Clegg, J. orcid.org/0000-0001-7366-0243, Crawford, E., Spencer, S. et al. (1 more author) (2021) Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in young people leaving care in England : a study profiling the language, literacy and communication abilities of young people transitioning from care to independence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (8). 4107. ISSN 1661-7827
Abstract
Research indicates children and young people in care have a high prevalence of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) as part of a complex set of vulnerabilities. This study describes the profile of language, literacy and communication abilities of a cohort of care leavers. The language, literacy and communication abilities of 44 young people leaving care between the ages of 16 and 26 years were assessed using standardized measures. Demographic data about the young people was collected along with a survey to key staff to capture their perceptions and experiences of the language and communication abilities of these young people. Ninety percent of the care leavers’ language abilities were below average and over 60% met criteria for DLD in combination with literacy difficulties, developmental disorders and social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH). The implications of unidentified DLD on the lives of young people leaving care is discussed. Earlier identification of DLD is advocated to enable services to intervene to facilitate more positive outcomes and life chances for this very vulnerable population.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | care leavers; developmental language disorder (DLD); language; communication; literacy; psycho-social; mental health |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 20 Apr 2021 06:50 |
Last Modified: | 21 Apr 2021 07:04 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MDPI AG |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/ijerph18084107 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:173232 |