Language Disorder

Children are diagnosed with a language disorder when they have ongoing difficulty with the meaning of words or sentences (semantics), with word order or grammar (syntax), or with the social rules of language and conversation (pragmatics).

A language disorder can be characterized by any of the following:

• Poor eye contact or attention to the speech of others by 4 months
• Absence of gestures at the age of 6 to 8 months
• Difficulty understanding the speech of others or following simple directions at the age of 12 months
• Absence of words or limited vocabulary at 16-18 months
• Absence of two-word combinations by 24-26 months
• Echoing words or phrases at age 3
• Use of incomplete sentences by age 3
• Inability to retell stories or talk about past events at age 3 to 4
• Difficulty with attention, memorization of facts, learning, or reading at age 6 to 7.