Expressive Language (Using Words and

Language)
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What is expressive language

(using words and language)?

Expressive language is the use of words, sentences, gestures and writing to convey meaning and
messages to others. Expressive language skills include being able to label objects in the
environment, describe actions and events, put words together in sentences, use grammar
correctly (e.g. “I had a drink” not “Me drinked”), retell a story, answer questions and write short
story.

Why is expressive language (using words and language) important?

Expressive language is important because it enables children to be able to express their wants
and needs, thoughts and ideas, argue a point of view, develop their use of language in writing
and engage in successful interactions with others.

What are the building blocks necessary to develop expressive language (using words and
language)?

 Receptive language (understanding): Comprehension of language.

 Attention and concentration: Sustained effort, doing activities without distraction and
being able to hold that effort long enough to get the task done.
  Pre-language skills: The ways in which we communicate without using words and
include things such as gestures, facial expressions, imitation, joint attention and eye
contact.
 Play skills: Voluntary engagement in self motivated activities that are normally
associated with pleasure and enjoyment where the activities may be, but are not
necessarily, goal oriented.
 Pragmatics: The way language is used within social situations.
 Motivation and desire to communicate with others.
 Fine motor skills in order to be able to develop alternative forms of expressive language,
such as signing, if verbal language is not developing.

How can you tell if my child has problems with expressive language (using words and
language)?

If a child has difficulties with expressive language they might:

 Have difficulty naming items and objects.

 Not link together words or uses sentences that are shorter than others of the same age.
 Use sentences that sound immature for their age.
 Use ‘jargon’ (made up words) in speech.
 Produce sentences that are ‘muddled’ (i.e. words in wrong order, lots of stops and starts,
a lack of flow).
 Not be understood by unfamiliar people.
 Have difficulty finding the right words to use in conversation or when describing or
explaining something.
 Have trouble retelling a story.
 Have difficulty writing paragraphs and stories.

*These difficulties will vary from child to child dependent on their age.

What other problems cam occur when a child has difficulties with expressive language
(using words and language)?

When a child has expressive language difficulties, they might also have difficulties with:

 Behaviour: The child’s actions, usually in relation to their environment (e.g. frustration
due not being understood by others).
 Receptive language (understanding): Comprehension of language.
 Participation: Participating in group or class discussions.
 Completing academic tasks
  Social skills: Determined by the ability to engage in reciprocal interaction with others
(either verbally or non-verbally), to compromise with others, and be able to recognize
and follow social norms.
 Writing stories in a logical sequence with appropriate detail and grammar.
 Literacy: Reading and writing
 Fluency: The smoothness or flow with which sounds, syllables, words and phrases are
produced when talking.
 Hearing
 Planning and sequencing: The sequential multi-step task/activity performance to
achieve a well-defined result.
 Executive functioning: Higher order reasoning and thinking skills.
 Sensory processing: Accurate registration, interpretation and response to sensory
stimulation in the environment and one’s own body.

What can be done to improve expressive language (using words and language)?

 Play: ·For the young child engage in play with the child on a regular basis, model how to
play with toys, follow the child’s lead and talk about what they are doing with the toys..
 Talk to the child often throughout the day about what you are doing, where you are
going, what you are going to do, what you have just done.
 Turn off background noise in the home (e.g. television, radio, music).
 Face-to-face: Get face to face with the child when talking so that the child can watch
your mouth to imitate how to produce words.
 Expand the language the child is using by repeating what they are saying and adding
one or two more words to their utterance (·e.g. child: “Dog”;adult: “A big dog”).
 Books: Look at books together that the child is interested in and talk about the pictures
and/or the story.
 Model ·back to the child utterances that they have said incorrectly in the correct way
(e.g. child: “Me want that one”; adult: “I want red apple please”).

What activities can help improve expressive language?

 Name items together when looking at a book, in the car, looking outside, in play, while
they are playing, whilst shopping.
 Choice-making: Offer the child choices so that they are encouraged to use words to
make a request rather than relying on gesture.
 Day-to-day activities: Engage in lots of “day-to-day” activities (e.g. going shopping, to
the park, to the zoo, to the museum) then talk about/draw/act out what you did and saw.
 Play something together that the child really enjoys and throughout the game model new
words and phrases.
 Look at books together and talk about what you see.
 Ask questions about what is happening in a story and why it is occurring.
  Sing songs together.
 Use pictures/drawings/photos to make a book or sequence of events and make up a
story about the pictures.
 Read stories to help model correct use of language.
 Write letters to friends.
 Pictures: Talk together about a picture and then write down what you said.

*Activities above would vary depending on the age and language level of the child.

Why should I seek therapy if I notice difficulties with expressive language in my child?

Therapeutic intervention to help a child with expressive language difficulties is important to:

 Improve the child’s ability to express their wants and needs.

 Improve the child’s ability to express their thoughts and ideas.
 Develop an ability to tell stories and relate events to others and participate in group
discussions..
 Improve the child’s ability to respond appropriately to questions.
 Expand the length of the child’s utterance.
 Develop the child’s vocabulary.
 Improve play skills to aid in expressive language development.
 Improve pre-language skills to aid in the development of expressive language.
 Help reduce frustration in a child who can’t get their message understood.
 Develop alternative forms of communicating (e.g. sign, picture exchange communication
system, voice output devices) if verbal language is not developing.

