Language Skills of Vulnerable Children With Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Difficulties: An Australian Primary School Sample

The co-occurrence of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD), maltreatment, and language disorders (LD) is recognized in school-age children; however, the nature of the interaction between them remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore associations between LD and SEBD in children with and without suspected histories of maltreatment. Forty-one primary school students enrolled at a specialist unit for children with SEBD are described with respect to language skills, maltreatment history, and comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders. Two thirds of students who met criteria for SEBD also met criteria for LD. Children with higher levels of internalizing problems were found to have stronger expressive language scores, but otherwise the severity of LD did not correlate with severity of SEBD. SEBD was similar in students with and without a history of maltreatment, and this did not increase the likelihood or severity of LD, except for pragmatic language skills. There is considerable overlap between SEBD, LD, and suspected maltreatment in this group. Students with SEBD and/or a suspected history of maltreatment need additional support to ensure that the interaction of their behavior and communication difficulties are understood so they make steady progress in social and academic skills and remain engaged in school.