Language Disorders in Children

Generally speaking, we look at children’s language development in terms of how well they can communicate (expressive language) and how well they can understand what is said to them (receptive language). Children can have deficits in one area or in both. 

There are certain milestones that can help you determine whether your child is developing language skills at a pace similar to his peers. By around 12 months, babies usually say their first meaningful word. At this age and in the next few months they begin to understand short, simple requests and questions. By 18 months, they have a few short words and can point to common objects that you name. By 24 months, babies usually have a vocabulary of 50 words and can put two-word phrases together (“dog go”). These skills continue to develop incrementally; by age 5 a child can participate in a conversation using complex and compound sentences, understand sequencing, and follow three-step directions.

If your child has trouble understanding what is said to them in a way that seems markedly different from peers, it might be time to seek an evaluation of their receptive language skills. Signs of a potential receptive language disorder might include difficulty with: understanding what is said to them, learning new vocabulary words, following directions, or answering questions appropriately.

If your child seems to have difficulty expressing themselves compared to their peers, it might be time to consider an assessment of their expressive language skills. Signs of an expressive language disorder might include trouble with: putting sentences together appropriately, telling stories coherently, sharing ideas, asking questions, or naming objects. 

What Does Online Speech Therapy for a Language Disorder Look Like?

Language therapy will look a little different, depending on your child’s particular needs. Receptive language therapy might focus on helping your child answer questions appropriately (understanding the difference between “what” and “where,” for example); follow directions (increasing in difficulty: “point to the dog” vs “point to the black dog” vs. “point to the black dog next to the white cat” for example); increase vocabulary; and understand figurative language. Expressive language therapy could target increasing the length of your child’s sentences; use grammatically correct sentences; learn and use new vocabulary words; and answer questions appropriately.

Online language therapy has been shown to be as effective as in-person therapy. Your child’s speech-language therapist will use games and other engaging activities to make it as fun and effective as possible. They will also provide worksheets and practice activities for you to work on between your online sessions. To learn more about how this works, check out our article, “Online Speech Therapy — Everything You Need to Know.”