Investigation of language and motor skills in Serbian speaking children with specific language impairment and in typically developing children.

Vukovic et al. (2010) compared 30 Serbian kids with specific language impairment to 30 kids with typical development. All kids were 4 to 6 years old and spoke Serbian at home.

The team gave each child two short tests: one for language and one for motor skills. They also asked parents when the child first sat, walked, and spoke the first word.

Kids with SLI scored lower on every skill. Their average language score was 30 points lower. Their motor scores were also lower, and they had started sitting, walking, and talking months later.

The bigger surprise: how well a child could copy tricky hand and foot moves predicted how many words the child could say. Motor imitation mattered as much as age.

James et al. (1981) and Neuringer et al. (1968) showed that simple tricks—like a flashing light for loud voice or toys for talking—boost speech in delayed preschoolers. Mile’s kids never got these tricks, yet the link between motor skill and talking lines up.

Lancioni et al. (2008) taught kids with multiple disabilities to hit microswitches and use a VOCA. Their success also rested on motor control first, words second. The pattern repeats: if the body can’t do the move, the message stalls.

TWCosta et al. (2017) cut drooling by teaching mouth-wiping. Mile’s SLI group had late oral-motor milestones. Both studies flag the same early roadblock—poor mouth control—just tested in different ways.

If you assess a preschooler for language delay, add a quick motor checklist. Ask when the child first walked, watch him copy hand motions, and note balance. Low scores flag risk early. Build motor play—clapping games, foot steps, tongue push-ups—into your language sessions. Stronger bodies can give you clearer words.