Authors:
Taylor CL, Zubrick SR, Rice ML
Authors notes:
Late Talkers: Language Development, Interventions, and Outcomes: Brookes Publishing; 2013. p. 23-40.
Keywords:
Child development, language emergence, vocabulary, grammar, language outcomes
Abstract:
The emergence of language during the toddler period is one of the most striking accomplishments in young children's development.
Children show considerable variation in the onset of language, with some children beginning to talk much later than others.
The term late language emergence (LLE) is used to describe toddlers with no known developmental disorders who do not meet age expectations for expressive vocabulary size and/or emergent grammar at 24 months.
The term normal language emergence (NLE) is used to describe toddlers who do meet age expectations for expressive vocabulary size and/or emergent grammar.
This chapter addresses three of the many interesting and important questions about children who are late to start talking: 1) What is the prevalence of LLE in the general population of children at 24 months? 2) What are the risks associated with LLE? and 3) What are the language outcomes of 7-year-old children with and without a history of LLE?