What Is Language Processing Disorder?

What is language processing disorder?

Language processing disorder is an informal name for persistent difficulty understanding or using spoken language: following what is said, finding words, building sentences and making sense of conversation. It describes a problem rather than naming a diagnosis; the diagnostic manuals call the condition language disorder (DSM-5) and developmental language disorder (ICD-11).⁠^2,6

The term is used in two different ways, which is why it confuses families. ASHA, the US professional body for speech-language pathologists and audiologists, lists “language processing disorder” among the names used for central auditory processing disorder, a problem in how the brain’s hearing pathways handle sound.⁠⁴ Others use it for a language disorder. In an ASHA article for families, audiologist Teri James Bellis writes that the terms language processing and auditory processing are sometimes used interchangeably but “are not the same thing at all.”⁠⁵

What is receptive language disorder?

A receptive language disorder is difficulty understanding language: understanding questions, following directions and learning new words. After a speech and language assessment, ASHA lists three possible diagnoses: receptive language disorder only, expressive language disorder only, or a mixed expressive-receptive disorder.⁠³ When both understanding and expression are severely affected, the difficulty is more likely to persist.⁠¹²

What is expressive language disorder?

An expressive language disorder is difficulty putting thoughts into words: short or ungrammatical sentences, trouble finding the right word, and disorganized stories or writing. A child can have expressive difficulty with good understanding, or both together.⁠^1,3

Why do clinicians call it developmental language disorder (DLD)?

Because an international panel agreed on the name. In the CATALISE consensus study, a panel of 57 people from a range of professions and countries proposed “language disorder” for children likely to have language problems “enduring into middle childhood and beyond, with a significant impact on everyday social interactions or educational progress”, and developmental language disorder when no known biomedical condition explains it. The name is consistent with ICD-11, the World Health Organization’s classification.⁠⁶

Three points from that consensus matter to parents: a child does not need a gap between verbal and nonverbal ability to be diagnosed, DLD can occur alongside ADHD and other conditions, and the presence of risk factors does not rule it out.⁠⁶ DSM-5 made the same change, removing the old requirement for nonverbal IQ in the normal range from its criteria for language disorder.⁠²

Older names you may still see in reports are specific language impairment (SLI), language delay and developmental dysphasia.⁠¹ When a language disorder is part of another condition, such as autism, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, brain injury or hearing loss, it is called a language disorder associated with that condition.⁠^3,6

Full guideDevelopmental language disorder

Language processing disorder vs auditory processing disorder: what is the difference?

A language disorder is a problem with language itself; auditory processing disorder (APD) is a problem in how the central hearing pathways handle sound, in a person whose ears are not the cause.⁠^3,4

The two can occur together, and they overlap enough that ASHA advises referring a child for any suspected speech, language or cognitive difficulty, preferably before auditory processing testing, because those conditions can explain the same listening problems and affect how the results are read.⁠⁴

APD is also the more contested diagnosis. ASHA notes that there is no reference standard for diagnosing it.⁠⁴ In one US hospital audiology service that assessed 1,113 children, other learning problems were nearly universal among them, and audiologists created a “Weakness” category for children who clearly struggled but did not meet the formal criteria.⁠¹³

Full guideAuditory processing disorder

What are the signs of language processing disorder?

The signs depend on age and on whether understanding, expression or both are affected, and they are easy to mistake for behavior: a child who does not follow an instruction may not have understood it.⁠¹

• Language processing disorder signs in toddlers (1 to 3 years)

  Late first words and late word combinations come first. By 18 months most children try to say three or more words besides mama or dada and follow one-step directions without gestures, and by 2 most put two words together, like “more milk.”⁠^14,15 Many late talkers catch up; those with poor understanding, little use of gesture or a family history of language problems are most at risk of lasting difficulty.⁠¹²

• Signs in preschoolers (3 to 5 years)

  Between 3 and 4, speaking in two-word phrases at most, not understanding simple instructions, or speech close family cannot follow are signs to have checked; between 4 and 5, sentences of three words at most or poor understanding of spoken language.⁠¹² By 3, most children hold a conversation of at least two back-and-forth turns and ask who, what, where or why questions.⁠¹⁶

