APA Dictionary of Psychology

a developmental disorder, classified in the DSM–IV–TR as a communication disorder, that is characterized by impairment in acquiring the ability to use language effectively for communicating with others despite normal language comprehension. Manifestations include below-average vocabulary skills, difficulty producing complete sentences, and problems recalling words. In DSM-5 and DSM-5-TR, the broader category of language disorder includes the previous designations of expressive and mixed receptive-expressive language disorders.