Receptive Language

People of all ages may experience challenges understanding what they hear. This is called “receptive language”. 

If your child has a receptive language disorder, he/she may have trouble with:

• Following directions

• Answering questions

• Understanding what gestures mean

• Identifying objects and pictures

• Taking turns talking with others

These challenges may be perceived as a child not paying attention or not being compliant, when in fact they may just be struggling to understand what is being shared with them. Additionally, children may struggle to read and understand what they read. 

Adults may also experience difficulties with receptive language. This can be due to a stroke, brain injury or degenerative illness, such as Parkinson’s Disease or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). An individual might only have trouble understanding verbal/auditory information, or processing written information/reading, or both modalities may be impacted.  They may benefit from information being repeated, simplified, supported with gestures or body language, or additional written/visual details to aid their comprehension. 

A qualified Speech-Language Pathologist can help individuals of any age with their receptive language challenges!