Relational Aggression, Victimization, and Language Development: Implications for Practice

This review explores the development of relational aggression and relational victimization among peers, with specific emphasis on clinical implications for speech-language pathologists. Developmental manifestations of relational aggression and victimization are reviewed from early childhood through emerging adulthood. The concurrent and prospective associations between relational aggression and language development are examined specifically. Best practices in the assessment and evaluation of relational aggression and victimization are introduced and the current empirically based interventions for relational aggression and victimization are highlighted. Finally, a developmental psychopathology framework is introduced to guide future clinical practice and scholarship in the study of children and adolescents with comorbid language and peer relationship problems. (Contains 3 tables.)