Abstract
Objectives: To summarize scientific evidence for individual psychosocial treatment of developmental disorders of speech and language (DD-L), and developmental disorders of scholastic skills (DDSch).
To describe care organization for these disorders in 7 Western countries.
Methodology: EBM literature review including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies.
Questionnaires sent to renowned experts in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, UK, and Switzerland; description of the Belgian situation.
Results: In the short term, speech and language interventions for expressive phonological or vocabulary difficulties are effective; long term effects are not well-studied. In a few studies, no difference was found between treatment by trained parents or clinicians, or between individual and group therapy. For treatment of receptive language difficulties, only few studies are available suggesting little effects. Effective reading programs for reading disabilities should include training of the alphabetic principle and phonological awareness, and integration of these elements with comprehension and fluency skills. For mathematical disorders, too few publications are available to conclude.
Very few studies evaluated treatment intensity and duration, or the differences between monoand multidisciplinary treatment. Publications on treatment of co-morbid developmental or behavioral disorders were also lacking.
In most countries, multidisciplinary treatment (2 disciplines or more) is almost standard for DD-L and DD-Sch. Governmental responsibility for organization and funding belongs mostly to health and educational departments together.
Conclusion: It seems standard in Western societies to provide multidisciplinary treatment for DD-L and DD-Sch, but effectiveness of this strategy has been little evaluated.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eyssen, M., Pieters, S., Scheiris, J. et al. 1430 Psychosocial Treatment for Developmental Disorders of Speech and Language and Developmental Disorders of Scholastic Skills: Evidence and Care Organization.. Pediatr Res 68 (Suppl 1), 706–707 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-01430
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-01430