Language Disorders

At Expressable, we’ve helped thousands of children with language delays improve their communication and gain confidence in their speech. Our unique language disorders program teaches you evidence-based strategies for improving language skills, with fun exercises to practice at home for faster progress.

There are a few types of language disorders:

With an expressive language disorder, children struggle with using new vocabulary words, organizing words into sentences, retelling stories, or using words to express their wants and needs. An expressive language disorder can be frustrating for children--they know what they want to say, but they can’t produce clear sentences when they talk.

With a receptive language disorder, children have difficulty understanding and getting meaning from words they hear. They may have trouble grasping what others are saying or interpreting written words. As a result, they may struggle to respond to questions, or they may respond in a way that doesn’t make sense. In some cases, children have trouble both using and understanding language. This is classified as a mixed language disorder, also known as a mixed expressive-receptive language disorder.

This article explains Expressable’s clinical approach to evaluating and treating language disorders. You can also view our complete guide to language disorders to learn the causes and symptoms of language delays, as well as ways to help your child at home.

1Why is speech therapy important for language disorders? 2How Expressable treats language delays and disorders in children 3Practice speech therapy strategies at home with the Expressable portal 4The benefits of online speech therapy for language disorders 5See what families are saying about our speech therapy for language disorders 6Get matched with a speech therapist today

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If your child has trouble expressing themselves or understanding others, a speech evaluation may be helpful. Take the next step today.

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Why is speech therapy important for language disorders?

Language disorders affect how a person communicates. If a child can’t understand what’s said to them or express themselves clearly, this can affect their relationships, their self-esteem and confidence, and their success in school. We all need and deserve to be able to communicate our feelings, thoughts, and needs. So it’s important to seek speech therapy as soon as a language problem is identified.

Another reason early intervention is so important is because language milestones build on one another. If a child doesn’t master a certain communication milestone, they may have problems meeting the milestone that comes next. That could cause them to fall behind in their development.

Speech therapy is an effective treatment for language disorders. The earlier speech therapy begins, the more quickly a child can progress toward “catching up.” While each child’s treatment plan is tailored to their goals, the Expressable language disorders program focuses on:

• Evidence-based techniques for helping a child make progress and reach communication milestones

• Improving a child’s ability to use language functionally, for better daily communication and quality of life

• Educating the whole family on how to support their child’s language skills at home

How Expressable treats language delays and disorders in children

Expressable matches families with a licensed speech therapist trained to evaluate and treat language disorders. All therapy is delivered online via face-to-face video conferencing on Zoom. Research has shown that online speech therapy works just as well as in-person therapy for language disorders. Online speech therapy is convenient, offers wider access to speech therapists, and makes it easier for parents and caregivers to be involved with their child’s care. At Expressable, parent coaching is a key part of our language disorders program. Your child’s age will influence how your speech therapist interacts with them and you during sessions. Sessions for younger children work best when a caregiver attends alongside their child. That way, you can learn cues and at-home strategies directly from the therapist, and confidently practice with your child throughout the week.

Speech and Language Issues

The Ultimate Guide to Language Disorders in Children

Discover the causes and signs of a language disorder, how language disorders are treated, and speech therapy exercises to try at home.

Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP

Expressable’s clinical approach to evaluating a language disorder

Speech therapy for a language delay or disorder begins with an evaluation. Your speech therapist will choose from a variety of standardized or norm-referenced tests for the evaluation. They may conduct formal assessments, such as the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, 5th Edition (CELF® -5).

Your speech therapist will likely do the following during the evaluation:

• Review your child’s medical history

• Examine the anatomy of their mouth and mouth movements

• Observe your child’s use of words or gestures and their overall communication when interacting with you, their environment, items on the screen, and the speech therapist

• Determine whether your child’s language development is on track or behind

• Provide a professional opinion on whether speech therapy is needed

If speech therapy is recommended, the evaluation results will be used to develop a personalized care plan. Treatment for language problems typically includes two speech therapy sessions per week.

Evidence-based strategies to treat language disorders

During sessions, your speech therapist may do the following activities with your child, depending on their age and stage of development:

• Help your child learn to relax and enjoy communicating through play

• Use toys, games, books, objects, or pictures to help with language development

• Have your child do educational activities or worksheets focused on different aspects of language

Other speech therapy strategies for expressive and receptive language disorders might include communication temptations, offering choices, language expansion, recasting, wait time, and asking and answering questions.

The exercises used in speech therapy will relate to the goals in your child’s treatment plan. Some children may be focused on using more words or longer sentences. Some children need help with specific areas of language, such as grammar. Other children may first need to work on comprehension skills for their receptive language, such as following multi-step directions. Regardless of where your child starts, your speech therapist will make sure sessions are tailored exactly to their needs.

A play-based, child-led approach to speech therapy

At Expressable, speech therapy for language disorders is child-led. Building a positive, playful relationship with your child is the foundation for their learning. We meet your child where they are, using their interests and motivations to help them grow their language skills and confidence. 

Children learn best through play, so your speech therapist will use fun games and activities in every session. They might use toys or books your child enjoys, videos or characters they like, or games like I Spy or look-and-finds. For older children, games and conversations can focus on sports, music, video games, or whatever your child is interested in.

