Your Child Might Have a Language Impairment

A third-grade teacher wrote me her observations that were full of language impairment warning signs. She explained, “Sara is a hard worker who seems to compensate.  She needs repeated practice and overlearning for the material to be remembered and mastered.   Sara’s parents work with her at home which has helped her but she still struggles.  Sara needs time to process and complete her own work. When she is confused about a question, she shuts down easily and it’s hard to get her moving forward to complete the task at hand.”  Sara’s mom brought her in for school neuropsychological testing to help her understand why Sara struggled.

Language Impairment Warning Signs

In our pre-evaluation phone conversation mom revealed that when Sara was in kindergarten, she had a public school individualized education program (IEP) for a speech language impairment.  However, Sara’s support from the speech therapist ended in second grade.  At home Sara still had difficulty understanding and following mom’s verbal directions and she explained when she asked a question, Sara would often shrug her shoulders and stand without saying anything. Mom explained it was like Sara could not find the words to speak. Sara could read fluently and accurately but she had difficulty with reading comprehension.

School Neuropsychological Testing & Results

My one-to-one testing revealed that Sara’s reading comprehension was so low she met the criteria for a learning disability.  The testing also showed that Sara’s language impairment was still a primary cause of her school struggles.  She could read words but she could not understand or tell me the meaning of age appropriate words. Thus, it was very surprising that Sara had been discontinued from school-based support. With these new results, Mom quickly arranged a private speech language therapist to begin working with Sara. At home they also began playing games like Simon Says which require listening and following directions. Each night they spent time reading and discussing the meaning of words and passages.  Mom has submitted the testing report to Sara’s school and requested a new IEP. You can learn more about IEPs in our free videos here.

Reach Out to Discuss Your Child

Call (561) 625 4125 if you would like to discuss your child and your concerns for possible learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADHD, autism, or anxiety. We’re ready to help.