specific language impairment

A language disorder characterized by difficulty in language acquisition despite otherwise normal development and in the absence of any obvious explanatory factors.

Signs and symptoms

• Delayed speech and language development
• Hyperintensity of cerebral white matter on MRI
• Language impairment
• Deficit in nonword repetition
• Deficit in phonologic short-term memory
• Expressive language delay
• Autistic behavior
• Global developmental delay