Word Finding Difficulty

The Preschool Language Scales - Fifth Edition (PLS-5) is a norm-referenced assessment for children from birth to 7;11 that evaluates a child's expressive and receptive language. One important strength of the PLS-5 is that allows the child to provide a verbal or pointing response, which is important for children who present with word finding difficulties. The ability to give a pointing response will allow the administrator to get a better understanding of the child's expressive vocabulary, without the pressure of having to use a verbal response. However, one weakness of the PLS-5 is that it can only be administered by trained professionals and could become timely to administer given the child's age.

A play-based language sample utilizing Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) may also be completed for children with word finding difficulties. One strength of using a language sample is that it provides a more naturalistic approach to view target behavior (i.e. word finding). Further, the data and transcription based on the recorded sample can then be compared to samples from individuals of a similar age. However, one weakness of using SALT is that the speech-language pathologist must transcribe the sample and use SALT specific guidelines and procedures, which may be time consuming to learn and complete.

Intervention Approaches

One intervention approach that can be used with children who present with word finding difficulties is Facilitated Play. This child-directed approach involves following the child's lead on what they would like to play with or do. Facilitated play can be used to target word finding difficulties because it can help the child develop functional vocabulary and language. A strength of this intervention is that since it is led by the child, it can take the pressure off of them which may encourage them to be more expressive because they are leading the activity. It is important to note however, that this method does have its challenges. One weakness of this intervention is that because you are following the child's lead, it may be more difficult to take data if they are jumping between different activities and using many different toys. In addition, they may enjoy playing quietly and not talk as much, which can be difficult for production of target words.

Another intervention approach for children with potential word finding difficulties is Focused Stimulation. This hybrid-strategy approach involves contexts of interactions that are arranged by the clinician. One strength of this intervention is that the interactions are designed to encourage the child to produce target utterances, given context and modeling for the targets from the clinician. Focused stimulation can be used to target word finding difficulties by engaging the child in play, and these contexts can be very effective for improving both comprehension and production. One weakness of this method is if the target words cannot be naturally worked into conversation during the activity. This would make them harder to incorporate, which could impact the clinician's ability to take accurate data.

Alternative Approach

While working with a speech-language pathologist to help children with word finding difficulties can be beneficial, there are ways that parents and caregivers can support their children without direct intervention.

Parents can encourage children to try and continue talking through their moment of word finding difficulty. While it is common to pause when you cannot think of a word during conversation, continuing the conversation can give the speaker time to think of the word they are looking for or describe what they are trying to say. Describing the word you can't retrieve may allow the conversational partner to retrieve it and understand what you are trying to say, which can take some of the pressure off of the speaker.

Another strategy that parents can encourage their children to use in moments when they are struggling with word finding is to use a synonym. Substituting the word they were thinking of with a synonym allows the child to continue their thought by using a word that means the same thing. This can allow the conversation to continue and their communication partner will likely not even notice that a synonym was used!