Is er verschil in zelfregulatie tussen kinderen met en kinderen zonder taalontwikkelingsstoornis?

Abstract

Background: Self-regulation is a strong predictor for future academic success and social competence. Self-regulation can be divided in ‘cool’ and ‘hot’ self-regulation. Executive functioning (EF) is an important part of ‘cool’ self-regulation. Vygotsky states that language is an important aspect for developing self-regulation. Though language and self-regulation are related, little research has been done to children with specific language impairment (SLI). The present study contributes to answering the question if there is any difference in self-regulation in children with and without SLI. Methods: With the observational tool ‘Complexity of pretend play’ 57 children, 36 without SLI and 21 with SLI, are assessed on ‘cool’ self-regulation. Children were observed in a natural play setting with both realistic and non-realistic material. Group differences in self-regulation were assessed with ANCOVA, controlling for age. Results: After controlling for age, no significant differences were found in self-regulation between children with and without SLI. This was not in line with former research on EF in children with SLI and our expectations. Conclusions: Further research has to be done to answer the question if there is any relation between language impairment and self-regulation. The influence of language interventions on self-regulation should be considered, as this can be an important difference between children with and without SLI.