Specific Language Impairment (SLI) arises after a period of normal development until language does not appear when it should. The average age of alarm is 2 years and it is parents who usually report these difficulties. Many times thinking about “he'll talk…” which, together with the capabilities in other areas, delay the intervention and aggravate the symptoms and prognosis.

In the VICON Method, the intervention in SLI is the second most important in number of cases in our program, which is why we wanted to dedicate a space of articles dedicated to these families. We hope that they will be of great help to have a global idea regarding description, early detection and early intervention. We are sure that many disorders can also benefit from these analyzes that we will offer of SLI. We begin…

What is TEL?

Specific Language Impairment (SLI in Spanish and SLI in English) is a neurodevelopmental disorder related to communication that interferes with the development of language skills in children who do not have hearing loss or intellectual disabilities. It is also known as developmental language disorder, language delay, or developmental dysphasia . It is one of the most common developmental disorders, affecting approximately 7% to 8% of preschool children . The effects of this disorder usually continue into adulthood.

Specifically, it affects the acquisition and development of oral language. It can alter both the comprehensive and expressive areas or both. SLI always appears as a delay in language acquisition . This does not mean that all late talkers will end up having a SLI, but nevertheless, all SLIs were late talkers.

A child with a delay in language acquisition is at risk of later presenting: ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), SLI (Specific Language Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Learning Disorder, etc. Therefore, early detection is required for subsequent intervention and follow-up. Symptoms appear at an early age and must be diagnosed before 4-5 years of age.

What causes SLI?

The cause of SLI is unknown but recent discoveries suggest it has a strong genetic link. Children with specific language disorder are more likely to have parents and siblings who have also had speech difficulties and delays; 50% to 70% of children with specific language disorder have at least one family member with this disorder.

The disorder can affect both multilingual children and children who speak a single language; learning more than one language at a time does not cause specific language disorder.

What are the symptoms of SLI?

The first symptom, as we mentioned, is late language acquisition, they reach the stages of spoken language development later than other children of the same age.

They have difficulties in:

• Language understanding
• Learn new words
• Follow instructions
• Difficulty finding the correct words
• Understand figurative language
• Conduct a conversation
• Reading and writing problems

It is classified as a “ heterogeneous ” disorder because we will never find two identical SLIs. The symptoms vary greatly from one child to another and do not always present in the same form and intensity.

Specific language disorder is not the same as a learning disability . However, it is a risk factor for learning problems, since having difficulty with basic language skills affects performance in the classroom, including socialization. This means that children with specific language impairment are more likely to be diagnosed with a learning disability than children who do not have this disorder.

They have a limited vocabulary and problems understanding and organizing thoughts into coherent sentences. Difficulties with language comprehension can present a challenge to problem solving, planning, and expression. Additionally, some children with specific language impairment may show signs of dyslexia .

Early detection in TEL?

Early evaluation, diagnosis and intervention is essential in the evolution of children with SLI. The diagnosis is very complex and poses many problems, especially at an early age.

• Before the age of 3, it is difficult to determine whether oral language difficulties are due to a language delay or a language disorder.
• At 4 years old we can already talk about a possible SLI
• At 5 years the diagnosis is usually confirmed .

Early detection and thus early intervention contributes to maximizing the child's potential by improving his or her expectations. It allows families to be properly guided and reduce family stress. Facilitates the search for educational and therapeutic resources tailored to your needs. We should not wait to confirm a diagnosis to begin to intervene in the difficulties detected, but rather begin to pay attention to the signs. Remember the great impact that this disorder has on your school, personal and emotional life, not only at an early age.

The factors that make early detection difficult are the absence of biological markers and physical indicators. Cultural tolerance towards delays in the development of language, the famous ¡HABLARÁ NOW!, in addition to finding ourselves in a very heterogeneous group. In many cases we also find insufficient training and few primary care-pediatric and educational services.

Cristina Oroz Bajo