Development of speech, language and communication

Speech is a large part of a language that people use on a daily basis. However, language is more than speech alone. It encompasses elements of communication such as body language, gesture and eye-contact. As a child develops, so does their use of language to communicate. The speech and language development of a child would normally be as follows:

A child's acquisition of language can be broken down into different segments:

• Phonology - a persons use of speech sounds, for example, /t/ in the sound /tea/.
• Syntax - the rules of grammar, for example, knowing which order to place the Subject, Object and Verb in a sentence, (Subject) Daddy (Verb) jumped over the (Object) chair".
• Semantics - a persons ability to understand and create the meaning of language.
• Pragmatics - the ability to use language for the purpose of communication.

Breaking down language into these different segments allows professionals to clarify to what extent and which aspects of, the language and communication of a child with ADD/ADHD is impaired.

Reasons for a delay in speech, language and communication in a child with ADHD

Parents of children with ADHD often find that their child fails to communicate using speech or any other type of language, for example, eye-contact, hand gestures, body language. If a child does not wish to communicate intentionally (a trait of ADHD) they will not explore their ability to vocalise, learn new sounds or listen to the language spoken around them. This will ultimately result in a delay in their language acquisition. Without this means of communication a child will find it difficult to express themselves this often leads to frustration for the child.

A child with ADHD may not see any reason to communicate with other people, without a reason there is no point in communicating or no need to communicate.

A child with ADHD may also remove themselves from situations that require communication, limiting their opportunities to communicate without opportunities there cannot be a development in communication.

The following diagram explains the complexity of how people use communication and highlights the limitations of a child who does not adhere to the model.

Means, reasons and opportunities model