INTRODUCTION: Neonatal Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy (EHIN) is a common neurological damage in the neonatal period may compromise the child's language and cognition. The understanding of processes that involve language becomes possible from the concise knowledge about the child's global development. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the age of the child with EHIN and language development assessed by the Scale of Psychomotor Development Early Childhood (Brunet-Lézine). METHODS: We analyzed across, EHIN 70 children, 1 to 24 months, attended at the Pediatric Neurology Service of Porto Alegre Hospital (RS). For evaluation of the language was used the Brunet-Lezine Scale that is an instrument of clinical observational method for assessing cognitive (expressive language and comprehension, ocular-motor coordination, social skills and attitude) in children. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 13.0. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Through the results of correlation analysis, we observed that the variable Age versus language showed significant inverse correlation (r = -0.566, p = 0.028). With advancing age of the child, the tested language tasks become more specific and dependent on the direct action of the subject rather than the subjective interpretation of their parents. Therefore, this correlation seems to be closely associated with the setting of the scale. From this is possible to observe the consequences of the neurological disorder and delays in language development with more evidence. CONCLUSION: There is need for professional attention on issues of language during the initial period of child development.