Communicating Phonics - The Communication Trust

Communicating PhonicsSection 4 > Different types of speech, language and communication needs > Children with specific receptive language impairmentThe child with SRLI will have varying degrees of difficulty with:• Processing language; this may be very slow• Memory (‘holding’ spoken language for long enough to beable to work out meaning)• Knowledge of word meanings (concepts and vocabulary)• Remembering words they know when they need to use them(termed ‘word finding difficulty’)• Knowledge of word structure (for example, word endingssuch as possessives or verb tenses)• Sentence structure; their sentences are shorter and lesscomplex• Ability to make sense of languageThe outcome of the checkChildren with SRLI are likely to have difficulty with:• Following the instructions for the check - this may be becauseof difficulties in processing information or in understanding thewords which are used in the instructions• Blending sounds, particularly in longer words - auditory difficultiesmean that children with SRLI may have difficulty in holdingsounds long enough to be able to effectively blend them intowords• Nonsense words - identifying pseudo words is particularly difficultfor children who have poor vocabulary or word knowledge• Maintaining listening and attention throughout the checkA child with SRLI may also have difficulty with maintaininglistening and attention and distinguishing between speechsounds. They may become extremely frustrated or becomesocially withdrawn because they don’t understand or uselanguage well.24