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What are the risk factors?
The following factors place children
at higher risk than others for developing speech, language
or communication
difficulties:
- Sensory impairments (especially hearing
loss)
- Prematurity
- Exposure to infections or toxins in utero
or during early childhood
- Maternal disease influencing
normal growth of her unborn child
- Birth trauma
- Positive family history of communication
difficulties (including reading / writing difficulties,
speech problems,
language
problems and autism)
- Medical and congenital conditions
associated with communication impairments (for example,
cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome,
Fragile X…)
- Environmental deprivation (i.e. severely
reduced opportunities to learn about the world, to play
and to interact) and
/ or abnormal environmental input (for example child
abuse and severe neglect)
- Multiplicity of adverse factors.
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