ABSTRACT
Introduction When a normally developing child suffers damage to the left hemisphere, problems in the processing of language frequently ensue. Such early acquired language disorders, although rare in comparison to the numbers arising in adult life, have given rise to a small but important body of research which has investigated the disorder from a number of different perspectives. These perspectives might be classifi ed broadly into those concerned with: (a) the anatomical substrate, (b) the developing specialization of brain function, (c) the incidence, (d) the relationship between prognosis and aetiology, and (e) the search for syndromes or characteristic profi les of early acquired language disorders.
