Characterized by deficits in the comprehension or expression of oral language. Children may have a limited vocabulary or difficulty with grammar when speaking. A developmental language disorder may impact a child’s ability to appropriately express their wants/needs, engage in back and forth conversations, or follow directions. Academically, children may struggle to understand complex text or subtle nuances of meaning.
What are Developmental Language Disorders?
Developmental language disorders are characterized by difficulties understanding others or expressing ideas and thoughts clearly. Just like any other developmental skill, such as walking or eating, a child must also develop a robust and comprehensive language system, including appropriate vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and use of language within a variety of settings or purposes. To develop language, a child must first be exposed to it. Children hear language from their parents and other caregivers long before they begin to speak.
As children hear words and sentences, they begin to make sense of what they hear. They connect objects with their names, they understand how to follow simple directions, and they can even start pointing/gesturing to people or toys around them. They recognize verb tenses (e.g., past, present, and future), words that have similar meanings, and vocabulary relationships, including categories.
What are Developmental Language Disorders?
Developmental language disorders are characterized by difficulties understanding others or expressing ideas and thoughts clearly. Just like any other developmental skill, such as walking or eating, a child must also develop a robust and comprehensive language system, including appropriate vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and use of language within a variety of settings or purposes. To develop language, a child must first be exposed to it. Children hear language from their parents and other caregivers long before they begin to speak.
As children hear words and sentences, they begin to make sense of what they hear. They connect objects with their names, they understand how to follow simple directions, and they can even start pointing/gesturing to people or toys around them. They recognize verb tenses (e.g., past, present, and future), words that have similar meanings, and vocabulary relationships, including categories.
For children with developmental language disorders, learning appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure is very difficult. Children may require additional exposures to vocabulary words and more explicit instruction in the use of various grammatical structures, such as verb tenses, pronouns, and forming sentences. Each child is different, and each child’s needs will differ. Not all children with developmental language disorders will struggle with the same tasks. This is why an evaluation is important, to identify how and what to target in treatment. For children with a language disorder, it is very important to start early.
Speech-Language Pathologists receive years of training and clinical experience in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of developmental language disorders. We study both normal and abnormal development, recognize red flags for delays, and implement evidence-based practices for treating developmental language disorders.
For children with developmental language disorders, learning appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure is very difficult. Children may require additional exposures to vocabulary words and more explicit instruction in the use of various grammatical structures, such as verb tenses, pronouns, and forming sentences. Each child is different, and each child’s needs will differ. Not all children with developmental language disorders will struggle with the same tasks. This is why an evaluation is important, to identify how and what to target in treatment. For children with a language disorder, it is very important to start early.
Speech-Language Pathologists receive years of training and clinical experience in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of developmental language disorders. We study both normal and abnormal development, recognize red flags for delays, and implement evidence-based practices for treating developmental language disorders.
Did you know?
Children start talking around 12 months of age, but there are many language milestones that occur prior to speaking. See below for some examples.
Before speaking, children make babbling sounds when they’re only a few months old that get more and more word-like as they near their first birthday.
Children also participate in back-and-forth games (e.g., blowing raspberries, peek-a-boo, etc.), joint attention (i.e., looking in the same direction as a caregiver), and gestures (e.g., pointing). These preverbal skills support later conversational turn-taking and interaction.
If your child is not meeting any of these milestones, seek an evaluation right away. You do not want to “wait and see.”
Did you know?
Children start talking around 12 months of age, but there are many language milestones that occur prior to speaking. See below for some examples.
Before speaking, children make babbling sounds when they’re only a few months old that get more and more word-like as they near their first birthday.
Children also participate in back-and-forth games (e.g., blowing raspberries, peek-a-boo, etc.), joint attention (i.e., looking in the same direction as a caregiver), and gestures (e.g., pointing). These preverbal skills support later conversational turn-taking and interaction.
If your child is not meeting any of these milestones, seek an evaluation right away. You do not want to “wait and see.”
What the evaluation looks like
The evaluation process for a developmental language disorder will depend on the age and needs of your child. However, most children will be administered both standardized and non-standardized assessments. Standardized assessments are norm-referenced, meaning the test developers administered the test to a sample of children to get an idea of how children the same age as your child performed on the test. A typical language test may include a variety of pictures and spoken directions given to your child. Your child may be asked to point to certain pictures or respond verbally to demonstrate comprehension of a task.
As the caregiver/guardian, you may also be asked to fill out a checklist about your child’s language use at home, including the use of vocabulary, grammar, and complete sentences within a variety of communicative purposes (e.g., asking, commenting, responding). I will also do what is called a language sample to evaluate your child’s use of language in functional, everyday activities, such as while talking or telling stories. As I do this, I will take note of any vocabulary or grammatical difficulties I notice, in order to make a specific treatment plan for your child.
What treatment looks like
Treatment will also vary depending on the age and needs of your child. I may use a play-based or picture/story-based approach to engage your child in language-rich activities to promote development of their target language skills.
For example, if your child is struggling with grammar or sentence structure, I may use pictures to help your child make a sentence about what a person is doing or did in a picture, while targeting certain grammatical structures (e.g., verbs, pronouns, etc.) If your child does not use a target from appropriately (e.g., past tense-ed), I will model the correct form by recasting (saying what your child said in the appropriate way.
To improve your child’s vocabulary skills, I may help your child talk about and describe words or pictures. This will expand your child’s understanding of the meaning of the target word and its relationship to other words. I may also help your child tell or retell stories by implementing tools that teach each part of a story (e.g., character, setting, problem, feeling, action, ending, and ending feeling).
All of these skills will be scaffolded and supported using strategies that have been empirically studied for the development of language within children who have developmental language disorders. Children with developmental language disorders often need additional, repeated, meaningful exposures to their specific language targets, in order to learn them.
How to get started
Contact me today for an evaluation. I will give you a written report of any diagnosis and treatment plan.