Language delay is a failure to develop language abilities on the usual developmental timetable. Language delay is distinct from speech delay, in which the speech mechanism itself is the locus of delay. Thus, language delay refers specifically to a delay in the development of the underlying knowledge of language, rather than its implementation. A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... Speech delay refers to a delay in the development or use of the mechanisms that produce speech. ... One might be looking for the academic discipline of communications. ... Communicative competence is a linguistic term for the ability not only to apply the grammatical rules of a language to form correct utterances, but also to know when to use these utterances appropriately. ...

The difference between language and speech can be understood by considering the relationship between a computer program and an output device like a printer. The software running on the computer (a word processing program, for example) is designed to allow a user to create content that is stored in the computer. In order to actually create a physical copy of the file, the computer requires another device: a printer. The printer takes the file and transforms it into a series of commands which control the movement of a print head, thereby making marks on paper.

This two-stage process is something like the distinction between language (computer program) and speech (printer). When we want to communicate something, the first stage is to encode the message into a set of words and sentence structures that convey our meaning. These processes are collectively what we refer to as language. In the second stage, language is translated into motor commands that control the articulators, thereby creating speech. Speech refers to the actual process of making sounds, using such organs and structures as the lungs, vocal cords, mouth, tongue, teeth, etc.

Because language and speech are two independent stages, they may be individually delayed. For example, a child may be delayed in speech (i.e., unable to produce intelligible speech sounds), but not delayed in language. In this case, the child would be attempting to produce an age-appropriate amount of language, but that language would be difficult or impossible to understand. Conversely, a child with a language delay typically has not yet had the opportunity to produce speech sounds, it is therefore likely to have a delay in speech as well.

Language delay is commonly divided into receptive and expressive categories. Receptive language refers to the process of understanding what is said to us. Expressive language refers to the use of words and sentences to communicate what we think, need, and want. Receptive Language refers to the specific ability to understand spoken (or signed) language. ... Expressive Language describes the ability to produce language in any of a number of different modalities such as speech, sign or writing. ...

Language delay is a risk factor for other types of developmental delay, including social, emotional, and cognitive delay. One particularly common result of language delay is delayed or inadequate acquisition of reading skills. Reading depends upon an ability to code and decode script (i.e., match speech sounds with symbols, and visa versa). If a child is still struggling to master language and speech, it is very difficult to then learn another level of complexity (writing). Thus, it is crucial that children have facility with language in order to be successful readers. A risk factor is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection but risk factors are not necessarily causal. ... Reading is an activity: Reading is an activity performed by a human. ...

See also

• Apraxia
• Autism
• Bilingualism
• Cleft Palate
• Down Syndrome
• Linguistics
• Psycholinguistics
• Speech therapy
• Utterance
• Vocalization

Apraxia is a neurological disorder characterized by loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned (familiar) movements, despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform the movements. ... Autism is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests itself in marked problems with social relatedness, communication, interest, and behavior. ... The term bilingualism (from bi meaning two and lingua meaning language) can refer to rather different phenomena. ... Broadly conceived, linguistics is the scientific study of human language, and a linguist is someone who engages in this study. ... Psycholinguistics or linguistics of psychology is the study of the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, and understand language. ... R1 Speech therapy is the corrective or rehabilitative treatment of physical and/or cognitive deficits/disorders resulting in difficulty with verbal communication. ... An utterance is a complete unit of talk, bounded by silence. ... In animals, vocalization is a means of communication generated in many cases by their primitive versions of vocal chords. ...

External links

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): Different Issues in Speech and Language Development.

• Parent resource of Speech and Language Development

• Talking with Toddlers: An on-line resource and community to support parents of children with expressive language delay

• KidsHealth:Delay in Speech and Language

• Early Identification of Speech-Language Delays and Disorders

• The Listen Up Web-Language Development