Abstract：This study attempts to present an outline of language disorders and speech therapy. It also reports the latest development of speech therapy, focusing on the definition of language disorders and their diagnosis criteria normalization. Under normal circumstances, most infants acquire their first language at the same pace. If a child has not reached the expected level of proficiency at a certain stage, he or she might suffer from language disorders. About 5% to 20% of children suffer from language disorders and should receive speech therapy. Speech therapy has become a rehabilitation profession, and standards have been established for the categorization of language disorders, criteria for their diagnosis and tools for their therapy. This study argues that speech therapy is at its initial stage in China. For its future direction, we suggest that the top priority is to develop a rigorous speech therapy education system in order to provide speech therapy to people suffering from language disorders. The other priority is to formulate a scale of normal Chinese language proficiency to serve as the basis for diagnostic and therapeutic tools. These are enormous tasks involving huge amount of manpower and resources. Their accomplishment requires coordinated and centralized efforts from the whole society.
石定栩，杨 洋. 中国语言障碍与言语治疗——现状分析和发展思路[J]. 语言战略研究, 2020, 5(2): 17-24.
Shi Dingxu and Yang Yang. Language Disorders and Speech Therapy in China—The Current Status and Future Development. , 2020, 5(2): 17-24.
