Children suffering from this disorder are limited in both understanding and expressing language. These children typically develop language more slowly than their peers and have trouble understanding conversations that their peers can follow. It is believed to occur in about 3% of school-age children and is twice as prevalent in boys as in girls.
Children with mixed receptive/expressive language disorder are at high risk for additional speech and language disorders as well as learning disorders. Speech therapy and remedial education are often used effectively in treatment of this disorder. Children with language disorders may also benefit from playtherapy or psychotherapy to enhance their self-esteem.