Children with Speech and Language Difficulties: Children with specific language impairment (SLI) are children with speech and language difficulties in the absence of any obvious causal factors.

Some children with SLI may have been late in saying their first words and slow to combine words. They are frequently described as having particular difficulty with aspects of language related to verbs. Sometimes they also have difficulty with pronouns. For instance, in the preschool years it is common to hear them say things like:

Her running
He jump_ everyday
Yesterday I walk to the store

Some children also have trouble picking the right word to say. They may use a word that sounds like the word that they mean (e.g. ship instead of sheep) or use a word that is similar in meaning, but not quite the right thing (e.g. shoe instead of pants).

Some children have trouble pronouncing words. They may substitute one sound for another, which can make them hard to understand. For instance a child might say tat instead of cat. Children with SLI are frequently enrolled in preschool programs that provide extra help at learning language or receive special help with language as they enter kindergarten. Early intervention is believed to enhance these children's language abilities and help them to be successful in school.

As children with SLI enter the school years, they may continue to show difficulties with spoken language. They may be less likely to use complex sentences (When he went home, I went to sleep). Some children also have difficulty relating a story or describing how to do something.

Children with a history of speech and language difficulties in preschool may or may not continue to demonstrate obvious difficulties with spoken language into the school years. Many children who were diagnosed with SLI in preschool are likely to have difficulty with written language as they get older. Some children have reading difficulties. Other children may show the same difficulties they had with speaking when they attempt to express themselves in writing.

These children do not have difficulties associated with autism or pervasive developmental disorder. They do not have a history of medical problems associated with language difficulties, like head injury, trauma at birth, or stroke. They do not have a hearing impairment or mental retardation. We know that SLI affects approximately 7% of the population based on epidemiological work done by the Child Language Research Center here at the University of Iowa, but we still do not fully understand what causes SLI or what to do to treat it.