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Predicting behavior problems in deaf and hearing children: The influences of language, attention, and parent–child communication

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2009

David H. Barker*
Affiliation:
University of Miami
Alexandra L. Quittner
Affiliation:
University of Miami
Nancy E. Fink
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins University
Laurie S. Eisenberg
Affiliation:
House Ear Institute
Emily A. Tobey
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Dallas
John K. Niparko
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: David H. Barker, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, 5665 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables, FL 33146-0751; E-mail: dbarker@psy.miami.edu.

Abstract

The development of language and communication may play an important role in the emergence of behavioral problems in young children, but they are rarely included in predictive models of behavioral development. In this study, cross-sectional relationships between language, attention, and behavior problems were examined using parent report, videotaped observations, and performance measures in a sample of 116 severely and profoundly deaf and 69 normally hearing children ages 1.5 to 5 years. Secondary analyses were performed on data collected as part of the Childhood Development After Cochlear Implantation Study, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Hearing-impaired children showed more language, attention, and behavioral difficulties, and spent less time communicating with their parents than normally hearing children. Structural equation modeling indicated there were significant relationships between language, attention, and child behavior problems. Language was associated with behavior problems both directly and indirectly through effects on attention. Amount of parent–child communication was not related to behavior problems.

Type
Regular Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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