How would you differentiate a late talker from a child with SLI?

How would you differentiate a late talker from a child with SLI?

• A. Late talkers catch up with exposure and development; SLI shows persistent morphosyntactic deficits despite normal hearing and nonverbal IQ.
• B. Late talkers never catch up.
• C. SLI shows normal language.
• D. Late talkers have hearing impairment.

Answer: (A)

Understanding how language develops over time helps separate a normal delay from a specific impairment. A late talker is someone who is simply behind peers early on but who catches up with continued exposure and typical overall development; their morphosyntactic skills eventually align with age-appropriate levels as they grow. In contrast, a child with Specific Language Impairment shows persistent difficulties in morphosyntax even when hearing is normal and nonverbal IQ is in the typical range. The grammar problems—such as trouble with tense marking, agreement, and function words—remain across tasks and contexts, indicating a more lasting language-specific issue rather than a temporary delay. Because SLI isn’t caused by hearing loss or cognitive deficits, its hallmark is these enduring morphosyntactic deficits, whereas late talkers typically close the gap with time and exposure.

Understanding how language develops over time helps separate a normal delay from a specific impairment. A late talker is someone who is simply behind peers early on but who catches up with continued exposure and typical overall development; their morphosyntactic skills eventually align with age-appropriate levels as they grow. In contrast, a child with Specific Language Impairment shows persistent difficulties in morphosyntax even when hearing is normal and nonverbal IQ is in the typical range. The grammar problems—such as trouble with tense marking, agreement, and function words—remain across tasks and contexts, indicating a more lasting language-specific issue rather than a temporary delay. Because SLI isn’t caused by hearing loss or cognitive deficits, its hallmark is these enduring morphosyntactic deficits, whereas late talkers typically close the gap with time and exposure.