49. Developmental Language Delay: Why Verbal Working Memory Matters More Than Grammar at Age 3

If you work with preschoolers or school-aged children with developmental language delay, you won’t want to miss this episode.Too often, clinicians focus on grammatical morphemes at age three — but research shows that’s unreliable. Instead, the hallmark feature of developmental language delay is poor verbal working memory.In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ Why grammatical accuracy is not a valid diagnostic marker at age 3 ✅ How verbal working memory deficits show up in spontaneous language samples ✅ Why narrative skills are powerful predictors of language impairment ✅ Which standardized tests (like the CTOPP-2) provide meaningful insight ✅ How poor working memory links to shorter utterances, reduced complexity, and narrative breakdownsIf you’ve ever questioned your assessment practices, this episode will give you a research-based framework for identifying developmental language delay in preschool and school-aged children.👩‍🏫 Want treatment activities that align with the latest evidence? The SIS Membership gives you weekly, ready-to-use therapy plans that are literacy-rich, movement-based, and empirically backed — designed for speech, language, and literacy growth.👉 Join today at www.kellyvess.com/sis