Expressive Language Delay/Disorder

Expressive Language

Difficulty with verbal expression.  Symptoms can include word finding difficulties (misnaming objects or "talking in circles" with lack of appropriate vocabulary), misnaming items, deficits in syntax (word order), semantics (word meaning) and morphology (changes in verb tense), problems in retelling a story or relaying information and inability to start or hold a conversation.  An expressive disorder may be delayed (pattern of development is slow, but normal) or disordered (language is slow to develop and sequence of development/pattern of errors is atypical).