The scores
obtained from standardized individually administered measures
of expressive language development are substantially below those
obtained from standardized measures of both nonverbal intellectual
capacity and receptive language development. The disturbance may
be manifest clinically by symptoms that include having a markedly
limited vocabulary, making errors in tense, or having difficulty
recalling words or producing sentences with developmentally appropriate
length or complexity. The disorders main features are:
Using standardized measures, the patient's scores of expressive
language development are materially lower than those of both nonverbal
intellectual capacity and receptive language development. Clinically,
the patient may have severely limited vocabulary, make errors
of tense, recall words poorly or produce sentences that are shorter
or less complex than is developmentally appropriate.
This disorder interferes with educational or occupational achievement
or with social communication.
It does not fulfill criteria for a Mixed Receptive-Expressive
Language Disorder or a Pervasive
Developmental Disorder.
If the patient also has Mental
Retardation, environmental deprivation or a speech-motor or
sensory deficit, the problems with language are worse than you
would expect with these problems.
Associated
Features:
Language difficulties
are in excess of those usually associated with these problems.
Environmental
Deprivation.
Differential
Diagnosis:
Some disorders have similar or even the same symptoms. The clinician,
therefore, in his/her diagnostic attempt, has to differentiate
against the following disorders which need to be ruled out to
establish a precise diagnosis.
Mixed
Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder
Pervasive
Developmental Disorder.
Mental Retardation
Speech-Motor
Sensory Deficit
Cause:
Three to 5% percent of all children will possess expressive language
disorder. Problems with receptive skills begins before the age
of 4 where the child has difficulty understanding and using language.
The cause of this disorder is unknown.
Treatment:
Direct therapeutic
intervention for speech and language difficulties, together with
and psychotherapy, if necessary, are the best approaches to this
type of language disorder. Therefore, learning
disorders are treated with specialized educational methods. In
addition to special classroom instruction at school, students
with learning disorders frequently benefit from individualized
tutoring which focuses on their specific learning problem.
