Parents

What are communication difficulties?

Communication difficulties can take many forms, but they mainly impact on a child’s ability in one or more of the following areas:

  • listening and attention
  • play and interaction
  • understanding of language (comprehension)
  • talking (expressive language)
  • speech (pronunciation)

Indicators of difficulties in these areas change as the child ages and develops. Below are some signs that your child may be experiencing a communication difficulty, split by age.

0 – 12 months

  • No babble (e.g. ba ba ma ma)
  • Limited noises made
  • Not Pointing
  • Not enjoying physical contact
  • Not interacting with people
  • Limited eye contact
  • Not turning towards sounds or voices
  • Difficulties sucking, eating, drinking, chewing, swallowing

1 – 2 years

  • None or very few words spoken
  • Words begin to develop and then stop, or children ‘lose’ words
  • Not hearing, listening or understanding
  • No pretend (imaginative) play
  • No shared interest in toys
  • Rocking body, flapping hands, staring at lights
  • Difficulties with feeding

2 – 3 years

  • Few single words
  • Not linking words together (e.g. Mummy’s car outside?)
  • Uses learnt and repetitive phrases only (e.g. copying TV programmes)
  • Not able to concentrate on self chosen activities
  • Not starting to play with other children
  • Not responding to adult direction in play
  • Repetitive play i.e: lining up toys
  • Hoarse voice or Stammering

3 – 4 years

  • Not using at least 3 word sentences
  • Sentences used are echoed / repetitive
  • Difficult to understand most of the time
  • Hardly ever responds to adults during play
  • Rarely interacts with other children
  • Not able to concentrate for more than a few minutes
  • Hoarse voice or Stammering

4 – 5 years

  • Limited vocabulary
  • Not responding appropriately to questions and instructions
  • Unable to describe a sequence of events
  • No meaningful conversation
  • Fixates on certain topics of conversation
  • Difficulty making friends
  • Hoarse voice or Stammering.

The following are indicators that a school-age child might be experiencing communication difficulties:

  • Have immature social skills
  • Behave or sound like a younger child
  • Difficulty making and maintaining friendships
  • Find following instructions independently difficult, tending to copy other children
  • Do the wrong thing
  • Struggle to listen well
  • Miss what’s said to them
  • Know and use fewer words
  • Talk in shorter sentences
  • Have difficulty pronouncing a range of sounds
  • Hoarse voice or stammering