PEDIATRICS Vol. 83 No. 2 February 1989, pp. 218-227
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Language Growth in Children With Expressive Language Delay

Janet E. Fischel PhD1, Grover J. Whitehurst PhD1, Marie B. Caulfield MA1, and Barbara DeBaryshe PhD1

1 The Departments of Pediatrics and Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook; and Department of Child Development and Family Relations, University of North Carolina-Greensboro

Developmental expressive language disorder is a frequently occurring condition in children, characterized by severe delay in the development of expressive language compared with receptive language and cognitive skills. Opinions differ regarding whether expressive language delay is a disorder worthy of active intervention or an indication of normal variation in the onset of expressive language. The purpose of this research was to follow for 5 months 26 2-year-old children in whom expressive language disorder had been carefully diagnosed to discover the rate of improvement and its predictors. Improvement was variable, with approximately one third of the children showing no improvement, one third showing mild improvement, and one third in the normal range at posttest. Nearly two thirds of the variance in improvement could be accounted for by three child variables measured by the pretest: parentally reported vocabulary size, parentally reported problems with having regular meals, and observed frequency of quiet activity not requiring the parent's management. A screening procedure involving only one of those variables, reported vocabulary size, was 81% accurate in identifying children's improvement status. The implications of these results for the management of children with expressive language disorder are discussed.

Key Words: language delay and growth • expressive language disorder

Accepted on January 12, 1988




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