Screening for Speech and Language Delay in Children

Whether all children should be screened remains an unresolved question, but routine population-wide screening is different from responding to specific cases.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has been releasing new and updated guidelines periodically (guidelines homepage).

The USPSTF concludes each of its guidelines with a recommendation, graded as follows:

A — The intervention is strongly recommended.

B — The intervention is recommended.

C — The USPSTF makes no recommendation for or against the intervention.

D — The intervention is not routinely recommended.

I — Evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against the intervention.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children undergo screening for speech and language delay, because 5%–8% of young children are affected, and identification and intervention improve outcomes. However, in a much-anticipated recommendation,…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD