This study attempted to clarify the kind of correlations that can be found in the speech behavior of high-risk children in comparison with children without neonatal risk complications. The study concentrated on the articulatory ability of 430 five-year-old children with neonatal risk complications; it applied a cross-disciplinary diagnosis (child neurology, speech pathology, and psychology) to discover the extent to which certain risk factors influenced speech behavior, language, and psycholinguistic abilities. The results were compared with those of a control group of 115 children of corresponding ages, without any pregnancy, delivery, or neonatal risk. Analysis of the data revealed that there were two groups among the children with extremely slow neurodevelopmental maturation: children with severe articulation problems and a low linguistic performance level and children with phonological disorders and a normal linguistic level. Corresponding neurodevelopmental distinctions did not occur in the control group. This finding suggests that neonatal risk factors influence speech disabilities in the experimental group. (MSE)