• Signs in school-age children

  Frequent grammar errors, slow vocabulary growth, pauses and fillers like “um” while searching for a word, trouble understanding questions and following directions, and stories that are hard to follow; reading comprehension and writing often suffer as schoolwork gets more language-heavy.⁠^1,3

• Signs in teenagers

  Limited use of complex sentences, trouble with figurative language and slang, disorganized writing, difficulty keeping up with fast-paced talk among friends, and sometimes avoiding peers altogether.⁠^1,3

• Signs in adults

  Difficulty finding the right words, limited use of complex sentences, trouble with figurative language, reading problems, and disorganized or error-filled writing. Many adults develop strategies for managing these, which can hide the difficulty.⁠¹

• Signs it may be auditory processing instead

  Difficulty mainly in noisy or echoing rooms or with rapid speech, frequent requests for repetition, trouble telling similar speech sounds apart, and much better performance in lessons that do not rely on listening.⁠^4,5

When should you talk to your child’s doctor about language processing?

As soon as you are concerned. If your child is not meeting the language milestones for their age, has lost skills, or you have other worries, the CDC’s advice is to act early: talk with your child’s doctor and ask about developmental screening. For a child under 3, you can also call your state’s early intervention program.⁠¹⁵

What causes language processing disorder?

No single cause is known. DLD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, the result of complex interactions between genes and the environment that change how the brain develops, and it runs in families: 50 to 70 percent of children with DLD have at least one family member with it.⁠¹

The risk factors most often documented are a family history of language disorder or dyslexia, being male, being a younger sibling in a large family, and fewer years of parental education; problems in pregnancy or at birth do not seem to be an important risk factor. A risk factor is a statistical link whose causal role is unclear, and none of them rules DLD in or out.⁠⁶

Learning more than one language does not cause it. A multilingual child with DLD has difficulty in all of their languages, and learning several languages is not harmful for a child with DLD.⁠^1,3

Auditory processing disorder has its own list of possible causes, including recurrent ear infections, prematurity and genetic factors, and sometimes no cause is found.⁠⁴

How common is language processing disorder?

Common, and often missed. In the first UK population study of language disorder at school entry, which screened 7,267 children aged 4 to 5 in Surrey, England, 7.58% had a language disorder of unknown origin, the profile now called DLD, and 9.92% had a language disorder of any kind: about two children in every class of 30.⁠²

The best-known US figure is close: 7.4% of kindergarten children in a 1997 study in the upper Midwest (8% of boys, 6% of girls), and the parents of only 29% of the children identified had been told their child had a speech or language problem.⁠¹⁷ The NIDCD puts DLD at about 1 in 14 kindergartners.⁠¹

Identification still lags. A 2020 review found that the share of children deemed eligible for clinical services because of DLD “continues to fall well short” of what its prevalence predicts.⁠¹⁸

Estimates for auditory processing disorder vary far more, from 0.2% to 6.2% of school-age children, and in one study between 7.3% and 96% of referred children met the criteria, depending on the testing protocol used.⁠⁴

How is language processing disorder diagnosed?

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) diagnoses a language disorder. The evaluation usually combines direct observation of the child, interviews and questionnaires for parents and teachers, an assessment of the child’s learning ability, and standardized tests that compare language skills with those of same-age peers.⁠¹

1. Case history. Birth, medical and developmental history, any family history of speech, language or reading difficulty, the languages your child uses, and teachers’ concerns.⁠³
2. A hearing check. A hearing screening, usually with a look in the ears, a listening test and a test of middle-ear function, to rule out hearing loss as a cause.⁠³
3. Language testing. Understanding and use of vocabulary, grammar, conversation and storytelling, with formal tests and informal measures.⁠³
4. Reading and writing. A literacy assessment, because of the well-established link between spoken and written language.⁠³
5. The result. A diagnosis such as receptive, expressive or mixed language disorder, or a finding of a language difference rather than a disorder, with recommendations and any referrals.⁠³

When is an auditory processing evaluation needed?

