Validation of an Early Language Milestone Scale in a High-Risk Population

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Abstract
Detailed language evaluations were obtained by interviewing the parents of 191 healthy children aged 0-3 yr and by testing the children themselves. Normative values were derived for 41 language milestones in the first 36 mo. of life. These values were used to construct the Early Language Milestone Scale (ELMS), a brief language assessment tool suitable for use by general pediatricians. Physician use of the ELMS in a population of 119 children considered at high risk for the presence of developmental disability yielded 97% sensitivity and 93% specificity for the ELMS as a detector of developmentally delayed children, when compared with more formal developmental measures as applied by a clinical psychologist or speech pathologist. Early language milestones are a sensitive indicator of developmental integrity; delayed achievement of early language milestones strongly suggests the presence of a significant underlying developmental disability. The ELMS may be adopted as a valid measure of developmental status among children considered at high risk for the presence of developmental disabilities.