Psycho-social effects of Specific Language Impairment - The Views of The Speech and Language Pathologists

In recent years, scientific literature has noted that a significant proportion of preschool and school age children are likely to develop symptoms of Specific Language Impairment (SLI). The SLI often causes secondary, strong intra-personal and interpersonal difficulties for the individual, and therefore needs support for further psycho-social rehabilitation. This research deals with the psychosocial difficulties of minors and adults with SLI and their ability to be detected by the therapist. A qualitative survey was carried out to investigate the matter with in-depth interviews on a sample of 5 Speech and Language Pathologists. They, while acknowledging the need for psycho-social support for people with SLI, tended to declare themselves unprepared to identify any evidence of psychosocial difficulties. In conclusion, it was found necessary that specialists working with persons with SLI could detect early difficulties of this type and cooperate with other specialties in providing holistic care and support.