Spoken language disorders in children: SLP roles, per ASHA
ASHA’s Practice Portal covers spoken language disorders (listening and speaking) in children ages 3 to 21, whatever the cause. This differs from the developmental language disorder page, which quotes NIDCD on one diagnosis. This page quotes ASHA only.
Quoted from official pages checked November 12, 2026. Confirm current information on those sites. This page is not medical advice and does not describe any patient’s care.
Source read on November 12, 2026: ASHA’s Practice Portal page Spoken Language Disorders.
ASHA’s Practice Portal pages are written for clinicians. Quotes below stop before ASHA’s in-text research citations.
Scope and terms
ASHA states: “Language disorders may persist across the life span, and symptoms may change over time. A spoken language disorder can occur in isolation or in the presence of other conditions. Children who have experienced trauma may also exhibit language problems.” ASHA says the term developmental language disorder is used when the spoken language disorder is a primary disability without a known medical cause that persists at school age and beyond (paraphrased).
ASHA points to separate Practice Portal pages for late language emergence in younger children, for deaf and hard of hearing children, and for aphasia in adults. See late language emergence and language and communication of deaf and hard of hearing children.
Roles for SLPs
- “Educate other professionals on the needs of people with spoken language disorders and the role of SLPs in diagnosing and managing spoken language disorders, including what constitutes a language disorder versus a language difference.”
- “Recognize that students who have been identified as having a spoken language disorder have heightened risks for literacy problems.”
- “Gain sufficient knowledge of an individual’s cultural and linguistic background to distinguish disorder within dialect(s) and language(s).”
- “Diagnose the presence of spoken language disorders.”
- “Develop treatment plans, provide treatment, document progress, and determine appropriate dismissal criteria.”
What this page does not do
It does not repeat ASHA’s prevalence figures, assessment tools, or treatment approaches. It is not medical advice and does not recommend any treatment, device, or product. Scope of practice is set by state law; check your state board.