Asperger's Syndrome Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Asperger's Syndrome, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, medication.

Social competence in children with language impairment: making connections.

Brinton B, Fujiki M

Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602-1341, USA. Bonnie_Brinton@byu.edu

Children with language problems frequently experience social difficulty. This is the case not only for children diagnosed as having impairments such as autism spectrum disorder, Asperger syndrome (AS), or mental retardation but also for children falling into diagnostic categories traditionally considered to be primarily language based (e.g., language impairment, learning disability). In considering what interventions might be most effective, it is important to consider how various aspects of development are connected. This article describes causal networks in which various factors influence the relationship between language deficits and social difficulties. Case descriptions of Joseph, an adolescent with language impairment, and Cari, a 6-year-old diagnosed with AS, illustrate the complexity of this relationship and demonstrate how intervention might be designed to facilitate positive social communication outcomes.

Published 12 September 2005 in Semin Speech Lang, 26(3): 151-9.
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