Abstract/Summary

Introduction: Developing daily living skills (DLS), such as self-care, cooking and managing money, is a key priority for adolescents with special educational needs. Previous studies investigated the emergence of DLS in young people with a range of neurodevelopmental conditions. However, none focused on adolescents with language disorders (LD), including developmental language disorder (DLD). Method: Two groups of 16-year-olds participated in this study: a typically developing (TD) group (n=88) and a (D)LD 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 DLS measurement tool. Between-group comparisons assessed whether there were significant differences in DLS between TD and (D)LD participants and between those with and without motor difficulties within the (D)LD group. Results: Findings revealed that TD participants had significantly better DLS than the (D)LD group. Within the (D)LD group, participants with motor difficulties showed marginally significantly lower DLS than those without. Conclusion: Adolescents with (D)LD experience challenges developing their DLS, compared to TD 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.