BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WITH LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS

Language impairments are one of the more common problems in preschool children. Despite the prevalence of language dysfunction, it has only been in recent years that psychologists and educators have become interested in the psychological bases and effects of language impairments. A number of investigators have described an association between language impairments and behavior problems, yet few systematic studies have been undertaken to document this relationship. This study refined and expanded previous research on the behavior problems of language impaired children by examining differences in behavior between language impaired and non-language impaired preschoolers. More specifically, this research compared mothers' and teachers' behavioral ratings of 50 language impaired children and 50 non-language impaired children on ten subscales of Burks' Behavior Rating Scales, Preschool and Kindergarten Edition.;The results of this study found that the language impaired group was rated significantly higher than the non-language impaired group on nine of the ten behavioral subscales: excessive self-blame, excessive anxiety, excessive withdrawal, excessive dependency, poor ego strength, poor reality contact, poor attention, poor impulse control, and poor anger control. Only the aggressiveness subscale did not significantly differentiate the two groups. In addition, five significant rater effects emerged. On self-blame, attention, impulse control, and anger control the mothers' combined mean ratings were higher than ratings given by teachers, while teachers' combined mean ratings were higher on the withdrawal subscale. Significant rater by group interactions emerged on the self-blame, anxiety, withdrawal and dependency subscales. Essentially, a majority of the behavioral subscales yielded significant correlations between mothers' and teachers' ratings in the non-language impaired group, while a minority of significant inter-rater correlations emerged in the language impaired group. Subsidiary factor analyses revealed a three factor solution using mothers' ratings (Inattention-Immaturity, Inhibition, and Anger-Aggression Factors) and two factors emerged from the teachers' data (Introversion and Reactivity Factors). Using factor scores, the language impaired group was significantly higher than the non-language impaired group on the Inattention-Immaturity, Introversion, and Reactivity factors.