Delayed language development is compared to normal development along six basic parameters, and the problem of language delay among handicapped children is addressed. Interaction characteristics that occur at an early stage between the mother and handicapped child are also reviewed, along with the way parents tend to compensate for their child's language learning impairments. In addition, the research on the mother-child interaction is summarized, and basic implications for future research and remediation efforts are outlined. The six parameters of language development are as follows: (1) pragmatic development; (2) attention, discrimination, and cognitive development; (3) vocabulary; (4) syntactic and semantic development; (5) peer interaction; and (6) rate and frequency of use. It is concluded that interventions designed to compensate for the dysfunctional nature of early dyadic interaction may have significant remedial potential. It is suggested that if dysfunctional aspects of interactions between handicapped children and their caregivers can be identified, then therapeutic changes might be made early in the parent-child relationship to facilitate communication development. Attention is also directed to the finding that normal and delayed infants behave similarly untl about 12 months, after which lower functioning children show less differentiation between their mothers' vocalizing and not vocalizing than the higher functioning children. A list of approximately 45 references is appended. (SEW)