HealthInfo Canterbury
Overview of speech and language delay or disorder
All children develop differently, and there can be quite a variation in how old they are when they reach different speech and language milestones. But they do generally follow a predictable pattern.
A child with a speech and language delay reaches speech and language milestones more slowly than most children.
A child with a speech and language disorder doesn't follow the usual course of speech and language development in one or more areas.
Around 10 to 15% of New Zealand children may have some difficulties learning to talk. These can sometimes be part of a more general development delay.
Children with speech and language delay or disorder may have one or more of the following problems:
- difficulty following instructions
- unclear speech
- difficulty being understood, which can cause frustration
- immature vocabulary and difficulty thinking of words
- immature grammar and difficulty putting sentences together
- frustration about not being able to communicate
- challenging behaviour
- immature or atypical social interaction skills
- difficulty understanding non-verbal communication
- social isolation.
On the next page: Diagnosing a speech & language delay or disorder
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed December 2020.
Image courtesy of Jomphong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Review key: HISCD-79694
