Practitioner review: early developmental language delay: what, if anything, should the clinician do about it?
Early developmental language delay is characterized by slow development of language in preschoolers. The condition is frequent among two- and three-year-olds, causes concern among parents, and generates differences of opinion as to significance among informed professionals. Poorer long-term outcomes are much more likely if language delay persists until the later preschool years, and if the delay is not specific to language and/or includes problems in understanding. Specific language delay in the preschool period is better characterized as a risk factor than a disorder; most children with specific language delay recover to the normal range by five years of age.
Whitehurst
G J
GJ
Department of Psychology, SUNY, Stony Brook 11794-2500.
Fischel
J E
JE
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