Exploring gender as a potential source of bias in adult judgments of children with specific language impairment and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Alison Shimko, Sean Redmond, Amy Ludlow and 1 others
PMID 31147086WHAT IT FOUND
Adults reading transcripts of children with language or attention disorders rated them as less capable, well-behaved, and socially skilled than typical peers.
Contrary to expectations, female raters were not kinder than male raters, and boys were judged more negatively on behavior than girls.
Key findings
01Narratives from children with SLI and ADHD were rated significantly lower across narrative, academic, behavioral, social, and family attributes compared to typical peers.
02There was no significant difference in how harshly male and female adults rated the children.
03Children presented as male were rated more negatively on behavioral attributes than those presented as female.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was primarily white, non-Hispanic, and highly educated, which may not reflect broader societal biases. The study used written transcripts rather than real-time interactions, which removes vocal cues like tone and rate that might influence judgments in real life. The questionnaire did not allow participants to select 'uncertain,' forcing them to make a judgment even if they were unsure. The gender manipulation relied on names and toy preferences, which are stereotypes that may have influenced the behavioral ratings.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Participants were compensated with a $100 gift card drawing.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that training or professional experience protects you from these biases. Previous research cited in this paper shows that speech-language pathologists are as likely as laypeople to make negative judgments based on brief language samples. The study also found that boys were judged more harshly on behavior than girls for the same speech errors, so be aware that gender stereotypes may color your interpretation of a child's conduct.