PURPOSE The aim of this study was to situate developmental language disorder (DLD) within the impairment and disability framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF); describe the functional strengths and weaknesses of a cohort of first-grade children with DLD and their peers; and explore the ways that language-related disabilities relate to language impairment, developmental risk, and receipt of language services. METHOD We queried the caregivers of 35 children with DLD and 44 peers with typical language development about their children's language-related functions, developmental risks, and language services using mixed quantitative and qualitative methods. RESULTS The children with DLD presented with weaknesses in domains that are highly dependent upon language skill, including communication, community function, interpersonal relationships, and academics. They presented with strengths in domestic and personal aspects of daily living, play and coping aspects of socialization, and gross motor function. Caregivers of children with DLD expressed pride in their children's agentive and prosocial qualities. Consistent with the ICF, what distinguished children with DLD who had functional weaknesses and disabilities from those who had healthy function was not the severity of language impairment as measured by decontextualized tests of language skill, but the presence of cumulative developmental risks. Compared to those with healthy function, a larger portion of children with weaknesses and disabilities were receiving language services; however, two girls who had disabilities despite mild levels of impairment were without services. CONCLUSIONS Children with DLD present with predictable strengths and weaknesses in everyday language-related functioning. For some children, the weaknesses are mild, but for others, they limit function to a greater extent and should be considered disabilities. The severity of language impairment is not a strong indicator of language-related function and, therefore, is not a good metric for determining service qualification.

中文翻译：

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患有发育性语言障碍的儿童的能力和残疾。

目的 本研究的目的是将发育性语言障碍 (DLD) 置于国际功能、残疾和健康分类 (ICF) 的损伤和残疾框架内；描述一群患有 DLD 的一年级儿童及其同龄人的功能优势和劣势；并探讨与语言相关的残疾与语言障碍、发育风险和接受语言服务的关系。方法我们采用定量和定性混合的方法，向 35 名 DLD 儿童和 44 名具有典型语言发展的同龄人的照顾者询问了他们孩子的语言相关功能、发展风险和语言服务。结果 患有 DLD 的儿童在高度依赖语言技能的领域表现出弱点，包括沟通、社区功能、人际关系和学术。他们在日常生活的家庭和个人方面、社会化的游戏和应对方面以及粗大运动功能方面表现出优势。患有 DLD 的儿童的照顾者对孩子的主动性和亲社会品质表示自豪。与 ICF 一致，功能缺陷和残疾的 DLD 儿童与功能健康的儿童的区别不是通过语言技能脱离情境测试测量的语言障碍的严重程度，而是累积发展风险的存在。与功能健康的儿童相比，有较大比例的体弱和残疾儿童正在接受语言服务；然而，两名患有轻度残疾的女孩却得不到服务。结论 患有 DLD 的儿童在日常语言相关功能方面表现出可预测的优势和劣势。对于某些儿童来说，这些弱点是轻微的，但对于其他儿童来说，它们在更大程度上限制了功能，应被视为残疾。语言障碍的严重程度并不是语言相关功能的有力指标，因此不是确定服务资格的良好指标。