders - diagnosis; Language Development Disorders - psychology; Language disorders; Language Impairments; Learning Disabilities; Learning disabled children; Learning disorders; Learning Disorders - diagnosis; Learning Disorders - psychology; Learning Strategies; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Males; Medical sciences; Mother-Child communication; Mother-Child Relations; Mothers; Parent Child Relationship; Parent-child relations; Parenting - psychology; Parents & parenting; Problem Solving; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reference Values; Researchers; Special education; Task performance; Teaching; Verbal Ability; Verbal Communication
• ISSN: 0022-2194; 1538-4780
• DOI: 10.1177/002221949903200103

In this study, parent-child interaction in two carefully matched subgroups—school—age boys with learning disabilities (LD) who showed a discrepancy between their verbal IQ and performance IQ and had more extensive difficulties in higher-level language abilities (VIQ < PIQ, n = 8) and boys with LD who did not manifest a discrepancy between verbal IQ and performance IQ (VIQ = PIQ, n = 8), were investigated. The effects of the child's language problems on child task performance and on the quality of maternal communication were analyzed in a mother-child problem solving task. Children in the VIQ < PIQ group were found to be less successful on the task than children in the VIQ = PIQ group, and their mothers exhibited lower communication clarity in their instructions than the mothers of the children in the VIQ = PIQ group. An interesting interaction effect was found for communication deviances. For mothers in the VIQ < PIQ group the extent of deficient communication increased from the monologue to the dialogue situation, whereas communication deviances decreased for mothers in the VIQ = PIQ group. Three possible models are discussed in light of the differences between the subgroups.