Temporary regression during language acquisition: a linguistic analysis of a 2 1/2-year-old child with epileptic...

A 2 1/2-year-old child suffered a brief and temporary regression of speech, with complete recovery, on two separate occasions. During the second episode, clinical evaluation and electroencephalographic data led to the diagnosis of epileptic aphasia. The child's conversations at home were tape-recorded by the mother during the acute phase of the disorder and the recovery period, and transcripts of the conversations were analysed by means of a linguistic profile. These analyses confirmed the clinical improvement in the child's language abilities, which occurred within a few days. This case illustrates the remarkably specialised and localised cerebral function which underlies speech production at an early age. It indicates that this function can be interfered with selectively and temporarily, without any significant effect on general behaviour.