Language Development: Individual Differences in a Social Context

The majority of children acquire language effortlessly but approximately 10% of all children find it difficult especially in the early or preschool years with consequences for many aspects of their subsequent development and experience: literacy, social skills, educational qualifications, mental health and employment. With contributions from an international team of researchers, this book is the first to draw together a series of new analyses of data related to children's language development, primarily from large-scale nationally representative population studies, and to bring a public health perspective to the field. The book begins with a section on factors influencing the patterns of language development. A second section explores continuity and change in language development over time. The third explores the impact on individuals with developmental language disorders (DLD), the effectiveness of available interventions, and broader issues about the need for equity in the delivery of services to those with DLD.

James Law is Professor of Speech and Language Science at Newcastle University. He received an OBE for services to speech and language therapy in 2018.

Sheena Reilly is Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Health Group at Griffith University. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her service to tertiary education, medical research, and paediatric speech pathology in 2020.

Cristina McKean is Professor of Child Language Development and Disorders at Newcastle University. Her work focuses on identifying children at risk, and the design of internationally relevant, effective interventions and services.