Peer relationships and the wellbeing of children with Developmental Language Disorder
type: CreativeWork
description: Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) have difficulties expressing or understanding language without having any other neurodevelopmental condition or physical impairment. DLD places affected children at risk of many undesired developmental outcomes. Peer relationships of children with DLD are impacted the most; however, many children with DLD are accepted by their peers and report having good quality friendships. To understand the links between language and peer relationships of children with DLD, scholars have examined children’s language, behaviour, and other psychosocial attributes. Research findings, however, are inconclusive about the relative contribution of these factors, and what is more, they tend to overly rely on adult informants whose reports of children’s language, behaviours, and social functioning vary. This doctoral research project actively involved children with DLD and their peers to learn directly from children about their peer relationships. These aims were delivered through two parts – analytical research synthesis (systematised literature review) and primary data collection (series of case studies). Both parts helped answer the project’s research questions: 1. What are the within-child characteristics promoting the peer relationships of children with DLD? 2. What research methods facilitate the participation of children with DLD in studies about their peer relationships in school? A mixed methods approach was taken to combine quantitative and qualitative data. In part one, the analytical research synthesis, identified studies were reviewed and categorised based on the levels of children’s participation in the research. A narrative analysis synthetised the studies’ findings about the within-child characteristics contributing to the peer relationships of children with DLD. Part two was conducted as a series of case studies, where each child with DLD (n=14) represented a case. Data were collected via parent and teacher reports, obse…
abstract: Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) have difficulties expressing or understanding language without having any other neurodevelopmental condition or physical impairment. DLD places affected children at risk of many undesired developmental outcomes. Peer relationships of children with DLD are impacted the most; however, many children with DLD are accepted by their peers and report having good quality friendships. To understand the links between language and peer relationships of children with DLD, scholars have examined children’s language, behaviour, and other psychosocial attributes. Research findings, however, are inconclusive about the relative contribution of these factors, and what is more, they tend to overly rely on adult informants whose reports of children’s language, behaviours, and social functioning vary. This doctoral research project actively involved children with DLD and their peers to learn directly from children about their peer relationships. These aims were delivered through two parts – analytical research synthesis (systematised literature review) and primary data collection (series of case studies). Both parts helped answer the project’s research questions: 1. What are the within-child characteristics promoting the peer relationships of children with DLD? 2. What research methods facilitate the participation of children with DLD in studies about their peer relationships in school? A mixed methods approach was taken to combine quantitative and qualitative data. In part one, the analytical research synthesis, identified studies were reviewed and categorised based on the levels of children’s participation in the research. A narrative analysis synthetised the studies’ findings about the within-child characteristics contributing to the peer relationships of children with DLD. Part two was conducted as a series of case studies, where each child with DLD (n=14) represented a case. Data were collected via parent and teacher reports, obse…
author: Janik Blaskova, Lenka
language: eng
keywords: peer relationships, wellbeing, children, social inclusion, primary school, language disorder, child voice, participatory research, case study
license: https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
date published: 2021-08-08
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:08Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.81115