This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Speech delay

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

  • speech (1)
    • is a motor act of communication through articulation of verbal expression (2)
    • is the sound that originates in the mouth
    • it should be differentiated from language
  • language (1)
    • is the knowledge of a symbol system used for communication between persons (2)
    • is associated with meanings, rather than sounds
    • is a measure of intelligence
    • language delays are more serious than speech delays
  • speech and language delays and disorders are the most common developmental problem among preschool children
  • about 6% of 3 to 4 year old children show significant delay in speech development, the condition being more common in boys and often having a family history.
  • speech delay is said to be present if speech development is significantly below the norm for children of the same age (2)

Note: There is a very wide range of normal development. For example the parents of a 2 year-old boy with obviously normal development but a vocabulary of only 10 to 20 words may be comparing him with the little girl of similar age in the same street but with a vocabulary of 200 words. Both are within the normal range.

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.