A study of language characteristics in 502 young children with language delay based on gender and age stratification

ZHU Lin; DING Yuan; TAN Juan; LIU Xiao; LIU Qiao-yun; CHEN Li

doi:10.19538/j.ek2025070609

Abstract：Objective To analyze language characteristics differences of children with language delay(LD)and children with typical development(TD)in order to provide evidence for early clinical diagnosis and intervention.Methods Children aged 12-36 months who visited the Child Health Department of Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University,China from October 2019 to October 2023 were selected as study participants.The LD group included 502 children diagnosed with LD by physician assessment following parental concerns about exhibiting delayed onset of speech or demonstrating a restricted vocabulary,while the TD group comprised 456 children undergoing routine developmental check-ups during the same period.All participants underwent standardized evaluation using the early language milestones scale.Language characteristics stratified by sex and age were compared between the two groups using analysis of variance.Results Within the LD group,the male-to-female ratio was significantly higher(2.1-4)∶1,and males exhibited lower levels in both language comprehension(MD=-2.630,P=0.015)and expression(MD=-1.938,P=0.015)compared to females.Age-stratified analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in language expressive or comprehension ability between 12-18-month-old children(P＞0.05).Children aged＞18 to 24 months and＞24 to 36 months both scored significantly lower in expressive language than in comprehension language(MD=-8.000 and MD=-3.964,respectively;both P＜0.001).Furthermore,comprehension language scores were significantly lower in children aged＞24 to 36 months compared to those aged＞18 to 24 months(MD=-4.084,P=0.010).Conclusion Male children are more susceptible to LD than females,with greater language impairment severity.Language expressive skills demonstrate marked delays after 18 months of age,while deficits in language comprehension abilities become more pronounced after 24 months of age.It is recommended to pay attention to gender differences in children's language development in clinical practice and to conduct comprehensive screening of children's language abilities at 12 months of age,with regular monitoring continuing beyond 24 months of age,to facilitate early screening,identification,and timely intervention.