Speech Development Disorders in Primary School Children: Clinical and Neuropsychological Characteristics in Children with Specific Language Impairment
Abstract
Speech and language disorders remain one of the most common neurodevelopmental problems among primary school children and significantly affect academic achievement, social interaction, and cognitive development. The present study aimed to analyze the clinical and neuropsychological characteristics of speech development disorders in primary school children diagnosed with specific language impairment (SLI). A total of 80 children aged 7–10 years were examined using standardized speech assessment methods, neuropsychological testing, and clinical neurological evaluation. The results demonstrated that expressive speech impairment was observed in 62.5% of children, phonological processing deficits in 55%, and lexical-grammatical difficulties in 48.7%. In addition, many children showed mild cognitive and attention difficulties, suggesting a complex neurodevelopmental basis of speech disorders. Early identification and targeted correction programs are essential to improve academic and social outcomes in this population.