What happens to children with retarded speech at 3? Longitudinal study of a sample of normal infants up to 20 years of age.

212 children recruited at random at birth have been followed annually in a prospective longitudinal study with somatic and psychological data, including verbal communicative ability, rated by a psychologist at 3 years of age. At the age 20 years 175 were still in the study. Intelligence tests at 5, 8, 11, 14 and 17, teacher's assessments in grades 3 and 6, educational level at 20 years of age and sociometric and behavioural assessments show that children with retarded speech at 3 constitute a risk group that requires special attention.