Language disorders are due to a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects both the acquisition and development of oral language. It can affect the expressive, comprehension or both areas. It is characterized by being heterogeneous, i.e., we will not find two equal TLE (symptoms vary from one child to another both in intensity and in form and may involve one or more components of language, phonetic, phonological, pragmatic, semantic and / or morphosyntactic).
What causes language disorders?
The organic causes that generate this disorder are still unknown, but there are recent studies that speak of the importance of genetic load; between 50-70% of children with TLE have a family member with the same disorder and alterations have also been found in the FOXP2 gene known as the language gene.
As for the psychological causes, we can speak of low environmental stimulation:
- children receive little stimulation;
- low socio-cultural level of the environment;
- chromosomal alterations;
- poorly integrated bilingualism
- other causes, such as autism, premature birth, intellectual disability…
What is the usual symptomatology of a language disorder?
A distinction must be made between symptoms that alter language development – receptive language, inability to understand what others say; expressive, inability to express thoughts and ideas; mixed, inability to understand and use spoken language; phonological disorder – inability to use certain speech sounds, errors in production, representation and/or use of sounds; stuttering – alteration in fluency and organization of words.
How are they diagnosed?
It is important to rule out that there are no hearing problems that could affect language. Likewise, the only way to diagnose TLE is through an evaluation, with specialists such as neuropsychologists and speech therapists.
Schools perform these tests free of charge so that young children are evaluated by the early intervention system of their state and adults are evaluated privately.
What is the difference between language disorder and learning disability?
Learning disability is defined as a set of obstacles or disorders that interfere in the normal development of children’s activities (TLE would be included within learning disabilities), preventing the achievement of the proposed objectives. Such learning problems occur when academic performance in the areas of reading, writing or arithmetic is significantly lower than expected for their age.
- Reading: Reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension.
- Writing: Spelling, grammar and organization of written ideas.
- Math: Numerical information processing, arithmetic operations, and lack of correct or fluent computation.
How can language disorders be treated?
As we have seen above, TLE do not have a specific symptomatology since they can present in different forms, severity and entail different problems for the people who suffer from them. Likewise, it is very important to start treatment as soon as possible.
Besides resorting to therapies with a speech therapist or neuropsychologist, here are some tips to help a child at home where it is necessary:
- Communicate with him as much as possible, listen to music, sing, listen to him and avoid finishing sentences for him, give him his time to finish them.
- Reading should be done in an interactive way, talking about what has been read, drawings, characters….
As for the school, programs should be established to stop language difficulties that make early intervention possible in case it is needed. The role of the teacher is vital for the normal development of the child, since he/she intervenes as a mediator in the learning process and helps the child to normalize in school life.