Language Delay

The term language delay is commonly used to identify a child who is acquiring language, but at a slower rate than typically developing peers, so failing to meet normative standards. The delay may be in the domains of receptive language (comprehension), expressive language (production), or both. It has typically been used to refer to children in early childhood, before they reach school age, which is when a child with language difficulties may be diagnosed with a developmental language disorder. Low expressive vocabulary has often been used as the indicator for a delay in language acquisition in toddlerhood. Language delay has been reported as affecting up to 20% of 2- to 4-year-olds, though prevalence rates vary depending on measures, child age, and cut points used. This ...