Language impairment in Swedish bilingual children: a comparison between bilingual and monolingual children in Malmö.

Summary, in English

In this study two groups of children were compared, 192 bilingual and 246 monolingual, referred over a 12-mo period to University Hospital in Malmö for suspected language impairment. Compared with monolingual children, bilingual children ran a significantly lower risk (RR = 0.76, p < 0.0001) of being referred by a child health centre, and a significantly higher risk (RR= 1.54, p < 0.0103) of being referred after 5 y of age. In the bilingual group there was also a significantly higher risk of parental refusal of assessment (RR = 2.35, p < 0.0016) and of the children being diagnosed with a severe language impairment (RR = 1.87, p < 0.0009). The risk for bilingual children with severe language impairment being discharged owing to non-attendance was high (RR = 6.20, p < 0.0002) compared to monolingual children. The risk increased with severity of language impairment. CONCLUSION: Bilingual children displayed a higher risk of a diagnosis of severe language impairment and of being discharged for non-attendance. The problem of low compliance among bilingual parents, despite strong indications of parental distress, must be addressed.

• Författare: Eva-Kristina Salameh; Ulrika Nettelbladt; Gisela Håkansson; B Gullberg
• Avdelning/ar: Logopedi, foniatri och audiologi; Allmän språkvetenskap
• Publiceringsår: 2002
• Språk: Engelska
• Sidor: 229-234
• Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie: Acta Pædiatrica
• Volym: 91
• Issue: 2
• Länkar: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11952014&dopt=Abstract; http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2002.tb01700.x
• Dokumenttyp: Artikel i tidskrift
• Förlag: Wiley-Blackwell
• Ämne: Pediatrics
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt: ISSN: 1651-2227