The study titled "Association between CCC-2 and Structural Language, Pragmatics, Social Cognition, and Executive Functions in Children with Developmental Language Disorder" provides valuable insights for practitioners working with children diagnosed with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). This blog post will summarize key findings from the study and offer practical advice for implementing these insights into clinical practice.
Understanding the CCC-2 and Its Importance
The Children’s Communication Checklist (CCC-2) is a widely used tool for assessing communication behaviors in children. It evaluates structural language and pragmatic skills, which are critical for understanding social cognition and executive functions. This research highlights the importance of using the CCC-2 alongside formal assessments to gain a comprehensive understanding of a child's communication abilities.
Key Findings from the Study
The study assessed 30 children with DLD and 39 age-matched children with typical development using formal measures of structural language, pragmatics, social cognition, and executive functions. The parents of children with DLD completed the Spanish version of the CCC-2. Here are the main findings:
- Children with DLD showed lower performance in all formal assessments compared to their typically developing peers.
- The CCC-2 was significantly correlated with all direct child assessments.
- Structural language measures were the best predictors of both the structural language and pragmatics scales of the CCC-2.
Implications for Practitioners
These findings suggest several actionable steps for practitioners:
- Use a Multi-Method Assessment Approach: Combining parent-reported data from the CCC-2 with formal assessments provides a more holistic view of a child's communication abilities.
- Focus on Structural Language: Since structural language skills are strong predictors of overall communication abilities, interventions should prioritize improving these skills.
- Include Pragmatic Skills Training: While structural language is crucial, addressing pragmatic skills is also essential for comprehensive communication development.
Encouraging Further Research
While this study provides significant insights, it also opens the door for further research. Future studies could explore the relationships between pragmatics, social cognition, and executive functions in more depth. Additionally, expanding the sample size and including older children could provide more nuanced findings.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: Association between CCC-2 and Structural Language, Pragmatics, Social Cognition, and Executive Functions in Children with Developmental Language Disorder.
