Social cognition makes an independent contribution to peer relations in children with Specific Language Impairment.
Language therapy alone is not enough for SLI; add social-cognition lessons to reduce peer rejection.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Andrés-Roqueta et al. (2016) looked at kids with Specific Language Impairment. They asked classmates who they liked and who they disliked.
The team also gave short social-cognition tasks. They wanted to see if poor social thinking, not just weak language, hurt friendships.
What they found
Kids with SLI got more dislike votes than peers. Even after the authors held language scores steady, social-cognition scores still predicted rejection.
This means social-thinking gaps add extra risk on top of talking problems.
How this fits with other research
Kaufman et al. (2010) saw the same social-cognition gap in kids with intellectual disability. Both studies used short stories and peer picks, showing the pattern repeats across diagnoses.
Hilton et al. (2010) found a twist: adults with Down syndrome reasoned about social rules as well as younger typical kids. Their study extends the idea that diagnosis and age change the picture, so we cannot assume all delays look like SLI.
Chiviacowsky et al. (2013) already mapped motor and literacy gaps in SLI. Clara’s team now adds social cognition to that broader profile, updating what SLI can hide.
Why it matters
If you serve a child with SLI, screen social cognition right away. Add lessons on reading faces, predicting feelings, and joining play. These targets may cut peer rejection faster than language drills alone.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Language is important for developing and maintaining social relationships, and also for understanding others minds. Separate studies have shown that children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) present difficulties in both abilities, although the role of social cognition (SC) on peers' perception remains unexplored. AIMS: The present study aims to assess specific sociometric features of children with SLI through peer nominations of liking and disliking, and also to explore their relationship to the children's SC. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Thirty-five children with SLI attending ordinary schools (3;10 to 8;00 years old) and thirty-five age-matched children (AM) were assessed with language, SC and sociometric measures. RESULTS: SLI group received more disliked nominations and had lower scores on SC tasks compared to the AM group. After controlling for age and language, SC made an independent contribution to disliked nominations within the SLI group. CONCLUSIONS: Difficulties with peers of children with SLI are related to their language level but also with their SC abilities. Consequently, only resolving language impairments will not necessarily improve early peer acceptance in children with SLI. IMPLICATION: This finding stresses the importance of early intervention programmes aimed at reducing deleterious effects in later development and socialization with peers.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2016 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.12.015