Understanding Language
Being able to understand what others are talking about involves knowing what words mean, relating words to other words and following instructions, understanding questions and interpreting and making sense of information.
To be able to understand and make sense of language, children also need to be able to focus on what others are saying, pick out key parts and hold information in their heads whilst they process it. They do this whilst also trying to formulate language to say and plan actions and responses based on what they are being told or asked.
Things that can impact on how well children understand:
- Reduced attention and listening
- Being distracted
- Difficulties with memory
- Not knowing what words mean
- Having too much information to process
- Overall level of development
- Missing out on the subtleties of language and finding it hard to read between the lines
How children may present when they have difficulties understanding:
- Responding in the wrong way
- Switching off and getting easily distracted
- Relying on others to copy or get clues from
- Struggling with tasks or learning
How to help children understand language
Slow down: Give children time to listen and process what is being said. If you slow down your talking and leave pauses between phrases, children will find it easier to keep up.
Keep it simple: As you talk, give little explanations of words, or choose easier / more familiar words to avoid tricky words getting in the way of the child following what you are saying. E.g. ‘habitat, that’s a place where something lives’.
Keep it short: By keeping instructions and explanations short, children will find it easier to follow what you are saying. Less is more. The more they hear the more they have to remember and the more muddled up things are likely to get.
Break things up: If you are asking your child to do a few things, or explaining something that’s tricky, try to break things down into smaller chunks or single steps. Give your child time to complete the first step before telling them something else.
E.g. ‘Get your bag’ (give time for child to go and get their bag), ‘Now find your reading book.
Repeat repeat repeat: It takes a lot of practice to understand words and concepts and for them to ‘set in’ to your child’s head. If you give an instruction more than once, your child has more opportunities to pick up on what they have to do.
Help them make links: An important part of learning language is being able to make links between words and ideas. Try to explain how things link together and look for things that go together. Talk about things that are the ‘same’ and things that are ‘different’. For example, when watching a cow chomping on grass in a field, talk about the parts of the cow, what it’s doing, where it is and how those things are the same or different from other animals we see.
Check understanding: Avoid asking your child if they understand (they will probably say yes, even when they don’t). Children with language problems can be very clever at hiding their difficulties. Ask your child to show or tell you what words mean or what they have to do.