Language

What causes a language disorder? 

While the cause of many speech-language impairments is not known, experts believe that they are caused by conditions that affect brain development either before, during, or after birth, such as muscular disorders, hearing problems or developmental delays.  Language disorders may be developmental or acquired. A genetic factor is sometimes considered a contributing cause in some cases.  Sometimes, children are not exposed to enough language to learn the rules.  Sometimes the child has no need to talk because parents respond to pointing and gestures instead of speech, but most language disabilities occur without an identifiable cause.

What is a language disorder?

Children with language disorders may experience difficulty with one or many aspects of language.A language disorder is characterized by difficulty with one or more of the following areas:

Receptive language:  understanding the meaning of language.

Expressive language:  the ability to express words using language.  Some children can form words easily but have severe difficulties with finding the words they need and organizing them to make what they want to say make sense. 

Pragmatic language:  using language for different purposes (promising, requesting), changing language for listener needs (peer vs. teacher), following the rules of conversation (turn taking, introducing topics of conversation, and staying on the topic), and non-verbal (body) language.

Why is language so tricky? Consider the 3 aspects of the message....

     (1) the form (phonology, morphology, syntax)

     (2) the content (semantics)

     (3) the function in social communication (pragmatics)

Your child may have a language disorder if he/she has difficulty:

In order to qualify for school based speech/language services, the impairment must have an impact on the student's educational performance.  Please follow the RtI for Teachers for referral for services.

Click here to see Developmental Milestones to age 8.

How do I support language development at home?

• Read often to your child and have them read to you. Also let them see you reading to show it is important to you.

• Talk to your child

• Ask who, what, when, where, why and how questions

• Take time to listen to your child 

• Support speech therapy attendance and homework practice to make therapy successful

• Use your own speech as a model. Children learn speech and language through imitation. Being aware of your own speech production, including grammar, helps your child improve his or her own skill.

• Provide an “auditory enriched environment.” Surrounding your child with various sound stimulation opens up the ears for learning. Try books on tape, various types of music, and environmental sound tapes.

• Have fun conversations! Use the dinner table like a speech clinic. Discuss everything from daily events to what’s in the rooms of the house. Conversational skills, such as continuation of the topic, and turn-taking are essential parts of speech and language.

• Enrich vocabulary with language based games such as: “Scrabble™,” “Wheel of Fortune™,” “Scattegories™” and “Outburst™”. These games all help vocabulary skills. Crossword puzzles and word search games are excellent forms of written vocabulary games.

• Know your child’s learning strengths and weaknesses. There are many forms of intelligence including: linguistic, kinesthetic (body), musical, artistic, logical and social. Use your child’s strong areas to help speech and language. For example: if your child is gifted musically, let him sing a song to practice his speech sounds!

• Let your child know how important speech is to you. If your child thinks that speech comes after all other things to do, he will not do the best he can.