Effortful Control and Perceptual Sensitivity in Relation to Social Communication Skills in Preschoolers With Developmental Language Disorder

AimsThis study compared social communication and temperament between children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and their typically developing (TD) peers. Furthermore, the study explored the associations between temperament and social communication within the DLD group.MethodsUsing a case-controlled cross-sectional design, the study included 55 preschool-aged children newly diagnosed with DLD and their age- and sex-matched TD peers. Diagnostic evaluation involved the Test of Early Language Development-Third Edition (TELD-3) and the DENVER II Developmental Screening Test. Parents completed the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), Children's Behavior Questionnaire-Short Form (CBQ-SF), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).ResultsChildren with DLD scored higher on the SCQ and reciprocal social interactions, indicating greater social communication difficulties. They also exhibited lower effortful control, particularly regarding attentional focus and perceptual sensitivity. Partial correlations controlling for age, sex, psychopathology, parental education, and family income revealed negative associations between reciprocal social interaction and effortful control (r = -.315) and perceptual sensitivity (r = -.294).ConclusionsChildren with DLD display significant social communication challenges linked to temperament-related regulatory differences. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating temperament-informed assessments and early interventions to support social communication outcomes in this population.