Examining pragmatic language development in preschoolers with and without neurodevelopmental disorders: A cross-sectional study

• Published in: Applied neuropsychology. Child Vol. ahead-of-print; no. ahead-of-print; pp. 1 - 17
• Main Authors: Alduais, Ahmed, Majorano, Marinella, Bastianello, Tamara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Psychology Press 19.06.2023
• Subjects: APL; CCC-2; neurodevelopmental disorders; pragmatic language development; pragmatic language impairment; preschool children; TOPICC; preschool children; TOPICC; CCC-2; pragmatic language impairment; APL; neurodevelopmental disorders; pragmatic language development
• ISSN: 2162-2965; 2162-2973
• DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2023.2224483

This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between gender, age, and pragmatic language development in n = 77 Italian preschool children (49-84 months) with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. The sample included 62 children without psychiatric history (n = 34 females, n = 27 males) and n = 15 children with psychiatric history (2 females, n = 13 males). Eight cases (n = 6 males, n = 2 females, 59-75 months) were matched for age and gender. The neurodevelopmental disorder group used the Targeted Observation of Pragmatics in Children's Conversations (TOPICC) tool. Pragmatic language skills were assessed with the Pragmatic Language Abilities (APL), Children's Communication Checklist-Version 2 (CCC-2), and TOPICC scales. Results showed no significant relationship between gender and pragmatic language development subscales, except for a marginally significant relationship with figurative metaphor scores. Age was positively correlated with verbal metaphor, metaphor, implied meaning, and overall pragmatic language skills, but not with figurative metaphor or situations scores. Paired samples t-tests and Wilcoxon tests compared matched groups, revealing significant differences between children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders on the TOPICC, APL, and CCC-2 tools. The findings highlight the importance of early identification and intervention for children with pragmatic language impairment (PLI) and the need for further research with larger samples.