Nation, K., et al. (2005). Developmental Language Disorders, Psychiatry, 4(9), 114-117

By the time most children start school, the basic 'building blocks' of language are in place and they are able to use it to communicate appropriately with others in a variety of social settings. Considering the complexities of language, it is remarkable that most children master it with such ease.

Some children, however, find language learning less straight- forward. Concern over language development is one of the most common reasons for referral to health professionals during the pre-school years, and language delay is associated with many developmental disorders, such as autism and Down syndrome. In addition, there are some children who fail to acquire language normally, despite having normal intelligence and reaching other developmental milestones on time.

According to DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria, the diagnosis 'developmental language disorder' or 'specific language impairment' (SLI; previously known as developmental dysphasia) is applied when speech and language skills fall below non-verbal intelligence for no obvious reason (sensory impairment, gross neurological abnormality and pervasive developmental disorder are exclusionary criteria). SLI is relatively common, with an incidence estimated at between 3% and 10% of the population.

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