Some people have asked me what word retrieval information I give to parents. Collaborating with parents and teachers is so important! We can’t do a good job in therapy without having them on board. I’d like to share the letter I give to parents as soon as I identify a word finding difficulty. Please feel free to personalize it and use it if it is helpful.
My child has a word finding challenge: What does this mean?
Word finding, or word retrieval, is an expressive language difficulty that interferes with the free flow of communication that most children take for granted. A child with a word finding difficulty may have a strong vocabulary and a good understanding of sentence structure. When he must formulate a thought, however, he gets “stuck” trying to retrieve a word from his memory. This is the “tip of your tongue” experience that we all encounter from time to time. For some children, however, it interferes with everyday communication with his friends, family, and teachers. It may also interfere with oral reading.
How is a word finding problem identified?
The most valuable information comes from parents and teachers. These children raise their hands enthusiastically to answer a question, only to answer, “I forgot” or “I can’t remember.” They may revise and reformulate what they want to say (“We went to the…we rode in the, we went out to dinn, I mean supper.”). They may “talk around things” instead of coming to the point, and correct their own mislabeling of words in mid-sentence (“I scraped my el..my knee.”).
When a child is referred for word finding difficulties, I administer the “Test of Word Finding,” which can be given to children age 4 and up. This is a test which measures a child’s ability to name pictures or complete sentence with one-word responses. There are some children who can offer one-word answers without difficulty, but have a harder time in connected speech. The “Test of Word Finding in Discourse” helps identify these children. More important to me than a test score, however, is observing how a child communicates in everyday life. A child who pounds his fist on his lap or taps his head and says, “It’s a…a…a…I know what it is but I can’t think of it” may be indicating frustration with retrieving the word he needs.
What can be done to help my child?
Young children are best helped by enriching their vocabulary and building up the connections among different words. Imagine a fishnet with many interlocking lines: The more connections among the lines, the fewer fish that will escape the net. Likewise, the more connections among different words the fewer words that will slip out from a child’s verbal grasp. I spend quite a bit of time with younger children working with word groups and categories. Word associations, too, build up connections among words.
As children develop the ability to “think about the way they think” they begin to develop strategies to promote their own retrieval. I always tell children that different people learn in different ways. Some people favor learning by seeing things, others favor learning by hearing things. Likewise, different word finding strategies work for different people. I present a number of different strategies and help each child develop an awareness of which strategies are most helpful to him.
One important strategy is visualizing. Other children help themselves by making up a sentence and “filling in the blank.” Thinking of related words (word associations and categories) can be very helpful. If you know the word your child is searching for, offer a choice of three or four words (“Are you thinking of a microphone, a microscope, or a calculator?”). For children approximately age 5 and above, offering the beginning sound may trigger the target word. For example, “Let me give you a hint. It starts with mmmm.” In this case, please offer the initial sound in a word, not the name of the beginning letter. Another strategy is to pair a simple word with one that is more difficult. For example, “hibernate” is easier to retrieve when I use the cue words “hide/brrr” and talk about the bear “hiding” from the cold for the winter (brrr).
Once a target word is identified, I ask for a “word finding five.” The student says the word five times, makes up a sentence using the word, then gives me a “high-5.” This reinforces the word so that it is easier to retrieve the next time he needs it. Try to use that same word later in the day so he hears it again.
I try to present words from the curriculum before they are presented in class. That way, your child can start a lesson with a solid understanding of new vocabulary words. If you notice words at home that are difficult, please let me know so together we can develop cues for those words.
Word finding can be frustrating to children, families, and teachers. I want my “word finding kids” to receive a very important message: We believe them when they tell us “I know but I just can’t think of it.” We know that they are smart kids. They can learn to retrieve words with less frustration. If I can get this message across, I have helped them become more effective communicators.