Language Delays and Disorder

Language is the words used to share thoughts, needs and ideas.

Language delays are communication delays in which a child’s language skills are delayed compared to their same age or developmental age peers. Their language abilities are below those expected for their age and limit their ability to effectively communicate with others. Their language skills may develop later, slower and/or in a different order than regular language development.

Language delays are often classified as expressive (speaking), receptive (understanding) and mixed.

Language disorders are communication disorders in which a person has persistent difficulties in learning language and processing linguistic information that cannot be explained by other reasons (e.g. autism spectrum disorder, intellectual deficiency, etc.).

How can a Speech-Language Pathologist help?

Speech-Language Pathologists can help by:

• Assessing all areas of language (speaking, understanding, reading and writing) informally and formally using standardized testing
• Providing therapy (on an individual or group basis) to target the language goals to be improved
• Counseling families and providing parent-training programs to teach language stimulation strategies