title: On the clinical relevance of early deficits in critical linguistic functions.
abstract: The clinical significance of patterns of deficits in semantic and phonological representations observed by Miniscalco et al. is discussed in light of an ecological approach to language development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Deficits in semantic representations reflect problems in capturing the core linguistic referential function and should be taken as serious early warning signals for language delay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. frasse@ling.su.se
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lacerda
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007806:Language Disorders; D008037:Linguistics; D012660:Semantics; D013067:Speech Perception