Language Disorder

A. Persistent difficulties in the acquisition and

use of language across modalities (i.e.,
spoken, written, sign language, or other)
due to deficits in comprehension or
production that include the following:
1. Reduced vocabulary (word knowledge and use).
2. Limited sentence structure (ability to put words and
word endings together to form sentences based on
the rules of grammar and morphology).
3. Impairments in discourse (ability to use vocabulary
and connect sentences to explain or describe a
topic or series of events or have a conversation).
Language Disorder
B. Language abilities are substantially and
quantifiably below those expected for age,
resulting in functional limitations in effective
communication, social participation,
academic achievement, or occupational
performance, individually or in any
combination.
C. Onset of symptoms is in the early
developmental period.
D. The difficulties are not attributable to hearing
or other sensory impairment, motor
dysfunction, or another medical or
neurological condition and are not better
explained by intellectual disability (intellectual
developmental disorder) or global
developmental delay.
Speech Sound Disorder
A. Persistent difficulty with speech sound
production that interferes with speech
intelligibility or prevents verbal communication
of messages.
B. The disturbance causes limitations in effective
communication that interfere with social
participation, academic achievement, or
occupational performance, individually or in
any combination.
C. Onset of symptoms is in the early
developmental period.
D. The difficulties are not attributable to
congenital or acquired conditions, such as
cerebral palsy, cleft palate, deafness or
hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, or other
medical or neurological conditions.
Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder
(Stuttering)
A. Disturbances in the normal fluency and time
patterning of speech that are inappropriate
for the individual’s age and language skills,
persist over time, and are characterized by
frequent and marked occurrences of one (or
more) of the following:
1. Sound and syllable repetitions.
2. Sound prolongations of consonants as well as vowels.
3. Broken words (e.g., pauses within a word).
4. Audible or silent blocking (filled or unfilled pauses in
speech).
5. Circumlocutions (word substitutions to avoid
problematic words).
6. Words produced with an excess of physical tension.
7. Monosyllabic whole-word repetitions (e.g., “I-I-I-I see
him”).
Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder
(Stuttering)
B. The disturbance causes anxiety about
speaking or limitations in effective
communication, social participation, or
academic or occupational performance,
individually or in any combination.
C. The onset of symptoms is in the early
developmental period. (Note: Later-onset
cases are diagnosed as 307.0 [F98.5] adult-
onset fluency disorder.)
D. The disturbance is not attributable to a
speech-motor or sensory deficit, dysfluency
associated with neurological insult (e.g.,
stroke, tumor, trauma), or another medical
condition and is not better explained by
another mental disorder.
Social (Pragmatic) Communication
Disorder A. Persistent difficulties in the social use of verbal
and nonverbal communication as manifested
by all of the following:
1. Deficits in using communication for social purposes, such
as greeting and sharing information, in a manner that is
appropriate for the social context.
2. Impairment of the ability to change communication to
match context or the needs of the listener, such as
speaking differently in a classroom than on a
playground, talking differently to a child than to an
adult, and avoiding use of overly formal language.
3. Difficulties following rules for conversation and
storytelling, such as taking turns in conversation,
rephrasing when misunderstood, and knowing how to
use verbal and nonverbal signals to regulate interaction.
4. Difficulties understanding what is not explicitly stated
(e.g., making inferences) and nonliteral or ambiguous
meanings of language (e.g., idioms, humor, metaphors,
multiple meanings that depend on the context for
interpretation).
Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder
(Stuttering)
B. The deficits result in functional limitations in
effective communication, social participation,
social relationships, academic achievement,
or occupational performance, individually or
in combination.
C. The onset of the symptoms is in the early
developmental period (but deficits may not
become fully manifest until social
communication demands exceed limited
capacities).
D. The symptoms are not attributable to another
medical or neurological condition or to low
abilities in the domains of word structure and
grammar, and are not better explained by
autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability
(intellectual developmental disorder), global
developmental delay, or another mental
disorder.