Language problems in children with learning disabilities: do they interfere with maternal communication?
A M Poikkeus1, T Ahonen, V Närhi
1Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. poikkeus@psyka.jyu.fi
Journal of Learning Disabilities
|October 27, 2004
Summary
Children with learning disabilities (LD) and a verbal IQ lower than performance IQ struggled more in tasks. Their mothers also communicated less clearly, with communication issues worsening in dialogue.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Special Education
Background:
- Learning disabilities (LD) significantly impact children's cognitive and linguistic development.
- Discrepancies between verbal and performance IQ (VIQ/PIQ) in children with LD may indicate specific language processing challenges.
- Parent-child interaction quality is crucial for children's task performance and development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate parent-child interaction in school-age boys with LD, comparing subgroups based on VIQ-PIQ discrepancy.
- To analyze the effects of children's language problems on task performance and maternal communication clarity.
- To explore how communication deviances in mothers change across different interactional contexts (monologue vs. dialogue).
Main Methods:
- Comparison of two matched subgroups of boys with LD (n=8 each): VIQ < PIQ and VIQ = PIQ.
- A mother-child problem-solving task was used to assess child performance and maternal communication.
- Analysis focused on child task success, maternal communication clarity, and communication deviances in different interactional settings.
Main Results:
- Children with VIQ < PIQ performed less successfully on the problem-solving task compared to children with VIQ = PIQ.
- Mothers of children with VIQ < PIQ exhibited lower communication clarity than mothers of children with VIQ = PIQ.
- Maternal communication deviances increased from monologue to dialogue for the VIQ < PIQ group, but decreased for the VIQ = PIQ group.
Conclusions:
- A VIQ-PIQ discrepancy in boys with LD is associated with poorer task performance and reduced maternal communication clarity.
- The interactional context (monologue vs. dialogue) differentially affects maternal communication patterns based on the child's VIQ-PIQ profile.
- Findings suggest distinct models of parent-child interaction may underlie different profiles of learning disabilities.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Barriers to Effective Communication I
A communication barrier is any distortion or interruption during a conversation, resulting in miscommunication of the message. A good communicator should know these barriers and continuously check for the listener's understanding by obtaining feedback.
Communication barriers include the following:
Physiological barriers: They are limitations caused by a person's health condition or disability, such as hearing loss, poor eyesight, illness, or unconsciousness. An example to overcome this barrier...
Communication barriers include the following:
Physiological barriers: They are limitations caused by a person's health condition or disability, such as hearing loss, poor eyesight, illness, or unconsciousness. An example to overcome this barrier...
01:21Barriers to Effective Communication II
The barriers to effective communication also include cultural barriers, semantic barriers, gender barriers, and time constraints.
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
01:22Language Development
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
01:27Language and Cognition
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
01:25Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities are cognitive disorders caused by neurological impairments that affect cognitive functions like language and reading, without indicating overall intellectual or developmental challenges. These disabilities differ from global intellectual or developmental disabilities as they are limited to distinct cognitive functions. Common learning disabilities include dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, each of which impacts unique aspects of learning.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...