Some children understand spoken language, but are not able to use it effectively and well. These children may have problems with grammar, organizing their language, knowing what to tell in what order so that the listener can comprehend. An expressive problem that interferes inconsistently with school performance and with social interactions is dysnomia, a problem calling a word that is known. People with this problem cannot quickly come up with a word or information that they know well. This results in not being able to respond to a question.
Pressure makes retrieval problems worse.
When word retrieval is the problem, children can select the correct response when given choices. Expressive language problems interfere with oral communication and written language. Academic problems result from most oral language problems. Comprehension deficits are seen in reading, math, and other subjects as well as oral language. These behaviors indicate difficulty with comprehension and frequently mask the problem, making one of the most significant language problems difficult to observe.