Children who have difficulties in linguistic development that persist into middle childhood are at higher risk of later social problems, in comparison to their typically developing peers. In this talk I will present findings from a study based on data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The study aimed to explore the extent to which a child’s early communicative environment may influence later social adjustment, and, whether the pathways for such influences were different for children with and children without language difficulties. I report an analysis using a subset of ALSPAC participants who completed direct assessments of linguistic/psycholinguistic abilities in middle childhood and will discuss these findings with reference to support and education strategies for children at risk of language difficulties.
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