This PhD. thesis studies the relationships between oral language development and externalizing behavior disorders (EBD) among preschoolers. This report seeks to provide a theoretical overview of the literature on the relationship between language and EBD among preschoolers. Subsequently, this thesis studied the language profiles of children, aged three to eight, who were presenting with EBD. This thesis analyzed behavioral characteristics of aforementioned language profiles, as well as the evolution of these associations over a two-year period. Further examinations then sought to identify the influence of tertiary variables on the relationship between language and behavior. The results revealed the existence of three distinct language profiles within the sample group of children presenting with EBD. Moreover, the results partially highlighted the influence of language difficulties on EBD. Finally, these data suggest that the relationships between language and EBD must be studied considering other variables, namely executive functions and attachment.
Van Schendel, C. (2014). Rôle des fonctions langagières dans le diagnostic et l’évolution des comportements externalisés chez le jeune enfant. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/53652