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Speech and Language Delays
Speech delay is a delay in speech skills beyond what is usually considered the normal timeframe. Delay in speech represents difficulty in forming and speaking words correctly. Conversely, language delay is a delay in the underlying knowledge of language itself.
Because speech and language are two separate processes, a child may be individually affected. For example, a child may understand exactly what he wishes to communicate, but the sounds he makes are unintelligible. With a language delay, a child has not yet had the opportunity to form speech, so whether there is a speech delay or not may be unknown.
Language is broken into two categories- receptive and expressive. Receptive language is the understanding of what is said to us. Expressive language is the ability to communicate effectively. A child can be delayed in one or both of these areas.
Speech therapy is generally the widest used tool to help a child overcome speech and language delay. Early intervention is key; without it, a child may go on to struggle with reading and other academics.