Developmental speech or language disorders
Transtornos do desenvolvimento da fala ou da linguagem
CategoryDefinition
Developmental speech or language disorders arise during the developmental period and are characterised by difficulties in understanding or producing speech and language or in using language in context for the purposes of communication that are outside the limits of normal variation expected for age and level of intellectual functioning. The observed speech and language problems are not attributable to regional, social, or cultural/ethnic language variations and are not fully explained by anatomical or neurological abnormalities. The presumptive aetiology for Developmental speech or language disorders is complex, and in many individual cases, is unknown.
Diagnostic Criteria
Developmental Speech or Language Disorders are characterized by difficulties in understanding or producing speech and language or in using language in context for the purposes of communication. Developmental Speech of Language Disorders include:
- 6A01.0 Developmental Speech Sound Disorder
- 6A01.1 Developmental Speech Fluency Disorder
- 6A01.2 Developmental Language Disorder
- 6A01.Y Other Specified Developmental Speech or Language Disorders
Regional, social, or cultural/ethnic language variations (e.g., dialects) must be considered when an individual is being assessed for language abilities. For example, phonological memory tasks may offer a less biased assessment compared to lexical tasks. A language history documenting all the languages the child has been exposed to since birth can assist in determining whether individual language variations are better explained by exposure to multiple languages rather than a speech or language pathology per se.
For presentations characterized by significant difficulties in understanding or producing speech and language or in using language in context for the purposes of communication that do not fulfil the diagnostic requirements for any other disorder in the Developmental Speech or Language Disorders grouping, the following diagnosis may be appropriate:
6A01.Y Other Specified Developmental Speech or Language Disorders
Essential (Required) Features:
- Persistent difficulties in understanding or producing speech or language or in using language in context for the purposes of communication that are not better accounted for by Developmental Speech Sound Disorder, Developmental Speech Fluency Disorder, Developmental Language Disorder, or Autism Spectrum Disorder.
- The speech or language difficulties are persistent over time.
- The onset of the speech or language difficulties occurs during the developmental period and speech or language abilities in the affected areas are markedly below what would be expected for age.
- The speech or language difficulties result in significant impairment in social communication, or in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.
- The speech or language difficulties are not better accounted for by a Disorder of Intellectual Development, a Disease of the Nervous System, a sensory impairment, or a structural abnormality.