The term ‘vocabulary’ refers to the knowledge base of words internally stored in a person’s brain. A word is made up of the following:

Letters and sounds Semantic knowledge and understanding (the meaning behind a word) Visual representation (a picture of the word) How it is used in context in the real world

Some children with language difficulties find it difficult to understand and use vocabulary. They may have difficulties learning new words and need them to be explicitly taught. There are many ways that we can help a child who is struggling to understand and use words. 

A word finding difficulty is when an individual knows and understands the word but can find it difficult to retrieve the word consistently and in the correct context. The links and associations between words are not secure.  If all the books in a library were muddled up and in no logical order people would get lost and get fed up wandering around trying to find the one they wanted. This can be what it feels like to have word finding difficulties.  It is much easier to locate the books, or words, if they are organised in sections and sub-sections. 

Word finding difficulties may result in:

Inability to name items and ‘go blank’ Gaps and missing information in spoken language Incorrect use of words or referring to items as ‘thingy’ or ‘it’ Extra time to search for the correct word. Circumlocution (going round in circles, off on a tangent) or describing rather than

using the correct word ‘Tip of the tongue’ scenario, where they have the first sound but cannot think of the

word. Using a word that is related in meaning e.g. ‘apple’ when they mean ‘banana’ Using a word that is related in sound structure e.g. ‘spanner’ when they mean

‘spade’

Unfortunately, word finding difficulties cannot be ‘cured’ and it is likely that an individual will continue to experience problems in sourcing specific words into adulthood. It is therefore essential that children are taught useful strategies which will help support themselves in order to retrieve the word they want to use.

Vocabulary and Word Finding Difficulties