CATALISE: A Multinational and Multidisciplinary Delphi Consensus Study. Identifying Language Impairments in Children

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Child Psychiatry
• Pediatrics
• Education

Background:

• Delayed or impaired language development is a common concern in children.
• Lack of agreement on criteria for identifying and classifying language impairments complicates professional approaches.
• Children's language difficulties intersect education, medicine, and allied health professions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve professional consensus on criteria for identifying children with language impairments.
• To establish guidelines for determining which children may benefit from specialist services.
• To address the interdisciplinary nature of conceptualizing children's language difficulties.

Main Methods:

• An online Delphi technique was employed with a panel of 59 international experts from ten disciplines.
• Experts rated 46 statements on relevance and validity, providing free-text comments.
• Two rounds of evaluation were conducted, with statement synthesis between rounds to improve consensus.

Main Results:

• 80% consensus was achieved for 24 out of 27 statements after the second round.
• Consensus was established on appropriate criteria for identifying children needing specialist services.
• Written comments indicated nuances and qualifications from respondents despite high agreement levels.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully developed a consensus statement on criteria for identifying children with language impairments.
• The findings provide a foundation for more consistent identification and referral practices.
• Further research is needed to address residual disagreements and evidence gaps.