Pragmatic and socioemotional competence in adolescents with DLD: An analysis of their interdependence

Abstract

Introduction and objectives

Adolescence is a complex period of development, as it involves crucial challenges and changes at the cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional levels. In the context of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), it is common for difficulties to increase in the face of new demands and challenges. The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which DLD typical linguistic limitations are associated with impairments in pragmatic and socio-emotional competence in adolescence, and whether one influences the other.

Materials and methods

Based on the work of Andrés-Roqueta and Conti-Ramsden and colleagues, the CCC-2 and SDQ parent versions were administered to a sample of 18 adolescents aged 10 and 18 years old, 9 of them with DLD and the other 9 with typical development.

Results

Significant differences were identified between the two groups, both in pragmatic and socio-emotional difficulties, while no differences were found in prosociality.

Conclusions

It was verified that deficits in pragmatics in adolescents with DLD are related to difficulties at a social and emotional level by hindering the development and maintenance of social relationships and by negatively affecting the expectation of self-efficacy and socio-emotional welfare. Consequently, it is concluded that speech therapy intervention for language and communication disorders must include the functional use of language in various contexts from an early age, as it will allow the development of satisfactory relationships and protection against exclusion, which will improve well-being in adolescence and long term.