Receptive language skills

Receptive language is the “input” of language, the ability to understand and comprehend spoken language that you hear or read. For example, a child’s ability to listen and follow directions (e.g. “put on your coat”) relies on the child’s receptive language skills. In typical development, children are able to understand language before they are able to produce it. Children who are unable to comprehend language may have receptive language difficulties or a receptive language disorder.

Why is receptive language (understanding words and language) important?

Receptive language is important in order to communicate successfully. Children who have understanding difficulties may find it challenging to follow instructions at home or within the educational setting and may not respond appropriately to questions and requests. Within the school setting, difficulties in understanding may lead to attention and listening difficulties and/or behavioural issues. As most activities require a good understanding of language, it may also make it difficult for a child to access the curriculum or engage in the activities and academic tasks required for their year level of school.

Examples of receptive language at different age levels (0-5 years)

·        0-1 years: Respond to their name, follows simple directions, Recognizes a few basic words (e.g., "mama," "dada," "no").

·        1-2 years: Understands up to 50 words, can point to a few body parts when asked (e.g., "Where is your nose?"), recognizes common objects (like "ball" or "cup"), Follows simple two-step directions (e.g., "Pick up the toy and give it to me"). Understands the concept of "more" or "all gone”.

·        2-3 years: Understands around 300 words. Can follow multi-step directions (e.g., "Go to your room, get your book, and bring it here"). Can identify basic colours and shapes when named.

Recognizes and responds to questions about familiar routines or objects (e.g., "What do you eat?").

·        3-4 years: Can follow three-step directions (e.g., "Get your shoes, put them on, and come to the door"). Can answer simple questions about familiar stories and events (e.g., "What did you do today?"). Understands concepts such as "big" vs. "small" and can categorize objects (e.g., "What are you wearing?").

·        4-5 Years: Can understand and respond to more complex instructions and questions. Can follow rules in games (e.g., "If I say 'red,' you have to jump!"). Begins to understand basic why questions (e.g., "Why do we wear coats?"). Can follow longer narratives and understand simple stories or instructions without needing visual aids.

Children who have difficulty understanding language may struggle with the following:

·        Following directions

·        Understanding what gestures mean

·        Answering questions

·        Identifying objects and pictures

·        Reading comprehension

·        Understanding a story

Receptive language development is influenced by a variety of factors, including the amount and quality of language exposure, the richness of the language environment, and individual differences in language processing abilities. Children who grow up in language-rich environments—where adults and caregivers frequently engage in conversation, interact meaningfully, and expose them to a diverse range of vocabulary—are more likely to develop robust receptive language skills.

What are the building blocks necessary to develop receptive language?

·        Attention and concentration

·        Pre-language skills

·        Social skills

·        Play skills

Key aspects of a language-rich environment include:

·        Engagement in Conversations: Frequent interactions that involve listening and responding help children understand language context and nuances.

·        Diverse Language Exposure: Hearing different speakers and varied styles of communication fosters adaptability in understanding language and meaning.

·        Reading Together: Shared reading experiences introduce children to new vocabulary, concepts, and sentence structures, enhancing their ability to comprehend language.

·        Overall, a combination of interactive communication, varied language exposure, and shared reading plays a crucial role in strengthening children's receptive language abilities.

Key Areas of Receptive Language

When discussing receptive language, there are four key areas to consider, which form the foundation for understanding and interpreting communication effectively

• Receptive vocabulary: It is the ability to understand vocabulary. This is a simple but yet very powerful receptive language skill. Vocabulary is like the bricks in the process of learning. Vocabulary is essential for understanding. Children can be able to say what they want to say. Having a large vocabulary enables a child to comprehend and use language. Content makes up a large portion of our communication. It's the foundation upon which your entire understanding of grammar relies. Without a solid grasp of words, there is no way to progress to more complex sentence constructions. The more words a child has, the easier it is to link it with words. The more words, the better the ability to understand things. If we don’t understand words, we can’t follow directions, understand stories, participate in conversations, or express our ideas effectively.

•  Following Directions: For a child to follow a direction (e.g.: “Open the door”) child must know

·        direction words (open)

·        vocabulary (child must know what a door is, in order to open it).

·        child should have adequate attention needed to listen to a direction.

·        child should have adequate short-term memory needed to listen to, comprehend and retain information long enough to carry out a direction.

•  Understanding questions: Understanding questions refers to a child’s ability to answer “WH” questions such as who, where, when, what, what doing, why, and how. This is a CRUCIAL skill necessary to demonstrate academic knowledge, participate in conversations with teachers/peers, socialize, make friends, etc…. This ability depends on many foundational language skills such as

·        Auditory Attention & Listening Comprehension: The child must be able to pay attention to the speaker, hear the question clearly, and understand the spoken words and sentence structure. Difficulty in this area is a major barrier.

·        Vocabulary: A strong vocabulary is essential. The child needs to understand the words within the question (e.g., "Where is ball?" requires knowledge of what a "ball" is) and also be able to formulate an answer using appropriate words.

·        Syntax & Grammar: Understanding the sentence structure of the question helps the child interpret what information is being requested.

·        Memory (Working & Short-Term): The child needs to remember the question while they process it and formulate an answer. Working memory helps in holding information while manipulating it.

·        Executive Functioning (Attention, Inhibition, Flexibility): The child needs to focus on the relevant information, inhibit irrelevant thoughts, and be flexible in their thinking to find the correct answer.

·        Pragmatic Language: Understanding social cues and the context in which the question is asked. This can help narrow down the possible answers.

·        Specific comprehension skills for each “wh” question: Understanding that "who" refers to a person or people, "what" refers to an object, action, event, or idea, "what" refers to an object, action, event, or idea; "where" refers to a location or place; "when" refers to a time; "why" asks for a reason or cause; "how" asks for a manner, method, or process.

·        Problem-Solving & Inferencing

•  Understanding grammar: It is the ability to understand grammatical structures and rules (in word and sentence level). This is crucial for receptive language development, like understanding nouns, pronouns (he, she), verbs and tenses (jumped, jumping, will jump), prepositions, sentence structure (who is doing what in a sentence, understanding word order in a sentence), negation (understanding not in sentences), differentiating yes/no and wh questions. If a child has trouble understanding grammar, they may have:

·        Trouble following directions

·        Answer questions incorrectly

·        Unable to produce grammatically correct sentences

·        Misunderstand stories

·        Limited vocabulary

·        Simplified speech

·        Underutilisation of pronouns

·        Overall communication challenges