🧠 Early Communication Impairment — Concise Q&A Study Guide

What is late language emergence (LLE)?

delayed expressive and/or receptive language development in young children.

Why is late language emergence important?

it can be an early sign of later language impairment.

How common is late language emergence?

about 10–20% of toddlers and preschoolers are late talkers.

What is a hallmark sign of language impairment?

late language emergence is often the first symptom.

What biological factors increase risk for LLE?

low birth weight and prematurity.

What other factors increase risk for LLE?

family history, male sex, neurobiological growth, and caregiver input quality.

What is communication impairment (CI)?

a significant difficulty receiving, sending, processing, or understanding communication.

How is CI different from late language emergence?

CI is broader and persists beyond the late talker stage.

What forms of communication can be affected in CI?

verbal, nonverbal, and social communication.

How severe can communication impairment be?

severity ranges from mild to profound.

What later difficulties are linked to CI?

increased risk for behavioral and emotional problems.

What does risk mean in early communication impairment?

increased likelihood of negative developmental outcomes due to exposure factors.

What are biological risk factors for CI?

genetic conditions, prematurity, and low birth weight.

What are environmental risk factors for CI?

poverty, caregiver mental health challenges, poor nutrition, limited healthcare, and trauma.

Why is trauma-informed care important?

trauma increases developmental risk and affects communication outcomes.

What children are served in Early Intervention?

children with established risk and children who are at-risk.

What is established risk?

conditions strongly linked to developmental disabilities.

What does at-risk mean?

biological or environmental factors that may disrupt development.

What is APGAR scoring?

a quick measure of a newborn’s medical stability at birth.

What conditions fall under established risk?

intellectual disability, autism, cerebral palsy, deafness, deaf-blindness, and cleft palate.

How might children with CI communicate?

inconsistently, unintelligibly, or differently with familiar caregivers.

What is intellectual disability (ID)?

limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior before age 18.

What domains are affected in ID?

conceptual, social, and practical functioning.

How is ID severity described?

mild to severe with varying support needs.

What defines autism spectrum disorder (ASD)?

social communication deficits with restricted or repetitive behaviors.

Why is early identification of ASD important?

earlier intervention leads to better outcomes.

What is cerebral palsy (CP)?

a nonprogressive disorder affecting movement and coordination.

What are the main types of CP?

spastic, athetoid, and ataxic.

How can CP affect communication?

speech, language, and swallowing may be impacted.

What is deafness?

profound hearing loss of 90 dB or greater.

What is deaf-blindness?

significant combined hearing and vision loss.

Why does age of hearing loss matter?

earlier loss has greater impact on language development.

What is a cleft palate?

a congenital opening caused by incomplete fusion of oral structures.

What is the SLP’s role with cleft palate?

support feeding, swallowing, and speech production.

Why are developmental milestones important?

they help identify and compare typical versus delayed development.