If left untreated what can difficulties with expressive language lead to?

When children have difficulties with expressive language, they might also have difficulties with:

 Forming friendships and engaging in social interactions.

 Completing higher level education.
 Applying for jobs in both an interview and written application.
 Developing reading and writing skills.
 Completing academic tasks.

What type of therapy is recommended for expressive language difficulties?

If your child has difficulties with using words and language, it is recommended they consult a
Speech Therapist.
If there are multiple areas of concern (i.e. beyond just using words and language) both
Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy may well be recommended to address the functional
areas of concern. This is the benefit of choosing Kid Sense which provides both Occupational
Therapy and Speech Therapy.

Other useful resources

 Receptive Language (understanding words and language)

 Language Disorder
 Language Delay
 Learning Difficulties

Speech-language pathologists often throw around the terms “expressive language” and
“receptive language” as though they are in everyone’s vocabulary. To clear up any confusion,
here are definitions for these terms in simple

language.

What is Receptive Language:

Receptive language is the understanding of language “input.” This includes the understanding of
both words and gestures. It goes beyond just vocabulary skills, but also the ability to interpret a
question as a question, the understanding of concepts like “on,” or accurately interpreting
complex grammatical forms (i.e. understanding that the phrase “The boy was kicked by the girl”
means that a girl did the kicking). A child typically develops receptive skills first, so you can
think of children as sponges who absorb the rules and use of language before they begin to
express themselves using each of these skills. (To learn more about receptive delays, click here.)

What is Expressive Language:

Expressive language is most simply the “output” of language, how one expresses his or her
wants and needs. This includes not only words, but also the grammar rules that dictate how
words are combined into phrases, sentences and paragraphs as well as the use of gestures and
facial expressions. It is important to make the distinction here between expressive language and
speech production. Speech production relates to the formulation of individual speech sounds
using one’s lips, teeth, and tongue. This is separate from one’s ability to formulate thoughts that
are expressed using the appropriate word or combination of words. If you have concerns about
your child’s development, consider both how they respond to directions you provide, as well as
the words and word combinations they use. Give credit to the gestural cues and facial
expressions that your child uses and reacts to as this is an early-developing and important skill. If
your concerns persist, seek out the advice of a speech pathologist who can evaluate your child
and determine if their development is on track, or whether therapy is warranted. And regardless
of your child’s skill set, keep talking and interacting with your child – however they are able.
Models are key in fostering the development of communication skills.
How does ASD affect communication?

The word “autism” has its origin in the Greek word “autos,” which means “self.” Children with
ASD are often self-absorbed and seem to exist in a private world in which they have limited
ability to successfully communicate and interact with others. Children with ASD may have
difficulty developing language skills and understanding what others say to them. They also often
have difficulty communicating nonverbally, such as through hand gestures, eye contact, and
facial expressions.

The ability of children with ASD to communicate and use language depends on their intellectual
and social development. Some children with ASD may not be able to communicate using speech
or language, and some may have very limited speaking skills. Others may have rich vocabularies
and be able to talk about specific subjects in great detail. Many have problems with the meaning
and rhythm of words and sentences. They also may be unable to understand body language and
the meanings of different vocal tones. Taken together, these difficulties affect the ability of
children with ASD to interact with others, especially people their own age.

Below are some patterns of language use and behaviors that are often found in children with
ASD.

 Repetitive or rigid language. Often, children with ASD who can speak will say things that have
no meaning or that do not relate to the conversations they are having with others. For example,
a child may count from one to five repeatedly amid a conversation that is not related to
numbers. Or a child may continuously repeat words he or she has heard—a condition called
echolalia. Immediate echolalia occurs when the child repeats words someone has just said. For
example, the child may respond to a question by asking the same question. In delayed echolalia,
the child repeats words heard at an earlier time. The child may say “Do you want something to
drink?” whenever he or she asks for a drink. Some children with ASD speak in a high-pitched or
sing-song voice or use robot-like speech. Other children may use stock phrases to start a
conversation. For example, a child may say, “My name is Tom,” even when he talks with friends
or family. Still others may repeat what they hear on television programs or commercials.
 Narrow interests and exceptional abilities. Some children may be able to deliver an in-depth
monologue about a topic that holds their interest, even though they may not be able to carry on
a two-way conversation about the same topic. Others may have musical talents or an advanced
ability to count and do math calculations. Approximately 10 percent of children with ASD show
“savant” skills, or extremely high abilities in specific areas, such as memorization, calendar
calculation, music, or math.
 Uneven language development. Many children with ASD develop some speech and language
skills, but not to a normal level of ability, and their progress is usually uneven. For example, they
may develop a strong vocabulary in a particular area of interest very quickly. Many children have
good memories for information just heard or seen. Some may be able to read words before age
five, but may not comprehend what they have read. They often do not respond to the speech of
others and may not respond to their own names. As a result, these children are sometimes
mistakenly thought to have a hearing problem.
 Poor nonverbal conversation skills. Children with ASD are often unable to use gestures—such
as pointing to an object—to give meaning to their speech. They often avoid eye contact, which
can make them seem rude, uninterested, or inattentive. Without meaningful gestures or other
nonverbal skills to enhance their oral language skills, many children with ASD become frustrated
in their attempts to make their feelings, thoughts, and needs known. They may act out their
frustrations through vocal outbursts or other inappropriate behaviors.