General Discussion

Speech and language delay affects 5% to 8% of preschool children and often persists into the school years. As a child develops from newborn to infant to toddler, there is a significant change in how the child communicates. This development continues through adulthood, but this early period is considered very important, if not critical. Numerous different areas are involved with speech and language development, and problems occur in many different ways. To communicate with others, we need to be able to produce and receive speech and language. In addition, many layers of cognitive and social development need to be mastered. Speech (the production of sounds) and language (those rules which govern communication both verbal and nonverbal) develop very early. Some of the most complex and intricate aspects of communication are not learned, or detected, until later in development.

Speech refers to the mechanics of oral communication; language encompasses the understanding, processing, and production of communication. Speech problems may include stuttering or dysfluency, articulation disorders, or unusual voice quality. Language problems can involve difficulty with grammar, words or vocabulary, the rules and system for speech sound production, units of word meaning, and the use of language, particularly in social contexts. Speech and language problems can exist together or separately.

Parents who have concerns about their child’s development of speech and language should be taken very seriously. These concerns are usually expressed before 3 years of age. Many parents, especially those with multiple children, are able to detect these problems early on. A good familiarity with what is normal versus abnormal is very important. Several behavioral problems might be first interpreted as a speech or language disorder.

The distinction between delay versus disorder and expressive versus receptive problems is also important in the evaluation and management of children with potential problems. A delay is a slower than expected chronologic progression, whereas a disorder is a change in the actual ability to communicate in a specific area. Expressive problems are those involved with producing speech and language while receptive problems refer to the ability to receive and understand speech and language. Recognition of these problems can often provide clues to other developmental abnormalities and is important because early recognition and intervention can often be very beneficial. Although learning disorders can lead to speech and language disorders, the opposite is true as well.

A thorough developmental history is very important in making the appropriate diagnosis. Special attention should be paid to language milestones. The physician should be concerned if the child is not babbling by the age of 12 to 15 months, comprehending simple commands by 18 months of age, talking by 2 years of age, making sentences by 3 years of age, or telling a simple story by 4 to 5 years of age. Other items of concern include unintelligible speech after 3 years of age or speech that is more than a year late in comparison with normal patterns of speech development.

A basic knowledge of speech milestones is necessary to determine whether a child has speech delay. These speech milestones are presented in Table 40-1. Children’s speech and language can be evaluated at any age when there is a suspicion of delay or disorder. The most common referral is to a speech-language pathologist for an evaluation. If the speech-language service does not have audiology services, a referral should be made to an audiologist or an otologist for a hearing evaluation.

Table 40-1 Pattern of Speech Development

Information from Schwartz ER. Speech and language disorders. In: Schwartz MW, ed. Pediatric Primary Care: A Problem Oriented Approach. St. Louis: Mosby; 1990:696–700.)

Medications Associated with Speech and Language Problems