The results gathered from reviewing the journal based research reports show that under age communication barriers are caused mainly due to miscommunication caused by language disorder in children which are often misunderstood as low levels of intelligence, dullness, attitude problems or late development. Caution should be taken in this regard to avoid emotional impacts on the child.

The cure is also dependent on the cause of the disorder development. In case of a brain injury or any structural complication the treatment can take more time and has less chances of being cured completely causing long term language problems for the affected child, while other reversible causes can be treated more effectively if diagnosed at the right time.

“Difficulty understanding and using language can cause problems with social interaction and the ability to function independently as an adult.”

The symptoms highlighted by this review (taken from the reports) are as follows:

• Children with a receptive language disorder have difficulty understanding language. They may have:

• A hard time understanding what other people have said
• Problems following directions that are spoken to them
• Problems organizing their thoughts

• Children with an expressive language disorder have problems using language to express what they are thinking or need. These children may:

• Have a hard time putting words together into sentences, or their sentences may be simple and short and the word order may be off
• Have difficulty finding the right words when talking, and often use placeholder words such as “um”
• Have a vocabulary that is below the level of other children the same age
• Leave words out of sentences when talking
• Use certain phrases over and over again, and repeat (echo) parts or all of questions
• Use tenses (past, present, future) improperly

“Because of their language problems, these children may have difficulty in social settings. At times, language disorders may be part of the cause of severe behavioral problems.”

Another area of concern relating to this topic is “Preschool Language Disorders”.

This means that preschool students, ranging from children of ages three to five years old, are unable to understand others and/or convey their thoughts or express their emotions properly.

Developing a language disorder at such an early age can cause immense difficulty for the child as he/she has only just begun to speak proper words and is more often misunderstood as “late talker” or low level of intelligence or shyness. However, if diagnosed and treated at such an early stage with the help of careful attention of family members and teachers, this type of language disorder can be more effectively treated and fully reversed.

For preschool language disorders the symptoms are same as ordinary language disorders, where the child seems more irritable in social situations and repetitively fails to follow orders and answer or ask questions when willing to.

Speaking more than one language is not a cause.

Treatment for language disorders amongst children are simple and effective but require great care and patience. The main points (taken from the reports reviewed) for the treatment are as follows:

• Increase your child’s understanding and use of language
• Teach caregivers, family members, and teachers ways to communicate with your child
• Help your child use other ways to communicate when needed. This may include simple gestures, picture boards, or computers that say words out loud. This is also called augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC

“Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder should be treated as soon as it is identified. Early intervention is the key to a successful outcome. Treatment involves teachers, siblings, parents, and anyone else who interacts regularly with the child.”

Great care and attention is required to treat this disorder and the sooner it is treated, the better as the treatment would be more effective. One-on-one interactive sessions are proven to be quite helpful for early age treatment methods. As for parents, they can help by paying more attention to the child and talking to them more.

However, it is believed that since the causes of such disorders are still quite unclear hence the overall language disorder can be tried to be prevented in children by maintaining a healthy diet, healthy interaction and full parental care and attention on a regular basis.

The study of the research reports shows that language disorders are either acquired or developmental.

Acquired disorders are mainly due to some sort of injury or trauma.

Developmental language disorders are more common among children and their causes are unclear resulting in late development of the child’s speech as compared to his/her peers. As discussed above, this can be tried to be prevented with proper caution and care.

“As many as 5 percent of school-age children are believed to have a language disorder. This makes language disorders some of the more common childhood disorders.”

Social skills of a child are vastly affected by the disorder as well as causing academic struggles.

A therapist can effectively attempt to treat such children. Therapists are usually specialized in such areas. Seeing a child therapist to help such children is extremely helpful. The therapist helps treat children with language disorders by:

• Individual speech therapy: “A speech therapist can work one-on-one with your child to build his vocabulary and improve his grammar.”
• Psychotherapy: “If your child has emotional difficulties as a result of language issues, you might want to consider psychological help.”

Helping your child read out loud and reading to them more often helps speed up the treatment at home and has lasting impacts. So it is highly recommended to have interactive reading sessions with your children if they suffer from such language impairments.

Overall, the review of the research reports displays the result that developed disorders should be prevented and children basically require a lot of our care and attention. Language disorders can be caused due to various reasons however they should be treated as soon as possible and should not at all be neglected at any cost. Therapy at an early age is proven to be helpful in such cases.