An audiologist tests auditory processing when listening problems are not explained by hearing loss or by a language, attention or learning difficulty. The tests take place in a sound-treated room, and most require a child to be at least 7 or 8 years old.⁠^4,5

Can a bilingual child be tested for a language disorder?

Yes. ASHA notes that few US standardized tests are built for children who use other languages or dialects, so SLPs consider every language the child uses and may use dynamic assessment (test, teach, retest) to tell a language difference from a disorder.⁠³

Does an IQ score affect the diagnosis?

It should not. ASHA advises against cognitive referencing, offering services only when language lags behind IQ, and notes that children whose language and cognitive scores are both low can still make gains with language intervention.⁠³

Next stepFind a speech-language pathologistWhat speech therapy involves

What is the treatment for language processing disorder?

Speech-language therapy is the main treatment, provided or overseen by a licensed SLP at home, at school, in a university program, a private clinic or a hospital outpatient setting. Its goals change with age: grammar, vocabulary and social communication for young children; following directions, classroom vocabulary and organizing information at school; and technical vocabulary or workplace writing for adults.⁠¹

For teenagers, therapy shifts toward ways to compensate, such as using context to work out meaning, checklists and graphic organizers for assignments, and direct teaching of the academic words used across subjects.⁠³

Does speech therapy help language processing disorder?

It helps some skills more than others. A 2004 meta-analysis that pooled 13 trials found therapy might be effective for speech-sound and expressive vocabulary difficulties, mixed evidence for expressive grammar, and little evidence about receptive language; therapy longer than 8 weeks was linked with better outcomes, and trained parents did as well as clinicians.⁠⁷

A 2021 systematic review of 27 studies in children up to age 8 found a similar picture: grammar intervention improved expression but not understanding, and there was no evidence on receptive vocabulary.⁠⁸ For children aged 18 months to 5 years, coaching parents works: in a meta-analysis of 18 studies, parent-implemented interventions had a significant, positive effect on both receptive and expressive language.⁠¹⁹

Do brain-training programs like Fast ForWord work?

The evidence says no for language and reading. Fast ForWord rests on the idea that language problems come from slow processing of sound; a meta-analysis of six controlled studies found no significant effect on any outcome compared with other treatment or no treatment.⁠⁹

How is auditory processing disorder treated?

With three approaches, often used together: changing the listening environment, including FM or DM listening systems and classroom audio systems; compensatory strategies that strengthen language, memory and attention; and direct auditory training. ASHA describes early evidence for computer-based auditory training as supportive but says more research is needed.⁠^4,5

Is language processing disorder a learning disability?

Not exactly, but it often leads to one, and it can qualify a child for help at school. The NIDCD says DLD is not the same thing as a learning disability but is a risk factor for one, because weak language skills affect reading, writing and even math word problems.⁠¹

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a child can qualify under “speech or language impairment”, a communication disorder, including a language impairment, “that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”⁠¹⁰ Younger children may qualify under developmental delay and older children often under specific learning disability, which IDEA defines as a disorder in the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language.⁠^3,10

A child with a speech or language impairment who does not qualify for special education may be eligible for a Section 504 plan.⁠³ Either a parent or the school can request the first special education evaluation.⁠²⁰

What school accommodations help with language processing problems?

ASHA’s guidance for listening and language difficulties includes these supports:⁠^3,4

• Instructions given more slowly, with pauses, key words emphasized and steps broken into chunks.⁠⁴
• A teacher who checks that the student has understood, then repeats or rephrases.⁠⁴
• Spoken instructions paired with visuals or written versions, and notes or a preview of new material before the lesson.⁠⁴
• Seating chosen strategically, and noise sources moved out of the room where possible.⁠⁴
• Direct teaching of the words each subject depends on, such as summarize or molecule.⁠³
• Checklists and graphic organizers for planning writing and assignments.⁠³

RelatedSpeech therapy for school-age childrenLearning differences

How can parents help a child with language processing disorder at home?

