Children with inadequate language development: management guidelines for otolaryngologists.

Otolaryngologists are in the front line of physicians asked to evaluate children whose language development is lagging. The 4 most prevalent conditions to consider in the differential diagnosis are impaired hearing, mental deficiency, developmental language disorder or dysphasia, and one of the disorders on the autistic spectrum. Guidelines on when to become concerned and what to do about such children are provided. Early diagnosis is essential in order to provide remedial education at the language learning age when intervention is likely to be most efficacious.