Parent or caregiver involvement during sessions is key to a child’s success. You can help your young child interact with their speech therapist, or play with them yourself while the therapist offers tips and guidance for eliciting speech. That way, you’ll learn how to keep practicing with your child at home. After all, while your speech therapist sees your child a few times a week, you’re with them every day. Your Expressable therapist will teach you simple, everyday ways to incorporate speech therapy exercises into everyday life.

Practice speech therapy strategies at home with the Expressable portal

At Expressable, speech therapy doesn’t stop when your session ends. You’ll have ongoing text messaging support so you can ask questions or get tips from your speech therapist between sessions. You’ll also have access to our client portal, which makes it easier to practice language skills with your child throughout the week. The more often you practice, the faster your child will make progress!

In the portal, you’ll find Learning Paths that explain and reinforce the strategies you’re using in sessions, such as understanding expressive language or using the language recasting technique:

You can watch videos that show real communication techniques in action, such as helping your child answer who-what-where questions:

Your speech therapist will assign personalized home practice activities you can do during everyday routines, such as using parallel-talk or labeling objects while getting dressed:

The benefits of online speech therapy for language disorders

Multiple studies over several years have shown the effectiveness of online speech therapy for children. Not only does it work as well as in-person speech therapy, there are lots of reasons people tend to prefer it:

1 Wider access to qualified speech therapists

With online speech therapy, it’s not hard to find a speech therapist who’s experienced in working with children or treating language delays. You have access to an entire network of speech therapists who are licensed to treat in your state. This is especially beneficial for people who live in more rural areas, or in areas with long waitlists for speech therapy.

2 Convenience and flexibility

Between school, work, errands, and everyday life, it can be hard to regularly attend in-person therapy sessions. Not only is there the commute time, but most speech therapy clinics are only open during normal business hours. With work schedules and after-school activities, for many people, that just doesn’t work.

Online speech therapy removes this problem. At Expressable, you can schedule sessions on the days that work best, at the times that are most convenient, including evenings and weekends. 

3 The comfort of home

If your child feels shy or uncomfortable when it comes to speech therapy, they’re not alone. Many children feel unsure in new situations, especially when they’re face-to-face with someone new, like a speech therapist. With online speech therapy, doing sessions from the comfort of your own home can put your child at ease. You can be right beside them the whole time. And when your child feels comfortable, their therapy sessions will be more effective.

Another benefit of online speech therapy is that the speech therapist gets to see the child in their home environment and observe how they interact with family members. The therapist can even incorporate toys and activities that the child enjoys during their sessions.

4 Affordability

In-person speech therapy clinics have many expenses that aren’t directly related to your care, such as rent, utilities, and other operational costs. As with any business, these costs are often passed down to the consumer. The cost of speech therapy will vary by provider, but generally, the cost of online speech therapy will be less than an in-person practice—even though you receive the same quality of treatment. At Expressable, we also partner with major health insurance plans around the country, making it easier than ever to access speech therapy treatment.

See what families are saying about our speech therapy for language disorders

We’ve treated thousands of children with language disorders around the country. Our speech therapists consistently earn ratings of 4.9 out of 5 stars from their clients. Here’s just a sampling:

“He spoke to people with confidence”  “Our son has been in speech therapy since he was 2 years old, and he has hated doing speech therapy, and asked me all the time to cancel it. Now since being with [his speech therapist] Nirali, he asks to have speech therapy every day! I love how she customizes it to his needs and what he likes. She keeps him engaged in sessions so he doesn't lose his focus. There has been a HUGE improvement in our son's speech. Before he was really shy, had a hard time communicating when teachers would ask him questions. Since switching to Expressable, his teachers have been able to understand him more clearly. When at a Christmas party this past week he spoke to people with CONFIDENCE!! So super grateful for Expressable!”

“The ease of it being virtual has made the process smooth” “Ciara has been beyond amazing. Just within the time we have been working with her, we have seen massive speech development with my son. The ease of it being virtual and in our home has also made the process smooth, and we even look forward to our scheduled appointments.”

Success Stories

From Frustration to Connection: Ezekiel’s Story

This 4-year-old’s language blossomed through play-based speech therapy. How parent coaching and expert support helped a preschooler talk more.

Alexis Irazoque, M.S., CCC-SLP

“My daughter seems less frustrated” “I can see a big difference in my daughter’s speech since starting her in sessions. I’ve been able to learn a lot as well on how to help her outside of therapy. The biggest difference I’ve seen is that my daughter seems less frustrated when I’m working with her in trying to communicate more.”

“He has made more friends” “I’ve seen positive improvement and my son’s more confident while speaking. He has made more friends and he’s feeling more comfortable with his speech.”

“Now we have a longer conversation” “​​I can see so much improvement in my son's speech. Before all he did was short sentences, but now we have a longer conversation. I also enjoy listening to my son and Ms. Erin. She never rushes through her classes. I'm so happy to see his improvement.”

Get matched with a speech therapist today

We’re here to support your child so they can become the communicator they were made to be. Find the right speech therapist for your child here.