The Impact of Language Disorders on Children's Behavior

Children's behaviors are simply a reflection of their feelings and what they experience in their daily lives. Their behaviors are a form of communication with their surrounding environment to express themselves and what they feel. Their behaviors may also be an indicator of some difficulties they might face, leading to behavioral problems that reflect these difficulties.

It is worth noting that many studies examining the relationship between children's behaviors and their language level have found an association between these two indicators; the lower a child's language abilities, the higher the likelihood that behavioral problems will appear.

In this article, we will explore the impact of language skills on children's behavior and the methods we can use to promote positive behavior through speech and language therapy sessions.

To begin with, we must recognize that there are communication-specific needs related to children's language use. Children may face various types of difficulties, including:

• Difficulty understanding what others say to them, especially regarding multi-step instructions and implicit meanings that are not stated directly.
• Difficulties understanding the nature of conversations and their accepted rules, including how to handle misunderstandings on the part of the listener. This difficulty may be caused by slower information processing, leading them not to understand cues and gestures and thus failing to manage conversations effectively.
• Difficulty understanding jokes, figurative expressions, and sarcastic remarks, all of which rely on analytical language skills that are important for social interaction.

It is likely that the cause of the difficulties mentioned above and the primary barrier is children's limited vocabulary.

We can better understand this relationship between language skills and children's behaviors by looking at the impact of language disorders on other skills and abilities that a child needs in general. Thus, these children may appear uncooperative or disobedient when, in fact, they are facing challenges in understanding instructions—in short, they simply did not understand.

Children with language disorders also often suffer from weak memory capabilities, meaning they are more susceptible to distractions and in constant need of repetition. Unfortunately, these difficulties are often interpreted as laziness or a deliberate desire to frustrate their teachers and parents.

We must all realize that language plays a major and central role in children's lives; its role is fundamental to emotional regulation and managing feelings. Finding the right words to describe the emotions young children experience may not be easy, and consequently, children find it difficult to cope with their emotions and soothe themselves.

We can view negative behaviors in children as a behavioral expression of what they wish to say verbally. For example, a negative behavior might signal: "I do not understand what you want me to do" or "This task is too difficult for me." Therefore, it is essential to support language skills in children in general, and in children with behavioral problems in particular. Failing to support their language skills may exacerbate a set of behavior-related risks, including:

• Difficulties making friends, and consequently fewer opportunities to learn how to behave and communicate well
• Difficulties related to reading and writing abilities, which affect school academic performance and achievement
• An increased risk of being bullied
• A negative impact on emotional feelings

As such, speech-language pathologists play a very important role in developing language and helping children. Speech therapy sessions with specialists can foster positive behavior in various ways, including:

1. A greater understanding of the child's needs, for example:

● Specialists work collaboratively within a team to identify the necessary skills and emotional needs that may be causing the child's negative behaviors.

● Helping the child and clarifying their special needs to others.

● Working to spread a culture of properly handling behavioral problems when they occur.

2. Training on ways to adapt instruction and provide support, which includes:

● Providing supportive environments that stimulate communication.

● Sharing effective vocabulary-teaching strategies with families and education and care providers.

● Collaborating with others to ensure behavioral goals are appropriate, understandable, and broken down into small, achievable goals.

● Contributing to training in behavior management and meeting the child's communication needs.

3. Direct support, which includes:

● Helping the child understand and express their needs and engaging them in planning for change effectively, such as helping them understand the expected behavior in a way that suits them.

● Teaching the child the communication skills needed to behave well.

● Supporting children during transitions from one stage to another—for example, from primary school to secondary school.

As families, we must understand children's needs and recognize the relationship between their behavior and their language levels, seeking the support they need whenever a need is observed.

Resource:

Understanding the links between communication and behaviour. Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists. (n.d.). Retrieved September 5, 2022, from https://www.rcslt.org/wp-content/uploads/media/Project/RCSLT/rcslt-behaviour-a4-factsheet.pdf

Originally published in Arabic. This English version was produced with AI-assisted translation; the Arabic original remains the reference.