Language Disorders in Children (Developmental and Acquired)
This domain tests recognition and management of developmental language disorder (DLD) and acquired childhood language disorders, including bilingual assessment.
Core rules
- DLD is persistent language difficulty not explained by hearing loss, intellectual disability, or another biomedical condition. Delay may resolve; disorder is persistent and affects function.
- Profile receptive and expressive skills, phonology, vocabulary, grammar, narratives, and social communication. Use language sampling and parent report, not one score.
- In bilingual children, assess both languages and exposure history. Low performance in one language alone is not evidence of disorder. Dynamic assessment and nonword repetition help separate difference from disorder.
- Acquired causes include stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and tumors; re-evaluate language after medical stabilization.
Worked example
A 4;0 child exposed to Arabic at home and English at nursery has about 20 words and no word combinations. Arabic is stronger but still delayed; English is weaker. Hearing screening is normal. A play-based sample in Arabic shows few verbs and no two-word combinations, and nonword repetition is poor in both languages. This cross-linguistic pattern supports DLD rather than bilingual difference. The plan includes parent-implemented language stimulation in Arabic, nursery support in English, and review in 12 weeks with goal-linked data.
Traps that cost marks
- Testing only English and concluding the child has a language disorder.
- Attributing all difficulty to bilingualism despite delays in the stronger language.
- Missing hearing loss, social communication concerns, or regression.
- Writing goals that are not measurable in everyday communication.