Children may face a normal speech delay in childhood. However, this is vastly different from the language problems of a special needs child. In this type of disorder, children have problems with expression or comprehension of speech or other forms of language. The most common disorder which has language developmental impairing as a correlate is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. SLI (Speech Language Impairment) is another disorder in which a child displays language disorders.Here you can know about the common language related problems in special needs children.

The various types of disorders where language related problems can be experienced are-

• Auditory processing disorder
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Developmental verbal dyspraxia
• Mixed expressive-receptive language disorder

The various types in which language-related problems can manifest itself are stated below-

Syntax Problems:

Many children facing language related problems may have extreme difficulty in understanding the syntax of a sentence. The grammar-related structuring of a sentence is beyond their grasp. The combination of certain groups of words into one meaningful sentence is termed as syntax.

For example, instead of ‘she fell in the ditch’, they may write ‘she falled in the ditch’ or ‘It rains. I wear raincoat.’

Semantics Problems: Many children face semantic difficulties. This refers to the understanding of the meaning behind everyday words. Children facing semantics difficulty may have problems finding the appropriate words for using or a limited vocabulary. Difficulty finding words while required can also be termed as a semantic problem.

A child facing semantics problems can write statements such as- ‘I getted the milk out off the fridge and putted them into me coffee.’ ‘Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.’ ‘Cocaine users are turning to ice.’

These are a few examples of semantics errors made by children with language-related problems.

Pragmatics: Pragmatics refers to the ability of a child to convey his ideas and maintain a conversation with peers. All forms of conversations like requesting, commenting, asking, excusing, demanding, blaming, thanking or denying. Children facing problems with pragmatics may not be able to understand the social patterns of speech. For example, a conversation of a child experiencing problems with pragmatics can be found below-

A- ‘I have a headache’ B- ‘Do you have any medicines?’ A- ‘My mother broke her leg on the icy sidewalk’ In this scenario, A has a problem understanding the question put up by B and feels like a general comment is an appropriate response.

Metalinguistics: Children having problems with metalinguistics can experience difficulty understanding jokes, rhetorical questions, sarcasms, irony, taunts or other finer aspects of a language.

Auditory processing: Children experiencing difficulty in language and speech may be experiencing auditory problems as well. Since speech starts with hearing, children having problems with auditory processing can experience language related difficulties. The areas involved are the auditory memory, attention, speed of analysis and processing of auditory stimuli and discriminating between different auditory stimuli. Children experiencing such difficulties can have problems in understanding directions or listening to something fast.

Metacognition: This refers to an individual’s ability for thinking on a particular topic to understand the conversation and process it.

Children experiencing such language-related problems must be paid special attention. Steps for treatment should be determined with the presence of language analysts and other related professionals.