Studies with screening and assessment instruments in communication and language in Portuguese children with and without language difficulties in inclusive contexts.

Abstract

[Excerpt) The acquisition of communication and language is fundamental for the child's overall development. Therefore, communication difficulties may negatively influence the child's development, namely at the behavioral, socio-emotional, and cognitive levels (Prelock & Hutchins, 2018). Given the high prevalence of Portuguese children with communication and language difficulties, as well as with difficulties in school learning (Castro et al., 2019), it is essential to identify as early as possible the cases at risk that may require intervention. Thus, this paper aims to present and analyze valid and accurate screening and assessment tools, and to recognize Portuguese children at early ages at risk of language difficulties and disorders.