Speech Pathology Services — Language Development

There are two parts of oral language development that speech-language pathologists are able to investigate:

  1. understanding of language (receptive language);

  2. use of language (expressive language).

Children can have developmental difficulties in one or both of these aspects of language development.

Understanding of language

This concerns how children are able to understand what is said to them by someone else. A child’s ability to understand longer and more complex sentences, as well as more abstract and less familiar words or vocabulary, increases as they get older.

Use of language

This relates to how children use words, make up sentences and construct conversations and spoken dialogues to convey meaning. A child’s ability to use more words and create longer and more complex sentences and conversations increases as they age. Some children may learn to use a lot of language but they may not always seem to grasp the social aspects of language understanding and language use.

Social or Conversational language understanding and use

Difficulties with social or conversational aspects of language understanding and use may be indicated in children who seem able to construct sentences well, and typically respond to spoken communication by others reasonably well, but who struggle with the more social or conversational areas of language. Speech-language pathologists are able to assist children with developmental needs in these areas.

You may wish to contact Solid Foundations if your child’s language development is of concern to you.