Parental Knowledge of Child Development in Language Delay Across Developmental Conditions

Objectives: Language delay is a common yet heterogeneous clinical presentation encompassing a range of developmental conditions. This study aimed to evaluate parental knowledge of child development in children presenting with language delay and to examine factors associated with parental knowledge.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 122 children aged 12–42 months presenting with language delay. Comprehensive developmental evaluations were conducted by developmental pediatricians and included clinical developmental assessments, clinical observations during free play, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Fourth Edition (Bayley-4), and DSM-5–based diagnostic assessment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Based on these evaluation findings, children were classified into two groups: isolated language delay (n = 76) and complex developmental delays, including global developmental delay and ASD (n = 46). Parental knowledge was assessed using the Caregiver Knowledge of Child Development Inventory. Sociodemographic characteristics and developmental caregiving practices were also recorded.Results: Children with complex developmental delays were significantly older than those with isolated language delay (p = 0.006). Maternal and paternal education levels were higher in the isolated language delay group (p = 0.020 and p = 0.026, respectively). Maternal knowledge scores were also significantly higher in this group (p = 0.008), and book reading was more frequent among children with isolated language delay (p = 0.007). Paternal knowledge scores did not differ significantly between the diagnostic groups (p = 0.965). In multivariable linear regression analysis, higher maternal education (β = 0.374, p = 0.001) and having a male child (β = 0.252, p = 0.009) were independently associated with maternal knowledge scores. In addition, maternal knowledge scores were positively correlated with Bayley-4 cognitive composite, language composite, and receptive communication scaled scores, whereas paternal knowledge scores were not significantly associated with Bayley-4 domain scores. Conclusion: Language delay may reflect complex developmental vulnerability rather than an isolated language difficulty, underscoring the importance of comprehensive developmental evaluation. Parental knowledge is associated with maternal education, and enhancing caregiver education may help support early developmental outcomes.