Understanding Spoken Language

Understanding spoken language is the ability to make sense of what another person says — the words themselves, how they fit together, and what the speaker wants you to do. A child might hear every word and still not have understood the message.

Think about an instruction like: "Before you put your shoes on, grab your reading book and pop it in your bag." That single sentence contains an order of events, several objects and an expectation about what to do first.

None of these on their own means a child has a difficulty. They are simply things worth noticing — and worth mentioning to school if you see them often.

• Does the first part of what you asked, but not the rest.
• Often asks "What did you say?" or "What do I do?"
• Watches brothers, sisters or other children to work out what's happening.
• Answers a slightly different question to the one you asked.
• Gets confused by words with more than one meaning (a bat, a table, running late).
• Understands much better when you show them as well as tell them.
• Finds it much harder when the room is noisy or busy.
• Can seem to switch off during long explanations.

• Assuming that not following an instruction means not trying.
• Long explanations while your child is already busy doing something else.
• Piling up questions one after another before they've answered the first.
• Reading a list of signs and concluding that your child has a particular condition — that is not something a checklist can tell you.

Home and school observations are far more useful together than apart. If you have concerns, it can help to share:

• What you notice at home.
• Situations where communication is easier.
• Situations where it becomes difficult.
• Strategies that appear to help.
• Changes you have noticed over time.

If school makes changes to how they communicate with your child, progress usually shows up in small, everyday ways rather than in test scores.

• Following instructions with less repetition.
• Starting a task more independently.
• Understanding and using new words.
• Asking when they haven't understood.
• Joining in with discussion more confidently.
• Showing what they know, even when explaining is hard.

We're building short, printable family guides to go alongside this one: Understanding Spoken Language at Home; Helping With Instructions; Supporting Vocabulary; Helping Your Child Explain What They Know; Communication and School; and Questions to Ask School.