title: Illusory recovery: are recovered children with early language delay at continuing elevated risk?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the later development of language and literacy of children who had delayed language at age 2 but were in the normal range at age 4.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal data were analyzed from 3,598 pairs of twins participating in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). Six hundred thirty-three twins (8.8%) were delayed at age 2 based on parent-reported expressive vocabulary, and of these, 373 (59.0%) were classified as recovered based on 4-year measures. Each recovered 4-year-old was matched on vocabulary, gender, and zygosity to another 4-year-old without a history of early delay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the recovered group was below the mean for the total TEDS sample on measures of language at ages 7 and 12, there were no significant differences between the recovered and matched groups. Within the recovered group, it was not possible to predict outcome at better than a chance level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children who appear to have recovered by age 4 from early delay are at modest risk for continuing difficulties, but this appears to be no higher than the risk for other 4-year-olds with equivalent scores, reflecting the continuing variability in longitudinal outcome after age 4. All children in the low normal range at age 4 merit continuing monitoring.
authors.forename: Philip S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: McMillan
authors.forename: Marianna E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hayiou-Thomas
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Plomin
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D007807:Language Tests; D007808:Language Therapy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011932:Reading; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014825:Vocabulary