ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Characteristics of Gut Microbiota in Children with Language Developmental Delay
- YL
Yawen Li 1
- WS
Wang Shouyi 1
- HX
Huiping Xu 1
- XN
Xuan Nie 1
- DZ
Dongchi Zhao 1
- WZ
Wenkai Zhu 2
- RZ
Rui Zhu 1
1. Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University Department of Pediatrics, Wuhan, China
2. Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Canada
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Abstract
Objective: To explore the characteristics of gut microbiota in children with Language Developmental Delay (LDD). Methods: Children aged 0-6 years diagnosed with LDD at the Pediatric Outpatient Department of Zhongnan Hospital, of Wuhan University, and healthy children undergoing physical examinations during the same period (June 2023 to June 2024) were enrolled as study subjects. Fecal samples were collected, and the characteristics of gut microbiota were assessed using 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. Results: A total of 50 children were enrolled, including 24 in the LDD group average age 3.99 (2.54, 5.82)(4.1±1.7) years and 26 in the control group average age (4.0±1.5) 3.98(2.67, 5.66) years, with no significant demographic differences (P>0.05). The GESELLGesell developmental score in the LDD group (60 ± 12) was significantly lower than that in the control group (102 ± 15) (P<0.05). At the phylum level, the dominant phyla were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria, with no significant difference in abundance between groups (P>0.05). Alpha diversity indices, including Observed species, Chao1 index, Shannon index, and Simpson index, showed no significant difference (P>0.05). Beta diversity analysis (PCoA) revealed no significant difference in microbial community structure between the two groups. Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) analysis (LDA score > 2) indicated that the LDD group lacked certain bacterial taxa compared to the control group, including Mycobacteriaceae, Sphingobacteriaceae, Sphingobacteriales, Sphingobacteriia, Caulobacteriaceae, Caulobacterales, Erythrobacteraceae, Sphingomonadaceae, and Sphingomonadales. Conclusion: Children with Language Developmental Delay exhibited gut microbial dysbiosis, but no specific gut microbial composition was identified.
Summary
Keywords
16sDNA, Characteristics, gut microbiota metabolites, Language developmental delay, Sphingobacteriia
Received
19 April 2026
Accepted
06 July 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Li, Shouyi, Xu, Nie, Zhao, Zhu and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Wenkai Zhu; Rui Zhu
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