TOS en innerlijke taal: stand van de wetenschap en implicaties voor de praktijk

The term inner speech refers to internalised self-directed speech or ‘thinking in words’. Inner speech is assumed to play a role in behaviour regulation, specifically in complex task performance. It has been proposed that the oral language problems of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) also affect their inner speech. Presumed deficits in inner speech may in turn affect behaviour regulation. In this article, we discuss several studies on inner speech. We describe ways in which inner speech is measured and outcomes of studies of children with and without DLD. There is insufficient evidence that training of inner speech is beneficial in the treatment of children with DLD.