[Language comprehension in late talkers].
BACKGROUND
Late talkers (LTs) show very different courses of language development. The aim of this study was to examine whether subgrouping LTs in terms of language comprehension could allow the identification of specific subtypes with different prognoses.


METHODS
Amongst other assessment strategies, standardized language (SETK-2, SETK 3-5), general nonverbal development (MFED, SON-R 2½-7) and hearing tests (TOAE) were used to examine 48 LTs at the ages of 25 and 37 months.


RESULTS
Deficits in language comprehension were recorded for 38 % of the LTs. LTs with and without impaired language comprehension differed only slightly in terms of their further language and nonverbal development, as well as in terms of anamnestic data. Comprehension of words but not of sentences proved to be a predictor of later speech impairments.


CONCLUSIONS
Classification of LTs based on the comprehension of single words, but not of sentences or general language comprehension, at the age of 25 months can define subgroups of children with different prognoses. However, this only leads to marginal improvements in the predicted development of LTs, since substantial impairment of word comprehension is rarely observed.
Institut für Psychologie, Pädagogische Hochschule Heidelberg, Keplerstr. 87, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland, sachse@ph-heidelberg.de.
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D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D013067:Speech Perception