This article critically reviews the literature concerning psychiatric disorder in children with speech and language retardation. The data indicate that speech- and language-disordered children are at risk for psychiatric disorder, that there is some correlation between the presence of psychiatric disorder and the type of speech and language disturbance, and that there is a likely correlation between certain types of speech and language problems and the type of psychiatric difficulty. Firm conclusions in this area are hampered by many methodological difficulties. Finally, a review of the nature of the association between psychiatric disorder and speech and language retardation reveals that except in rare instances psychiatric disorder does not cause speech and language retardation, and that in most cases psychiatric disorder is indirectly caused by speech and language retardation.