"Language delay is a failure in children to develop language abilities on the usual developmental timetable. Language delay is distinct from speech delay, in which the speech mechanism itself is the focus of delay.
Oral communication is a two-stage process. The first stage is to encode the message into a set of words and sentence structures that convey the required meaning, i.e. into language. In the second stage, language is translated into motor commands that control the articulators (organs and structures such as the lungs, vocal cords, mouth, tongue, teeth, etc.), thereby creating speech, i.e. orally-expressed language. An IT-based analogy has been suggested to the distinction between language (computer program) and speech (output device).
Because language and speech are independent, they may be individually delayed. For example, a child may be delayed in speech (i.e., unable to produce intelligible speech sounds), but not delayed in language. However a child with a language delay typically has not yet been able to use language to formulate material to speak; he or she is therefore likely to have a delay in speech as well.
Language delay is commonly divided into receptive and expressive categories. Receptive language refers to the process of understanding what is said to the subject. Expressive language refers to the use of words and sentences to communicate messages to others. Both categories are essential to effective communication."
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_delay
03 Nov 2013, 10:24 pm
