Why Does My Child Have Trouble Understanding What People Say?

Does your child have persistent difficulties in the use of language across modalities (e.g., spoken, written, sign language) due to a lack of comprehension or production that includes reduced vocabulary?

Does your child have persistent difficulties in the use of language across modalities (e.g., spoken, written, sign language) due to a lack of comprehension or production that includes restricted sentence structure (ability to put words and their endings together to form sentences based on correct grammar use and morphology)?

Does your child have persistent difficulties in the use of language across modalities (e.g., spoken, written, sign language) due to a lack of comprehension or production that includes impairments in discourse (ability to use vocabulary and connect sentences to have a conversation)?

Are his language abilities below those expected for age, resulting in limitations in effective communication, social participation, academic achievement, or occupational performance, individually or in any combination?

Did the symptoms start to show in the early developmental period?

Based on your answers, it is unlikely that your child has a disorder related to language. Communication is a complicated thing. You need to follow what people say and then you need to understand it. Kids who struggle with one or both of these skills, may misunderstand what others say. It is common that kids don’t listen or not always follow directions, but if your child does these things a lot, there may be reason for concern. There are several things that can cause a delay in language development, such as hearing problems, brain injury and a problem with the central nervous system. It may also happen that language problems accompany other developmental issues, such as autism and a learning disability.

Based on your answers, your child is showing some signs related to a language disorder. It may be recommended to plan a visit to the doctor. Understanding what people say requires many skills, such as paying attention, know the meaning of the words, remember what was said, and understand the tone of voice. If kids don’t understand what was said, they may not respond or answer with something that is not related to what the other person said. Sometimes this is just part of normal development of language. But if several of these behaviors are persistent and don’t get better, it may be a sign of language disorder. The doctor will carry out a full exam to rule out other conditions (e.g., hearing problem).

Unfortunately, your child is displaying the symptoms typically seen among kids who have language disorder. However, you can only make this 100% sure by talking to your doctor about your child’s symptoms. The doctor will examine your child’s history, he will do some observations in different contexts, and he will give him several tests of language ability. Language disorder can also be caused by a hearing problem, by a motor dysfunction or by global developmental delay. The doctor will make sure to rule out other underlying conditions before making a diagnosis. For children the most common treatment is speech and language therapy. Remember: language disorder is not always related to a lack of intelligence.