LANGUAGE

Disorders
on the basis of developmental neuropsychology
 Table of contents

01 Introduction 03 Receptive language

disorder

Expressive language Types

02 disorders 04
 Introduction
 Language disorders or language impairments
are disorders that involve the processing of
linguistic information.

 Problems that may be experienced can involve

grammar (syntax and/or morphology),
semantics (meaning), or other aspects of
language.
 These problems may be receptive (involving
impaired language comprehension), expressive
(involving language production), or a combination of
both.

 Examples include specific language impairment and

aphasia, among others.

 Language disorders can affect both spoken and

written language, and can also affect sign language;
typically, all forms of language will be impaired.
 Receptive Language Disorder

• Receptive Language Disorder is the understanding of

language ‘’Input’’.

• Receptive language means the ability to understand

and comprehend language heard or read.

• A receptive language disorder is an impairment in the

comprehension of a spoken, written, gestural or other
symbol system.

• It also effects the social and academic life in

understanding the message coming from others.
. Symptoms of receptive language disorder:

There is no standard set of symptoms that indicates receptive language

disorder, since it varies from one child to the next.

However, symptoms may include:

 not seeming to listen when they are spoken to
 appearing to lack interest when storybooks are read to them
 inability to understand complicated sentences
 inability to follow verbal instructions
 parroting words or phrases of things that are said to them (echolalia)
 language skills below the expected level for their age.
 Expressive Language Disorder

o Expressive Language Disorder is a Communication

disorder in which there are difficulties with spoken or
written expression.

o Expressive language is most simply the ‘output’ of

language.

o This include not only words, but also the grammar

rules that indicate how words are combined into
phrases, sentences and paragraphs as well as the
use of gestures and facial expressions.
Symptoms of expressive language disorder:

Children with an expressive language disorder have problem using

language to express what they are thinking or need. These children
may ;
· Have a difficulty finding the right words when talking.
· Have a hard time putting words together into sentences, or their
sentences may be simple, short and the word order may be off.
· Have a vocabulary that is below the level of other children the
same age.
· Leave words out of sentences when talking.
 Use certain phrases over and over again.
 Frustration. 
 
 Types of Language Disorders:

 Sensory impairments   Apraxia Dyslexia


Autism Specific language
impairment

Dysgraphia Stuttering

ADHD
 Sensory impairments
There are two types of sensory impairments:

1.Blindness 2.Deafness

 Blindness – A link between communication skills and visual

impairment with children who are blind is currently being
investigated. It impairs ones speech ability. One cannot recognize
gestures and facial expressions.
 Deafness/frequent ear infections – Trouble with hearing during
language acquisition may lead to spoken language problems.
Children who suffer from frequent ear infections may temporarily
develop problems pronouncing words correctly. 
 Apraxia
 Apraxia is a general term.

 It can cause problems in parts of the body, such as arms and legs.

 Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder. It is caused by damage to the parts of the brain
related to speaking.

 People with apraxia of speech have trouble sequencing the sounds in syllables and words. The
severity depends on the nature of the brain damage.

 Symptoms of Apraxia: difficulty imitating speech sounds , difficulty imitating non-speech

movements (oral apraxia), such as sticking out their tongue , groping when trying to produce
sounds, in severe cases, an inability to produce sound at all , inconsistent errors, slow rate of
speech, somewhat preserved ability to produce "automatic speech" (rote speech), such as
greetings like "How are you?"
 Dyslexia and Dysgraphia
 Dyslexia or developmental reading disorder is characterized by difficulty
with learning to read fluently and with accurate comprehension despite
normal or above average intelligence.

 This include difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding,

pressing speed, orthographic coding, auditory short term memory language
skills/ verbal comprehension and rapid naming.

 Dyslexia is the most common learning difficulty and most recognizing

reading disorder.

 Just having bad handwriting means a person has dysgraphia. Since

dysgraphia is processing disorder difficulties can change throughout lifetime.
However since writing is a developmental process. Children learn the motor
skills needed to write, while learning the thinking skills needed to
communicate on paper- difficulties can overlap.
 Specific language impairment

 Specific language impairment (SLI) is a developmental language

disorder among children that has no known cause and cannot be
attributed to any physical or intellectual disability, environmental factors
such as deprivation, hearing loss, or any other underlying etiology.

 SLI is characterized by abnormal development of language that includes

a delay in the onset of language, simplification of grammatical structures
and difficulty with grammatical morphology, limited vocabulary, and
problems understanding complex language.
 Children with SLI tend to begin speaking at a later age and have a
smaller vocabulary than their peers.

  Among the language disorders that are present during childhood, SLI is
one of the most prevalent, affecting roughly 7% of children. 
 While children with specific language impairment have difficulty with
language production, they are noted to have normal levels of
intelligence.
 Autism

 Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder

characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal
and non-verbal communication, and by restricted and
repetitive behavior.

 The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become

apparent before a child is three years old.

 Autism affects information processing in the brain by

altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect
and organize; how this occurs is not well understood. 
 ADHD

 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the

most common childhood disorders and can continue through
adolescence and adulthood.

 Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention,

difficulty controlling behaviour, and hyperactivity (over-activity).

 Children who have symptoms of inattention may: Be easily

distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one
activity to another. Have difficulty focusing on one thing. Become
bored with a task after only a few minutes. Have difficulty focusing
attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something
new.
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