SummaryDuring the process of speech acquisition all children must be vulnerable to linguistic mishap. While most children transcend the vulnerable periods without breakdown others may be unable to do so because of the coincidence of events or the particular inter‐action between circumstances and disposition. In these cases there may be ensuing speech delay or deviation. It is believed that the clues for remedy lie in the language behaviour of the child.Reference is made to a small study undertaken with a view to distinguishing at an early age between delay and deviation in emerging phonology and syntax. Implications for therapy are discusse