Table 3.
Means (SD) and percentages by peer problem groups
| Groups | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low/no problems | Childhood-limited problems | Childhood-onset persistent problems | Adolescent-onset problems | |
| Rutter peer problem scores at 7a | 0.4 (0.6) | 1.5 (0.9) | 1.4 (1.2) | 0.2 (0.5) |
| Rutter peer problem scores at 8a | 0.4 (0.8) | 1.8 (1.1) | 1.9 (1.2) | 0.3 (0.5) |
| Rutter peer problem scores at 11a | 0.1 (0.3) | 1.1 (0.8) | 2.7 (1.1) | 1.0 (0.9) |
| SDQ peer problem scores at 11a | 0.5 (0.7) | 2.0 (0.9) | 4.8 (2.0) | 2.1 (1.3) |
| SDQ peer problem scores at 16a | 0.4 (0.6) | 0.8 (1.0) | 4.6 (2.2) | 3.4 (1.6) |
| Expressive language standard score at 7b | 81.6 (10.1) | 80.7 (8.2) | 84.3 (10.6) | 83.9 (9.6) |
| Expressive language standard score at 11b | 71.8 (8.2) | 70.8 (10.4) | 73.7 (11.7) | 76.4 (14.2) |
| Receptive language standard score at 7c | 84.6 (9.0) | 81.6 (10.8) | 83.3 (12.3) | 84.4 (11.7) |
| Receptive language standard score at 11c | 87.4 (13.5) | 82.1 (15.2) | 86.0 (16.0) | 88.9 (16.3) |
| PIQ standard score at 7d | 104.9 (15.0) | 106.9 (15.3) | 104.7 (15.8) | 107.1 (13.7) |
| PIQ standard score at 11d | 88.7 (22.4) | 86.6 (19.4) | 84.1 (25.9) | 84.9 (22.9) |
| Word reading accuracy standard score at 7e | 84.7 (9.6) | 84.1 (12.8) | 87.1 (13.1) | 84.7 (11.9) |
| Word reading accuracy standard score at 11e | 80.5 (11.5) | 81.1 (14.2) | 82.8 (17.9) | 79.9 (13.3) |
| Reading comprehension standard score at 11e | 76.4 (14.6) | 76.2 (13.2) | 74.0 (15.2) | 76.4 (14.0) |
| % with PLI at 7f | 21.1 | 33.3 | 40.3 | 26.7 |
| Pragmatic language composite score at 11f | 147.3 (9.1) | 140.8 (12.1) | 134.8 (13.5) | 143.7 (10.2) |
| % with PLI at 11f | 6.7 | 20.0 | 38.2 | 16.2 |
| SDQ prosocial scale at 11g | 8.6 (1.8) | 6.0 (2.2) | 4.8 (2.6) | 6.3 (2.4) |
| SDQ hyperactivity scale at 11g | 2.8 (2.0) | 4.5 (1.6) | 4.3 (2.8) | 4.0 (2.6) |
| SDQ emotional scale at 11g | 1.6 (1.9) | 2.4 (2.7) | 3.3 (2.3) | 2.8 (1.6) |
| SDQ conduct scale at 11g | 0.4 (0.7) | 1.7 (2.3) | 2.1 (2.4) | 1.1 (1.7) |
| SDQ total difficulties score at 11g | 5.3 (3.0) | 10.5 (4.1) | 14.4 (6.1) | 10.0 (4.8) |
| % in mainstream school without support at 11 | 23.7 | 9.5 | 9.1 | 18.2 |
| % in mainstream school with support at 11 | 39.5 | 14.3 | 33.3 | 45.5 |
| % in language unit/school at 11 | 31.6 | 42.9 | 34.9 | 22.7 |
| % in other special unit/school at 11 | 5.3 | 33.3 | 22.7 | 13.6 |
| % with autistic symptomatology at 14h | 20.0 | 18.2 | 51.4 | 22.2 |
Range of Rutter peer problem raw scores: 0–6; range of SDQ peer problem raw scores: 0–10.
Expressive language measures: age 7 – Bus Story Test (Renfrew, 1991); age 11 – Recalling Sentences subtest of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Revised (Semel et al., 1987).
Receptive language measures at ages 7 and 11: Test for Reception of Grammar (Bishop, 1982).
PIQ measures: age 7 – Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (Raven, 1986); age 11 – Block Design and Picture Completion of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition (Wechsler, 1992).
Word reading accuracy at age 7 – Word Reading subtest of the British Abilities Scale (Elliot, 1983); Word reading accuracy and reading comprehension at age 11 - Basic Reading and the Reading Comprehension subtests of the Wechsler Objective Reading Dimensions (Wechsler, 1993).
At age 7, teachers were asked whether they thought the child had semantic/pragmatic difficulties; at age 11, PLI was assessed using the Children's Communication Checklist (CCC, Bishop, 1998). The CCC composite scores could range from 86 to 162 with a score of 132 or below indicating the presence of PLI.
Range of SDQ raw subscale scores: 0–10; range of SDQ raw total scores: 0–40.
Of the 171 children included in the study, 81 were tested for the presence/absence of autistic symptomatology at age 14 using both the ADOS and the ADI-R.