Approach To Families Of Children With Developmental Language Disorder From A Neurodevelopmental Perspective

This study aimed to investigate the presence of neurodevelopmental disorder symptoms in the parents of children diagnosed with language disorder (LD) and to compare these characteristics with those of parents of typically developing children.

The study included 76 children diagnosed with LD and 71 typically developing controls, along with their parents. The diagnosis of LD was based on DSM-5 criteria. Language and other developmental domains were assessed using the Denver II developmental screening test. Neurodevelopmental symptoms in parents were evaluated using the Wender-Utah Rating Scale (WURS), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ).

Maternal education level was significantly lower in the LD group compared to parents of typically developing children (p<0.001). Parents of children with LD scored significantly higher on the TAS, WURS, and AQ scales compared to the control group (all p <0.001). Deficits in speech and language abilities were observed among the children of parents who obtained high scores (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.006).

The presence of neurodevelopmental symptoms in parents may confer the risk of language, cognitive, and other neurodevelopmental delays in their children. Early diagnosis and family-centered intervention approaches are critical to mitigating these risks and supporting psychosocial functioning.