Treating children with speech and language impairments

doi:10.1136/bmj.321.7266.908

From trainee to consultant, BMJ Group offers doctors around the world tailored information, special events, learning resources and recruitment services at every step along their career path.

... by doctors, for doctors, for patients
We are open for entries!

Online learning

BMJ Learning

High-quality CME / CPD for doctors and other healthcare professionals. BMJ Learning features hundreds of accredited, peer-reviewed learning modules in text, video, and audio formats. Find out more

Courses and Qualifications

BMJ Masterclasses

BMJ Masterclasses, led by experts, help clinicians to use the latest evidence and recent guidelines in practice and meet their CPD/CME requirements. Find out more

Exam Preparation

The leading provider of online exam preparation, helping over 167,000 healthcare professionals to pass their exams. Find out more

onExamination

Search all BMJ comment articles:

From

Limit by

Our online table of contents is updated at least twice each day. Read all articles published in the last 7 days.
Keep up to date with cardiology: Access the latest cardiovascular medicine resources from across BMJ Group.
The BMJ iPad app brings you the best of print and online, including live links to the latest news, blogs, video, and podcasts. Get the BMJ iPad app.
OPEN ACCESS: All research articles are freely available online, with no word limit. Find out more about the BMJ's open access policy. Submit your paper.
Countdown to London 2012: BMJ Group's Olympics portal highlights latest Olympics and sports medicine-themed research, comment and learning

Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment. Please log in or subscribe below.

Six hours of therapy is not enough

James Law, reader,
Gina Conti-Ramsden, professor of child language and learning

Language and Communication Sciences, City University, London EC1V 0HB
School of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL

Papers p 923

About 5-8% of children under the age of 5 have developmental impairments of speech and language. This proportion is higher than that for any other neurodevelopmental condition occurring at that age.1 Parents are concerned about these impairments, and the number of children being referred to speech and language therapy services is increasing.2

These impairments are characterised by a low level of speech and language skills. Such difficulties may occur secondary to disabilities such as cerebral palsy, sensorineural hearing loss, or autism. Impairment may also be the main symptom in a constellation of comorbid difficulties, such as challenging behaviour or otitis media.3

Although spontaneous remission of symptoms in primary speech and language disorders sometimes occurs many children will experience long term effects from these disorders. Studies of samples …