Mesurer la qualité de vie en santé pour repérer des conséquences du trouble développemental du langage non observables en clinique ? Exemple des relations sociales.

Abstract

Background: Developmental language disorder (DLD) leads to significant psychosocial consequences. Among them, difficulties in social relationships with peers remain unobservable in clinical practice. Aims: Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) may provide information about possible difficulties in social relationships for patients with DLD. It is expected that those with low pragmatics abilities report a low HRQOL in the social dimensions. Methods: 17 children with DLD aged 9 to 11 years completed a pragmatics assessment and answered an HRQOL questionnaire. Participants’ HRQOL scores were compared to norm data. Then the HRQOL scores of participants with low pragmatics abilities were compared to HRQOL scores of participants with good pragmatics abilities. Results: Participants reported a HRQOL globally comparable to norm data. In the social dimensions (Social support and peers and Social acceptance (bullying)), participants with low pragmatics abilities reported the same pattern of HRQOL than participants with good pragmatics abilities. Nevertheless, participants reporting a low HRQOL in the Social acceptance dimension reached low scores at the Emotion recognition task. Moreover, HRQOL scores in the Social acceptance and the Moods and emotions dimensions were highly correlated. Conclusions: Emotion recognition should be assessed and integrated into the therapeutic project for patients with DLD in order to support their social acceptance. Measuring HRQOL in SLP is of important clinical interest as it could provide clinicians with significant information in the way DLD impacts patients’ daily lives. An HRQOL instrument dedicated to children with DLD is to be developed.