Vol. 10, No. 4, 2004 Page 7
Language-impaired children are at elevated risk of developing antisocial behaviors in young adulthood, according to a new study.
E. B. Brownlie and colleagues report that "language impaired boys had higher levels of parent-rated delinquency symptoms by age 19 than boys without language impairment," even when the researchers controlled for verbal IQ, family influences, and demographic factors. In addition, language-impaired boys reported more arrests and convictions than did controls. No link between antisocial behavior and language impairment was seen in girls.
These findings are consistent with other research (see related article, Crime Times, 2004, Vol. 10, No. 3, Page 1) showing a high rate of language impairment in children with conduct disorder.
"Early language impairment and young adult delinquent and aggressive behavior," E. B. Brownlie, J. H. Beitchman, M. Escobar, A. Young, L. Atkinson, C. Johnson, B. Wilson, and L. Douglas, Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Vol. 32, No. 4, August 2004, 453-67. Address: E. B. Brownlie, Psychology Department, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.