Patient's question:
Is developmental delay really the same as being mentally retarded?Doctor's answer:
Differential diagnosis of speech and language disorders and mental retardation includes language skills, and language skills development is also low. Diagnosing a specific developmental disorder implies this delay. When language development delay is only a part of a broader mental retardation or pervasive developmental disorder, the impairment of language skills can be significantly more severe than non-language skills. A diagnosis of speech and language disorder should be added after the diagnosis of mental retardation or pervasive developmental disorder.