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.
