At risk for language disorders? Correlates and course of language disorders in preschool children born at risk

The language abilities of 324 children of an at-risk population were invest igated at age 2 and 4.5 y. Modified research criteria of the ICD-10 for spe cific developmental disorders of speech and language were applied. Frequenc ies between 4% and 7%, depending on age and type of disorder, were diagnose d among children whose performance on the language measure was only 1 inste ad of ICD-10's 2 SD below group mean, but the discrepancy measure of 1SD be tween non-verbal language score and language measure was retained. Psychoso cial aspects of a child's environment proved to be better predictors of lat er language disorders than obstetric complications. Stability of specific l anguage disorders was on the whole fairly low, but children who perform bel ow age level on language measures remained at risk. Gender differences are almost compensated by the age 4.5y.