Language Development Delay

Children may present with difficulties in developing language. There are many different areas of language development in which children can benefit from language therapy.

Language can be loosely divided into Receptive Language and Expressive Language. Receptive language refers to comprehension, the way we receive and understand words and sentences. Expressive language refers to the way in which we use words and sentences to express ourselves.

Some children have delays in both comprehension and expression. Others have difficulty in one of these areas. You might feel that your child can understand what you are saying, but he is not using many words or sentences compared to other children his age. Conversely, you might feel that your child can talk quite well, but doesn't seem to listen to you, follow your instructions or remember what you told him.

Better Start Speech Pathologists are qualified and experienced in assessing children's oral language skills. We use the latest assessments to look at language skills such as:

Understanding and responding to questions

Understanding concepts

Following instructions

Using appropriate grammar

Using a wide vocabulary

Remembering information

Repeating information

Telling a story about what happened

Constructing different types of sentences

You may be concerned about your child's language skills or perhaps your child's teacher or carer has suggested a speech pathology assessment. We can offer therapy to target the particular areas in which your child is experiencing difficulty. It is important to know that oral language is a major precursor to literacy success. Children with language difficulties will very often experience difficultly in school. Targeted therapy is the best course of action for children with delayed language skills. Better Start's language skills service is avaliable across Adelaide and surrounding suburbs.