Specific language impairment (SLI) is a language disorder-it affects the use of language by a child. It is also known as developmental dysphasia.
- It makes delay in achieving language skills.
- These children do not have hearing loss or other developmental delays.
- It is commonly seen in childhood and persists into adulthood.
What can be the causes ?
- Unknown, but recent discoveries suggest it has a strong genetic link.
- They are likely to have parents and siblings who have had difficulties and delays in speaking.
Symptoms ?
- Often late to talk and may not produce any words until they are 2 years old.
- At age 3, their talking may not be understood.
- As they grow older, they struggle to learn new words and make conversation.
- Having difficulty using verbs is a hallmark of SLI.
- Typical errors that a 5-year-old child with SLI would make include dropping the “s” from the end of present-tense verbs, dropping past tense, and asking questions without the usual “be” or “do” verbs.