Exploring the Psychosocial Experiences of Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder During Childhood: A Qualitative Investigation

Abstract

Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) often experience co-occurring psychosocial difficulties, the developmental trajectories of which are still not fully understood. This study sought to explore the manifestation of such difficulties during childhood, through first-hand accounts of those with DLD and their close relatives. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 mothers of children with DLD (aged 6-12 years old) and were analysed alongside the secondary data from interviews of five adults with DLD. Interviews were conducted online; all participants resided in Europe and were fluent in spoken and written English. A process of interpretive phenomenological analysis resulted in the development of five overall themes: experiencing anxiety, social frustrations, maintaining factors, childhood strengths and the parenting experience. Cognitive appraisals appeared particularly important during childhood in both escalating and maintaining anxiety, low self-esteem, emotion dysregulation and social frustrations. High levels of isolation and stress were experienced by all mothers. The findings suggest parents in the United Kingdom and Ireland require more support and guidance at the point of diagnosis than is currently provided. Emphasis was given to the link between children’s experience of anxiety and social behaviours, such as withdrawal, as well as their intolerance of uncertainty. Internalising symptoms were a prioritisation for intervention during childhood by both parents and adults with DLD.

Understanding the prevalence and manifestation of anxiety and other socio-emotional and behavioural difficulties in children with Developmental Language Disorder

“…The specific presence of IU has only recently been identified amongst children with DLD [16]. In this sample, children with DLD were found to require additional preparation for unfamiliar situations and experienced emotional distress at unexpected changes in routine [16].…”

“…The specific presence of IU has only recently been identified amongst children with DLD [16]. In this sample, children with DLD were found to require additional preparation for unfamiliar situations and experienced emotional distress at unexpected changes in routine [16]. The relationship between anxiety and IU could be suggested to be particularly strong regarding social anxiety disorder (SAD), given both the level of social ambiguity experienced amongst individuals with DLD [40], paired with their keen social attentiveness [48].…”

“…Attention has turned to understanding the manifestation of SEB difficulties in children with DLD [12][13][14][15]; however, few studies have yet to explore the manifestation of anxiety specifically. A recent study suggested that other SEB characteristics, such as emotion dysregulation and low self-esteem, could contribute to the maintenance and exacerbation of symptoms of anxiety, through an ongoing, symbiotic cycle [16]; however, there has been no quantitative assessment of this relationship.…”

“…A reliance on routine and preference for familiarity has been described amongst children with DLD in a recent qualitative investigation [16], as has children's reported need to "impose structure" on their social interactions [40]. This was understood by parents and teachers to result from the children's attempts to increase predictability and personal autonomy when much of their day to day felt out of their control [16].…”

The Engage with Developmental Language Disorder (E‐DLD) project: Cohort profile

“…However, research objectively measuring sleep behaviour in children with DLD has not found worse sleep outcomes or sleep efficiency (Knowland et al., 2021). Further research is needed to disentangle whether children with DLD do in fact suffer more from sleep issues, or whether this is a caregiver perception driven by fatigue in their children (Burnley et al., in preparation).…”