Parents make a measurable difference, especially in the early years: interventions delivered by trained parents worked about as well as those delivered by clinicians in one meta-analysis and improved both understanding and expression in another.⁠^7,19

• Say less, then pause

  Use short sentences, slow down, pause between steps and stress the key words, and give one instruction at a time; then check it was understood, and repeat or rephrase.⁠⁴

• Show as well as tell

  Pair spoken instructions with a gesture, a picture, a written list or a demonstration, so the meaning does not rest on listening alone.⁠⁴

• Practice what therapy teaches

  Ask your child’s SLP to show you the techniques they use and practice them in everyday talk; language techniques delivered by trained parents improved both understanding and expression in a meta-analysis of 18 studies.⁠¹⁹

• Turn down the background

  Talk face to face, with the TV off when something matters; competing talk, background noise and echo make speech harder to follow for children with listening difficulties.⁠⁴

• Keep your family’s languages

  Learning more than one language does not cause DLD, and learning several languages is not harmful for a child who has it.⁠¹

• Explain it to the adults around your child

  A child who struggles with language can look shy, or seem to be misbehaving when they did not understand an instruction, so tell relatives, coaches and teachers what helps.⁠¹

Can adults have language processing disorder?

Yes. DLD starts in childhood and usually continues, changing shape with age: a young adult may avoid complex sentences and find clear, well-organized writing hard.⁠¹

Outcomes vary widely. In a UK study of 84 young adults with a history of DLD (average age 24), they had lower academic and vocational qualifications than 88 peers, yet employment rates did not differ significantly, pay for the type of job was broadly comparable, and some did well in education and work.⁠²¹

Severe receptive difficulty carries the hardest outlook: 17 men followed into their mid-thirties after a severe receptive DLD in childhood still had a severe language disorder and literacy problems, with more unemployment and fewer close relationships than their siblings.⁠²²

Adults can be evaluated by an SLP at any age, and therapy still helps: the NIDCD notes that adults starting new jobs, training or college may need help with technical vocabulary or workplace writing, and many adults develop strategies for managing DLD.⁠¹

RelatedSpeech therapy for adultsAphasia

What conditions occur with language processing disorder?

Language disorders rarely come alone, and one child can collect different labels from different professionals: the CATALISE panel gives the example of a child seen as having DLD by a speech-language therapist, dyslexia by a teacher, auditory processing disorder by an audiologist and ADHD by a pediatrician.⁠⁶

• Language processing disorder and ADHD

  The co-occurrence of ADHD and DLD in US children is estimated at 22.35%.⁠³ In an Australian study of 6- to 8-year-olds, children with ADHD had nearly three times the odds of language problems (odds ratio 2.8), and those who had both did markedly worse in reading and math.⁠²⁴

• Language processing disorder and dyslexia

  In one study cited by ASHA, 54% of children with DLD also had dyslexia and 71% of children with dyslexia had DLD.⁠³ Children with dyslexia, with or without DLD, often have language weaknesses beyond sounds and letters.⁠²⁵

• Language processing disorder and autism

  In US samples of 8-year-old autistic children, 23.6% to 63.4% had a language disorder; when it is part of autism it is called a language disorder associated with autism rather than DLD.⁠³

• Anxiety, depression and behavior

  Teenagers with a history of language impairment had a marked higher rate of anxiety and depression symptoms than peers in a study of 139 such teens and 124 peers.⁠²⁶ Among children aged 5 to 13 identified with emotional and behavioral disorders, 81% had a language disorder.⁠³

RelatedADHDDyslexiaAutism

Related on DrSensory

Guides to the conditions, therapy and next steps this page touches.

• Developmental language disorder

  The full guide to DLD: signs, diagnosis and support at school.

• Auditory processing disorder

  Hearing tests first, how APD is assessed, and what helps.

• Speech delay in toddlers

  Milestones, late talkers, and when to act rather than wait.

• Speech and language development

  Milestones by age and when to ask for an evaluation.

• Speech therapy

  What speech therapy treats, what an evaluation involves, and finding an SLP.

• Speech therapy for ages 6 to 12

  What sessions involve and how to request a school evaluation.

• Dyslexia

  Signs, diagnosis, and structured literacy.

