Language Disorders in Children

What Do You Know About Language Disorders?

Most infants or young children can understand what you say well before they can speak clearly. As they mature and their communication skills develop, most children become able to put their thoughts into words.

However, children with a language disorder may have difficulty understanding the words they hear or read; this is called a receptive language disorder. Other children may have difficulty talking to others and expressing their thoughts and feelings; this is called an expressive language disorder. Often, children experience both disorders at the same time.

Language disorders are a common problem in children and can be treated. However, having a language disorder can be frustrating, not only for the children who experience it but also for their parents and teachers.

Without diagnosis and treatment, children with receptive and expressive language disorders may struggle with poor performance in school, and they may also misbehave out of frustration from their inability to communicate. Therefore, it is important that they receive an accurate diagnosis to begin treatment as soon as possible.

If you suspect that your child might have a language disorder, speak with your child's healthcare provider immediately. Research has shown that children who start treatment early achieve the best outcomes. If you suspect that your child may have a language disorder, download the Ynmo Plan app to take the free language assessment scale, which shows your child's results immediately.

Make sure that the speech-language pathologist (SLP) you choose to work with your child is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Causes

Language disorders can have many possible causes, and although your child's language disorder may be the primary concern, it is often secondary to another condition.

Causes of language disorders include:

• Medical conditions or disabilities, such as autism, brain injury, stroke, or a tumor
• Birth defects such as Down syndrome (trisomy 21), fragile X syndrome, or cerebral palsy
• Pregnancy or birth complications, such as malnutrition, fetal alcohol syndrome, premature birth, or low birth weight

Sometimes, language disorders have a family history. In many other cases, the cause is unknown.

It is important to know that learning more than one language is not a cause of language disorders in children, because a child with a language disorder experiences the same problems in all languages.

What Are Receptive Language Disorders?

Children with receptive language disorder have difficulty understanding language, and they find it hard to understand the meaning of words they hear and see. This includes people talking to them and words they read in books or on signs. Receptive language disorders can cause learning problems and need to be treated as soon as possible.

A child with a receptive language disorder may have difficulty:

• Understanding gestures
• Understanding what people say
• Following instructions
• Recognizing body parts or objects
• Identifying pictures of objects or actions
• Understanding concepts and ideas
• Learning new words
• Understanding questions asked of them
• Understanding what they read
• Understanding jokes or indirect language
• Expressive Language Disorders

What Are Expressive Language Disorders?

Children with an expressive language disorder have difficulty using language, as they may be able to understand what others say but find it difficult to express what they feel and what they think. This is how the disorder impacts spoken and written language.

A child with an expressive language disorder may have difficulty:

• Using gestures
• Naming objects
• Using words correctly
• Expressing concepts and ideas
• Using proper grammar
• Telling stories
• Asking and answering questions
• Singing or reciting poems

Diagnosis

Your child's healthcare provider will ask about your child's language use and review their medical history. Your child may undergo a physical examination and a hearing test. They may also see a psychologist.

Your child's healthcare provider will also likely refer your child to a speech-language pathologist (SLP), who is the specialist that can help diagnose and treat your child.

The speech-language pathologist will talk with you about stimulating your child's communication skills, and will have you examine closely how your child speaks and listens to you, measuring their ability to follow directions, understand object names, repeat phrases or rhymes, and perform other language- and play-based activities.

Treatment

To treat your child, the speech-language pathologist (SLP) will help them learn how to relax and enjoy communicating through play. The speech-language pathologist will use various age-appropriate methods to help your child use language and communicate.

You will also talk with your child and may use toys, books, or pictures to help with their language development. The speech-language pathologist may practice asking and answering questions with your child, and will present you with more optimal approaches for dealing with your child's specific type of language disorder.

Long-Term Care

The speech-language pathologist will guide your child's treatment, but parents also play an important role in treating language disorders. You will need to participate in treatment and work with your child—outside the therapy room—to help them use and understand their language. Your child's smart learning program may also discuss communication challenges and your child's needs with other caregivers and teachers who will work with your child.

Ask the specialist what you should do at home to help your child. They may recommend activities such as:

• Reading and talking with your child to help them learn words
• Listening and responding when your child speaks
• Encouraging your child to ask and answer questions

Finally

Do not forget that you can benefit from the certified language assessment available on the Ynmo Plan app to diagnose your child's condition and detect language disorder cases early. You can also follow our social media pages to keep up with the latest ways to stimulate your child's language and help them progress.

Source

Originally published in Arabic. This English version was produced with AI-assisted translation; the Arabic original remains the reference.