Life Outcomes in Young Adults With Early Language Difficulties: A County-Based Register Study

Our aim was to explore life outcomes in young adulthood (late twenties) for children who screened positive and negative, respectively, for language difficulties at the routine visit to the Child Health Services (CHS) at 2.5 years of age.

Public register data were used to compare a group of 25 children with early suspected Developmental Language Disorder (DLD group) and a matched group of 80 children who did not screen positive (non-DLD group). They were compared with regard to results at the 4-year routine developmental check-up at the CHS, eligibility for upper-secondary school, psychiatric diagnoses, psychiatric medication, unemployment, and financial support.

It was found that 29% of the DLD group and 9% of the non-DLD group had failed the 4-year check-up, that 24% versus 11% were not eligible for upper-secondary school at 16 years of age and that, in their late twenties, 40% versus 22% had received a psychiatric diagnosis and 16% versus 9% had received public financial support. Only negligible differences were found between the groups for prescribed psychiatric medication and unemployment.

There was a trend indicating more persistent neurodevelopmental and academic problems and/or psychiatric diagnoses in the group with early suspected DLD.