Search

Background: Previous research, although scarce, has indicated that the general public is still relatively unaware of developmental language disorder (DLD), one of the most common (neuro)developmental disorders. Raising awareness would increase timely involvement in intervention procedures. Aims: To examine public awareness of DLD in the neighbouring countries of Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, as well as to assess the influence of age, gender and education level on that awareness. Also, to investigate public knowledge about the professionals who recognize DLD and to compare the awareness of DLD with that of other (neuro)developmental disorders in childhood. Methods & Procedures: A convenience sample of adults living in the countries of the Adriatic region--Croatia (N = 92), Italy (N = 105) and Slovenia (N = 90)--were asked to fill out a paper-and-pencil questionnaire (public survey) developed within the Working Group 3 of the COST Action IS1406. Responses were analysed quantitatively as a function of age, gender, education level and country using the t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Outcomes & Results: Public awareness of DLD is still unsatisfactory in all three countries. Around 70% of respondents reported having heard of DLD; however, only around 20% of Croatian, 40% of Italian and 5% of Slovenian respondents provided an adequate definition of DLD. Differences in research and clinical traditions may explain the observed variations amongst the three countries. Education level was the only variable that was significantly associated with an awareness of DLD in Croatia and Italy: there, more educated people showed a higher awareness and more correct knowledge, which was not found in the Slovenian sample. Respondents generally perceived speech and language pathologists (SLPs) as the professionals responsible for recognizing DLD. Finally, people possess the highest awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), while the awareness of DLD and other (neuro)developmental disorders is equally low. Conclusions & Implications: Public awareness of DLD varies substantially among the three countries, but there is space for improvement in each of them. The findings of this study build on the existing data from the international group of collaborators, and argue for well-planned, systematic awareness-raising activities in the region.

The aim of this study was to explore spoken and sign language comprehension among Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) adults in Slovenia. A sample of 116 DHH participants from eleven Slovenian DHH associations completed a series of tasks that were used to measure their comprehension abilities related to spoken and sign language. The instructions were stratified into three groups according to the complexity of the language. Positive correlations were established between the comprehension ability of spoken and sign language. Slovenian DDH participants differed significantly with respect to the following predictors of spoken and sign language comprehension: age at onset of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss, and age of sign language exposure. The findings of this study provide a starting point for further research on the comprehension of spoken and sign language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]