The acquisition of oral language is a very complex cognitive process, which begins even before birth, when the child already begins to develop the auditory system. From that moment, the child will be exposed to the most genuinely human tool: language. As a result of the intensive stimulation the child receives in the social environment, they begin to learn the representative and referential function of language. Little by little, they will integrate that they are capable of influencing others through words.

Around twelve months, the first words will appear, and the child will be able to designate, to name different entities in the environment. Several months will still have to pass before predication begins, and with it, the ability to describe, to explain the world. But this fascinating path towards language mastery is full of obstacles. Language is a complex system that has been molded over time, not always with strict and clear rules. Its learning is a craftsman's work. Language is like a set of Russian matryoshka dolls, because simultaneously we must define the inventory of sounds of our mother tongue and build its representation; we must gather a whole set of labels that represent different entities, objects, and things in the world. Parallel to this, we must learn how words relate to each other and in what order we must place them to give meaning to what we want to express. 

But even more difficult, we must know how to adapt the message to the communicative situation, that is, to choose the most appropriate words to be most efficient in our communicative intentions. This great complexity means that in some cases, this process is affected, and these children do not follow a typical developmental course. These are children who are delayed in achieving the different developmental milestones or who present some type of alteration in linguistic structures that are not typical of a typical acquisition. The imbalance can affect one or different aspects of language and may involve more or less comprehension or production. In the interrelation of this triple axis (altered language component, affected modality, and degree of difficulty), we find a wide amalgam of problems and alterations.

 In these cases, the professional must have the knowledge to evaluate the degree of affection of each component and modality to adjust the educational intervention so that the child can reach the language level corresponding to their age. This volume is dedicated precisely to this task. First, precise, complex, and careful information on language disorders is provided.

We then focus on the diagnostic category that encompasses most language disorders. We are referring to Specific Language Disorder (SLD). Next, we focus on its evaluation and identification. Finally, we focus on its intervention. Therefore, you have in your hands a scientific tool of high quality that compiles the most relevant information on Specific Language Disorder and that we hope will be of great use to all professionals who work in its intervention.