• Speech therapy for adults

  What adult speech therapy treats and how to find an SLP.

• Find a speech-language pathologist

  Search the DrSensory directory by state and city.

Sources

1. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health. Developmental language disorder. Checked October 22, 2026.
   Show the passageHide the passage

   DLD affects “approximately 1 in 14 children in kindergarten”; its difficulties “are not explained by other conditions, such as hearing loss or autism”; “50 to 70 percent of children with DLD have at least one family member with the disorder”; “Learning more than one language at a time does not cause DLD.” “DLD is not the same thing as a learning disability. Instead, DLD is a risk factor for learning disabilities.” “Many adults develop strategies for managing DLD symptoms.”
2. Norbury CF, Gooch D, Wray C, Baird G, Charman T, Simonoff E, Vamvakas G, Pickles A. The impact of nonverbal ability on prevalence and clinical presentation of language disorder: evidence from a population study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2016;57(11):1247–1257. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12573 (PMID 27184709). Checked October 22, 2026.
   Show the passageHide the passage

   Of 12,398 children aged 4 to 5 in Surrey, England, 7,267 were screened. “The prevalence of language disorder of unknown origin was estimated to be 7.58%”; the total was 9.92%; “approximately two children in every class of 30 pupils will experience language disorder severe enough to hinder academic progress.”
3. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Spoken language disorders (Practice Portal). Checked October 22, 2026.
   Show the passageHide the passage

   Assessment may result in “the diagnosis of a spoken language disorder (receptive language disorder only, expressive language disorder only, or expressive–receptive mixed)”. “The rate of co-occurrence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and DLD is estimated to be 22.35%”; “54% of children with DLD also had dyslexia. At the same time, 71% of children with dyslexia had DLD.” Children who meet IDEA criteria are served under “speech or language impairment”; “Younger children may qualify under the category ‘developmental delay,’ whereas older children often qualify under ‘specific learning disability.’” Children “typically do not catch up to their peers”; “Multilingualism is not a cause of speech or language disorders.”
4. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Central auditory processing disorder (Practice Portal). Checked October 22, 2026.
   Show the passageHide the passage

   Names in use for the disorder include “‘auditory processing disorder,’ ‘(central) auditory processing disorder,’ ‘language processing disorder,’ and ‘auditory information processing disorder.’” CAPD “is not due to peripheral hearing loss”; “there is currently no reference standard for diagnosing CAPD”; “SLPs are responsible for evaluating and diagnosing problems in the linguistic processing of the auditory signal.” Prevalence in school-age children ranges “from 0.2% (Nagao et al., 2016) to 2.5% (Schow et al., 2020) to 6.2% (Esplin & Wright, 2014)”, and “7.3%–96% of school-age children who had been referred” met diagnostic criteria depending on the protocol. Supports include “requesting the presenter to speak more slowly, pause more often, emphasize key words, and ‘chunk’ instructions” and “pairing verbal presentations or instructions with visuals”.
5. Bellis TJ. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Understanding auditory processing disorders in children. Checked October 22, 2026.
   Show the passageHide the passage

   “Although the terms language processing and auditory processing sometimes are used interchangeably, it is critical to understand that they are not the same thing at all.” “The diagnosis of APD can only be made by an audiologist.” “Most of the tests of APD require that a child be at least 7 or 8 years of age.”
6. Bishop DVM, Snowling MJ, Thompson PA, Greenhalgh T; CATALISE-2 consortium. Phase 2 of CATALISE: a multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study of problems with language development: terminology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2017;58(10):1068–1080. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12721 (PMID 28369935). Checked October 22, 2026.
   Show the passageHide the passage

   A panel of “57 individuals representing a range of professions and nationalities” proposed “language disorder” for children “likely to have language problems enduring into middle childhood and beyond, with a significant impact on everyday social interactions or educational progress”, and DLD where no known biomedical cause explains it; “DLD does not require a mismatch between verbal and nonverbal ability”. Risk factors “include a family history of language disorders or dyslexia, being male, being a younger sibling in a large family and fewer years of parental education”.
7. Law J, Garrett Z, Nye C. The efficacy of treatment for children with developmental speech and language delay/disorder: a meta-analysis. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 2004;47(4):924–943. doi:10.1044/1092-4388(2004/069) (PMID 15324296). Checked October 22, 2026.
   Show the passageHide the passage

