Receptive language disorders can look like inattention, and children with poor comprehension may be misdiagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder. Before diagnosing a child with ADD, always have a speech and language evaluation first. One article, however, did find that K.S. boys had significant difficulty with the comprehension of complex sentences, and single-word receptive vocabulary. In addition, these children were found to have significant auditory processing and auditory memory deficits. This would have implications for the way in which these children process the information that is presented to them in the classroom, and would necessitate adaptations and remediation.
Expressive language refers to the ability to use spoken language.
As children mature, they will be expected to use language to express more complex ideas, construct narratives, to solve problems, and for social communication. Children with expressive language disorders may not talk at the expected age, speak in short sentences, have difficulty with problem solving, and be limited in their conversation. Both children and adults with expressive language disorders may not speak clearly, use vague language, and appear to be disorganized when they are talking. Adults with expressive language disorders may be asked frequently to clarify what they are saying, and have difficulty doing so. They found that the expressive vocabulary was significantly impaired.