Preschoolers with word retrieval difficulties are tricky. We need to be sure theirs is not a deficit in vocabulary or a phonological disorder that makes them difficult to understand. Sometimes I have worked with preschoolers in language therapy for a while before I realized their underlying difficulty was actually word finding.
Please read my posts of October 14, 20 and 21, 2014, about identifying word retrieval problems. Some preschoolers do not respond well to formal testing, and it’s very important to look at their use of language in a natural environment. One of the most helpful strategies for preschoolers is to offer a choice of 3 or 4 responses and ask them to choose the correct one: “Are you telling me about your elbow, your shoulder, or your ankle?” or “Would you like the purple, the orange, or the yellow marker?”
Remember that a failure to respond does not necessarily mean the child does not know the answer. Give him extra time, and provide advance warning if possible. “I’ll ask you to tell me what your favorite project was yesterday. You can share about making a snowman, drawing a caterpillar, or sharing a snack. Be thinking about what you’d like to tell your friends.”
Encourage gestures and actions.
“Can you tell me another way?”
Establish a signal or a key phrase for the child to let you know he needs some more “thinking time.”
For some children, providing the beginning sound (not beginning letter) is helpful. This is generally more helpful with older children, but some preschoolers are aided by this prompt. I suspect it is related to their phonological development, but I truly don’t know.
Any activities you are currently using for language development are helpful for kids with word finding problems. Develop vocabulary, categories, and associations among different words. Expand their “safety net” of a rich language base. Most important, have fun! A happy, engaged child is ready to learn.