Expressive and receptive language
Expressive language is the way a child communicates their wants and needs. It is a broad term that encompasses both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Expressive language skills include:
- facial expressions
- gestures
- intentionality
- vocabulary, semantics (word/sentence meaning)
- morphology, and syntax (grammar rules)
Receptive language describes the comprehension of language. Comprehension involves attention, listening, and processing the message to gain information. Areas of receptive language skills include:
- attention
- receptive vocabulary
- following directions, and
- understanding questions.
We being with an evaluation to get a complete look at a child’s expressive and receptive language skills. From there, we are able to determine the best form of therapy for the child if there is a language delay, expressive language disorder or receptive language disorder.
Our therapy approach may involve pretend play, craft/cooking activities, seasonal/thematic activities, and/or games. We keep our sessions fun and engaging for each child in order to keep them motivated and interested. We work with families to determine the most compatible way for them to carry over at home. For some families, that may be a homework sheet. For others, it may be playing a board game together that targets their child’s goals. We find if we can provide activities that match the family’s lifestyle we are more likely to get carryover at home and thus more progress seen.