An Investigation of the Language Skills of Students With Emotional Disturbance Served in Public School Settings

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional study, conducted with a random sample of 166 students with emotional disturbance (ED), was to establish, with attention to age and gender differences, the extent to which students with ED served in public school settings experience language skill deficits. This study also examined particular types of problem behaviors related to language skills. Students with ED showed moderate to large language deficits, which appeared to be more pronounced in the expressive language domain. The language deficits of a majority of the students were clinically significant. These language deficits appeared to be relatively stable across age and gender. Furthermore, externalizing behaviors were related to receptive and expressive language skills, whereas internalizing ones were not.

Interrelationships Among Language Skills, Externalizing Behavior, and Academic Fluency and Their Impact on the Academic Skills of Students With ED

“…Obviously, students' ability to effi- ciently process academic information and produce appropriate responses facilitated the students' academic abilities (Berninger & Richards, 2002;Fry & Hale, 1996). The interrelationships regarding language, externalizing behavior, fluency, and academic skills lead to a pragmatic postulate: Up to 45% of students with ED are likely to have concomitant language ability deficits (Nelson et al, 2005). The model described in this article suggests that students with ED would benefit academically from interventions directed at developing their language ability.…”

“…Language difficulties and ED appear to emerge from the same etiological and environmental risk factors (e.g., Kaiser, Hancock, Cai, Foster, & Hester, 2000;Kaiser & Hester, 1997) and are likely to co-occur (Benner et al, 2002). Furthermore, research suggests that externalizing behaviors are related to language skills whereas internalizing behaviors are not (Nelson et al, 2005).…”

“…These researchers found that conduct/oppositional disorder was related to the academic skills of elementary and secondary age students with ED. Similarly, externalizing behaviors ap-pear to be related to language skills whereas internalizing behaviors do not (Nelson et al, 2005).…”

“…On average, approximately 90% of elementary-age students with ED had expressive, receptive, and/or pragmatic language deficits. Nelson and colleagues reported that the language deficits of students with ED were stable across age (Nelson, Benner, & Cheney, 2005). Because successful language acquisition is a prerequisite for successful academic learning in all areas (Baker & Cantwell, 1987;Catts, Fey, Xuyang, & Tomblin, 1999), the language deficits of students with ED are likely to have a negative influence on their academic achievement.…”

Language Profiles and Mental Health Problems in Children With Specific Language Impairment and Children With ADHD

“…It is generally well acknowledged that poor language skills and emotional and behavioural problems, including psychiatric disorders, are closely interconnected, and many children with SLI present with similar problems to what is seen in children with AD/HD (Mackie & Law, 2010;Nelson, Benner, & Cheney, 2005). Thus, many of the symptoms characterizing psychiatric disorders could be considered indicative of SLI just as well (Im-Bolter & Cohen, 2007).…”