child screening programme
Speech & language delay
All children develop at their own pace and will reach milestones at different points. Delays in speech and language are fairly common amongst young children. Sometimes a child will be far enough behind the development expected for their age that help may be needed. Many children improve without intervention but early intervention can help in some cases.
Read more about speech and language delay on the Kids Development website.
UK NSC screening recommendation Based on the last UK NSC review of this condition that occurred in December 2005.
Screening for developmental and behavioural problems is not currently recommended. This is because:
- there is no suitable screening test
- there is not enough evidence that screening would be beneficial to children
- it is not known if the benefits of screening outweigh the harms
- it is not clear which children should be treated and how
Supporting documents from the 2005 review
Evidence summary speech and language delay (2005)
This document provides the evidence on which the current UK NSC recommendation is based.
Review cycle
Date previous review completed: 2005
Next review estimated to be completed: 2021 to 2022.
To see previous evidence reviews, visit the UK NSC archive.
Organisations interested in Speech & language delay
These organisations have expressed interest in this recommendation and may submit responses to evidence reviews.
List of organisations
- British Academy of Audiology
- Communication Trust
- Faculty of Public Health
- Institute of Child Health
- Institute of Human Virology (IHV)
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
- Royal College of Physicians
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
- Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
- Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
If you think your organisation should be added, please contact us.