Word Finding Difficulty

Word finding difficulty is when a child understands certain words, but has trouble retrieving and applying the word in conversation.

Language assessment strategies used to identify word finding difficulty:

The Test of Word Finding (TWF-3) is a one word expressive vocabulary tests designed to assess the child's word finding abilities. This information is then used to determine the best course of intervention for that specific child.

- The Test of Word Finding, Third Edition (TWF - 3)
  - Strength: The test targets not only nouns but verbs, sentence completion, and categories. It also contains informal analysis of phonemic cueing, imitation, and substitution to probe for possible intervention strategies.
  - Weakness: It begins at age 4 which leaves out a large population.

Language intervention approaches to address word finding difficulty:

The Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT-3) is another expressive test designed to address word finding difficulty in children ages 2:6 and up.

- Expressive Vocabulary Test, Third Edition (EVT - 3)
  - Strength: The child is given a word and must think of a synonym rather than just picture naming. This probes the child's ability to provide alternate responses and/or ability to circumlocute.
  - Weakness: May not accommodate bilingual children and/or cultural differences of the child as it is in Standard English.

Language intervention approaches used to address word finding difficulty:

- Sentence completion strategy
  - Strength: It gives the child context and can provide other associations and connections. For example, "I find the fridge in the ___" gives context to an item that may be in the kitchen.
  - Weakness: The child may not be thinking of the same word that you are or may have a different word for the item.

- Use gestures
  - Strength: This leads to total communication and is a strategy to support word finding that the child can use with various communication partners.
  - Weakness: It may become frustrating if there is no gesture that is associated with that word/item.

One alternative, access or societally based approach to word finding difficulty:

A societally based approach to word finding could be having visual aids around the house to remind your child of vocabulary used in their everyday life. Another approach could be giving verbal clues to the child when they are trying to find a word in conversation or multiple options of words to choose from.

References

EVT-3 Expressive Vocabulary Test Third Edition. Pearson Assessments. (2023).

https://www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Academic-Learning/Brief/Expressive-Vocabulary-Test-%7C-Third-Edition/p/100001982.html

The Royal Children’s hospital melbourne. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. (n.d.).

https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Wordfinding_difficulties/

TWF-3: Test of Word Finding–Third Edition KIT Diane J. German: PRO-ED Inc. Official WebSite. (2023). https://www.proedinc.com/Products/13065/twf3-test-of-word-findingthird-edition.aspx