   Of 25 usable articles, 13 were combined. “Speech and language therapy might be effective for children with phonological or expressive vocabulary difficulties. There was mixed evidence concerning the effectiveness of intervention for children with expressive syntax difficulties and little evidence available considering the effectiveness of intervention for children with receptive language difficulties.” “No significant differences were found between interventions administered by trained parents and those administered by clinicians.” Longer therapy, “(>8 weeks)”, was a potential factor in good outcomes.
8. Rinaldi S, Caselli MC, Cofelice V, D’Amico S, De Cagno AG, Della Corte G, et al. Efficacy of the treatment of developmental language disorder: a systematic review. Brain Sciences. 2021;11(3):407. doi:10.3390/brainsci11030407 (PMID 33806938). Checked October 22, 2026.
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   “We identified 27 full-length studies, 26 RCT and one review.” “Less evidence is available on the treatment of expressive vocabulary (and no evidence on receptive vocabulary). Intervention on morphological and syntactic skills has effective results on expressive (but not receptive) skills.”
9. Strong GK, Torgerson CJ, Torgerson D, Hulme C. A systematic meta-analytic review of evidence for the effectiveness of the ‘Fast ForWord’ language intervention program. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2011;52(3):224–235. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02329.x (PMID 20950285). Checked October 22, 2026.
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   Six papers met the criteria; “there was no significant effect of Fast ForWord on any outcome measure in comparison to active or untreated control groups.”
10. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act regulations, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 34 CFR § 300.8 Child with a disability. Checked October 22, 2026.
    Show the passageHide the passage

    “Speech or language impairment means a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” “Specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written.”
11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Signs and symptoms of stroke. “Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech.” “Call 9-1-1 right away if you or someone else has any of these symptoms.” Checked October 22, 2026.
12. Bishop DVM, Snowling MJ, Thompson PA, Greenhalgh T; CATALISE consortium. CATALISE: a multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study. Identifying language impairments in children. PLOS ONE. 2016;11(7):e0158753. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158753 (PMID 27392128). Checked October 22, 2026.
    Show the passageHide the passage

    Between 2 and 3 years, signs of atypical development include “(c) No words; (d) Minimal reaction to spoken language; (e) Regression or stalling of language development”; between 3 and 4, “(a) At most two-word utterances; (b) Child does not understand simple commands”. “Children at greatest risk of persisting problems are late-talkers with poor language comprehension, poor use of gesture, and/or a family history of language impairment.”
13. Moore DR, Sieswerda SL, Grainger MM, Bowling A, Smith N, Perdew A, et al. Referral and diagnosis of developmental auditory processing disorder in a large, United States hospital-based audiology service. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. 2018;29(5):364–377. doi:10.3766/jaaa.16130 (PMID 29708487). Checked October 22, 2026.
    Show the passageHide the passage

    Records of “1,113 children aged 5-19 yr”; audiologists “developed the diagnostic category ‘Weakness’” for children “who clearly had problems, but who did not fulfill the AAA/ASHA criteria”; co-occurrence with other learning problems “was nearly universal”.
14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Learn the Signs. Act Early. Milestones by 18 months. Language milestones: “Tries to say three or more words besides ‘mama’ or ‘dada’” and “Follows one-step directions without any gestures”. Checked October 22, 2026.
15. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Learn the Signs. Act Early. Milestones by 2 years. Checked October 22, 2026.
    Show the passageHide the passage

    “Says at least two words together, like ‘More milk.’” “If your child is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills he or she once had, or you have other concerns, act early. Talk with your child’s doctor, share your concerns, and ask about developmental screening.” “Call your state or territory’s early intervention program to find out if your child can get services to help.”
16. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Learn the Signs. Act Early. Milestones by 3 years. “Talks with you in conversation using at least two back-and-forth exchanges”; “Asks ‘who,’ ‘what,’ ‘where,’ or ‘why’ questions”. Checked October 22, 2026.
17. Tomblin JB, Records NL, Buckwalter P, Zhang X, Smith E, O’Brien M. Prevalence of specific language impairment in kindergarten children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 1997;40(6):1245–1260. doi:10.1044/jslhr.4006.1245 (PMID 9430746). Checked October 22, 2026.
    Show the passageHide the passage

