The impact of developmental language difficulties on employment in adulthood - A systematic review

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review was to assess the impact of developmental language difficulties on employment outcomes in adulthood, and to also assess any other emerging employment-related outcomes. Seven original publications meeting the inclusion criteria were identified in the search and further reviewed and compared. Variation in definitions and conceptualization of developmental language difficulties in scientific literature posed a challenge for a direct comparison of the research results. Some variation was found in the employment outcomes, but when assessed as a whole it seems that adults with developmental language difficulties have poorer employment outcomes than the average population. This review showed that adults with developmental language difficulties are also at greater risk of long-term unemployment. As a specific feature, it was found that this group is more likely to be employed in manual labour, non-professional occupations, or in occupations less demanding of language skills. It was also found that adults with developmental language difficulties might face more challenges during the employment search process than their average peers. Psychiatric and neurological comorbidity may also have negative effects on employment outcomes. All in all, to minimize unfavourable outcomes in adulthood, investments should be made in rehabilitation, educational and societal support for individuals with developmental language difficulties.