Daily living skills in adolescents with and without language disorder, measured using the WHEEL OF INDEPENDENCETM framework

Developing daily living skills, such as self-care, cooking and managing money, is a key priority for adolescents with special educational needs. Previous studies investigated the emergence of daily living skills in young people with a range of neurodevelopmental conditions. However, none focused on adolescents with language disorders, including developmental language disorder. Two groups of 16-year-olds participated in this study: a typically developing group (n = 88) and a (developmental) language disorder group (n = 78), which was subdivided into participants with co-occurring motor difficulties (n = 56) versus typical motor development (n = 22). Data were collected using the WHEEL OF INDEPENDENCE™ framework, a daily living skills measurement tool. Between-group comparisons assessed whether there were significant differences in daily living skills between typically developing and (developmental) language disorder participants and between those with and without motor difficulties within the (developmental) language disorder group. Findings revealed that typically developing participants had significantly better daily living skills than the (developmental) language disorder group. Within the (developmental) language disorder group, participants with motor difficulties showed marginally significantly lower daily living skills than those without. Adolescents with (developmental) language disorder experience challenges developing their daily living skills, compared to typically developing peers. This may be compounded if they have co-occurring motor difficulties. Further research could inform understanding of the mechanisms underlying these differences in order to develop tailored and effective interventions.