    “Results provided an estimated overall prevalence rate of 7.4%. The prevalence estimate for boys was 8% and for girls 6%.” “The parents of 29% of the children identified as SLI reported they had previously been informed that their child had a speech or language problem.”
18. McGregor KK. How we fail children with developmental language disorder. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 2020;51(4):981–992. doi:10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00003 (PMID 32755505). “The percentage of children who are deemed eligible for clinical services because of DLD continues to fall well short of estimates based on the prevalence of DLD in community samples.” Checked October 22, 2026.
19. Roberts MY, Kaiser AP. The effectiveness of parent-implemented language interventions: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 2011;20(3):180–199. doi:10.1044/1058-0360(2011/10-0055) (PMID 21478280). Children “between 18 and 60 months”, “18 studies”: parent-implemented interventions “have a significant, positive impact on receptive and expressive language skills of children with and without intellectual disabilities.” Checked October 22, 2026.
20. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act regulations, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 34 CFR § 300.301 Initial evaluations. “Either a parent of a child or a public agency may initiate a request for an initial evaluation to determine if the child is a child with a disability.” Checked October 22, 2026.
21. Conti-Ramsden G, Durkin K, Toseeb U, Botting N, Pickles A. Education and employment outcomes of young adults with a history of developmental language disorder. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 2018;53(2):237–255. doi:10.1111/1460-6984.12338 (PMID 29139196). Checked October 22, 2026.
    Show the passageHide the passage

    84 young adults with DLD and 88 peers, average age 24: “Those with DLD obtained lower academic and vocational qualifications.” “There was no significant difference between groups in the proportion of young people currently employed”; pay by type of occupation was “broadly comparable”.
22. Clegg J, Hollis C, Mawhood L, Rutter M. Developmental language disorders: a follow-up in later adult life. Cognitive, language and psychosocial outcomes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2005;46(2):128–149. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00342.x (PMID 15679523). Checked October 22, 2026.
    Show the passageHide the passage

    “Seventeen men with a severe receptive DLD in childhood”, studied in their mid-thirties, had “a severe and persisting language disorder, severe literacy impairments” and “significantly worse social adaptation (with prolonged unemployment and a paucity of close friendships and love relationships)”.
23. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health. Aphasia. “Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage (usually from a stroke or traumatic brain injury) to areas of the brain that are responsible for language.” Checked October 22, 2026.
24. Sciberras E, Mueller KL, Efron D, Bisset M, Anderson V, Schilpzand EJ, et al. Language problems in children with ADHD: a community-based study. Pediatrics. 2014;133(5):793–800. doi:10.1542/peds.2013-3355 (PMID 24753530). Checked October 22, 2026.
    Show the passageHide the passage

    Children aged 6 to 8 (179 with ADHD, 212 controls): “Children with ADHD had a higher prevalence of language problems than controls after adjustment for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities” (odds ratio 2.8), and language problems “contributed to markedly poorer academic functioning.”
25. Adlof SM, Hogan TP. Understanding dyslexia in the context of developmental language disorders. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 2018;49(4):762–773. doi:10.1044/2018_LSHSS-DYSLC-18-0049 (PMID 30458538). Children with dyslexia, with and without DLD, “often have language deficits outside the phonological domain”. Checked October 22, 2026.
26. Conti-Ramsden G, Botting N. Emotional health in adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2008;49(5):516–525. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01858.x (PMID 18221347). 139 adolescents with a history of SLI and 124 peers: “There is a marked higher rate of anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescents with SLI.” Checked October 22, 2026.

Medical disclaimer. This page is for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider about your child. If you are worried about immediate safety, call or text 988 (US). If your child has lost skills they previously had, contact their doctor promptly.