A Subtype of Speech Delay Associated With Developmental Psychosocial Involvement

This report presents findings supporting the hypothesis of a clinically relevant subtype of childhood speech sound disorder, provisionally titled speech delay--developmental psychosocial involvement (SD-DPI). Conversational speech samples from 29 children who met inclusionary criteria for SD-DPI were selected from a case record archive at a university speech clinic for children. Participants with SD-DPI had been characterized by speech clinicians and caregivers as having speech delay with psychosocial issues that required attention in the course of at least 1 semester of speech treatment. The 29 participants were divided into 2 subgroups, based on clinicians' and parents' records indicating either approach-related negative affect (n = 23) or withdrawal-related negative affect (n = 6). Each participant with SD-DPI was matched by age, gender, and type of speech involvement to 3 comparison speakers with speech delay of unknown origin (n = 87). Analyses of the conversational speech samples indicated that in comparison with participants in the control group, those with SD-DPI had significantly more severe speech delay, averaging approximately 7% to 10% lowered speech competence in conversation. The clinical prevalence of SD-DPI was estimated at approximately 12% of children referred to the university speech clinic in the present study. The authors interpret the present findings to indicate that approach-related or withdrawal-related negative affect, negative emotionality or mood, and decreased task persistence or attention are risk factors for increased severity of expression of speech delay.