Webinars & Educational Videos / Expressive Language Difficulties

Expressive Language Difficulties: When Your Child Knows What to Say but Can’t Find the Words

What expressive language difficulty looks like at home and school, how it connects to reading and writing, and what you can do next.

Educational video

Run time: about 6 minutes

From iReading Tutor

About This Video

Many parents notice that their child has a great idea but stops mid-sentence and says “the thing, you know, that thing.” In this short video, iReading Tutor explains what expressive language is, what it can look like at home and school, and why it is so often mistaken for shyness or misbehavior. It also shares how common developmental language disorder is, citing the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (about one in 14 kindergarten-aged children).

The video then connects spoken language to reading and writing, explains when to ask for an evaluation by a speech-language pathologist, and offers four simple strategies you can use right away: give wait time, expand what your child says, talk through the day in order, and read picture books together.

Key Takeaways

  • Expressive language is what a child can say. A child can understand everything and still have trouble getting their own thoughts out.

  • Signs include word-finding pauses, short or simple sentences, frequent grammar mistakes, and stories that are hard to follow.

  • It is not laziness, a lack of intelligence, or caused by parenting, and it is often mistaken for shyness or misbehavior.

  • Spoken language is the foundation of reading and writing, so language difficulties often show up on paper too.

  • If you keep noticing the signs, ask your pediatrician or the school for a speech-language evaluation. Early support helps most, but it helps at any age.

Frequently asked questions

What is expressive language difficulty, and what does it look like?

Expressive language is what a child can say using words, sentences, and stories to share their thinking. A child with expressive language difficulty may understand everything but struggle to find the right word, use short or simple sentences, make frequent grammar mistakes, pause often, or tell stories that jump around and are hard to follow.

Is expressive language difficulty caused by laziness, low intelligence, or parenting?

No. Developmental language disorder is a real difference in how a child’s brain learns and uses language. It is not laziness, not a lack of intelligence, and not caused by how a parent talks or parents. It is often missed because children may look shy, go quiet, or hide the difficulty, and many bright, creative children have it.

When should I get an evaluation, and what can I do at home in the meantime?

If you keep noticing word-finding pauses, grammar mistakes, hard-to-follow stories, or frustration when your child explains something, ask for an evaluation by a speech-language pathologist through your pediatrician or a written request to the school. At home, give wait time, expand on what your child says, talk through the day in first, next, and last order, and read picture books together.

Does your child know what to say but can’t find the words?

We help families understand how language, reading, and writing fit together. Book a free consultation, call 561-418-6856, or email [email protected].

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