What is a language difficulty?
Something I come across quite often in my job is where there may be a challenge around language, often to the surprise of the family or the adult client. This can relate to the level of understanding and/or the ability to express oneself clearly. One possibility is developmental language disorder which can be diagnosed by a speech and language therapist. If the background information and evidence at the assessment points towards challenges around language, I'll include a few additional tasks and write a referral letter for a language assessment. So, what are the signs?
Listening comprehension
The individual might have challenges with understanding individual words (receptive vocabulary) and have to rely on the familiar words used by others to work out what is being said which can be very tiring. They might have a sound grasp of individual words but have difficulties with understanding information at the sentence level. Therefore, they might zone out, not follow through on instructions, not appear to understand what they're reading despite being able to read the individual words, need others to modify what they're saying, etc. This can mimic the inattentive signs of ADHD but the root cause may instead be around language which can have a significant impact in and out of the classroom/workplace, such as friendships, relationships, confidence.
Oral expression
Sometimes, I come across people who may seem actually quite chatty but they have word finding difficulties. They may use a lot of words for something that could be said in fewer words and also find it hard to write succinctly. I see others who appear to be quiet as they're finding it hard to express themselves and they may also produce less written work than others. It may be that their verbal/written sentences are not grammatically correct.
Something to stress is that when I ask people if they have the confidence to say to others that they don't understand something, nearly everyone says "no". They tend to smile, nod and, in group situations, observe others so that they can copy their responses. The reluctance to say they don't understand is often because they worry that others will assume that they weren't listening or they feel embarrassed. They may not be able to find the words to say that they have not understood. And if they do ask, they may still not understand the other person's explanation. It's understandable how this can lead to a lot of tension for all.
If our initial discussions suggest that difficulties around language are the most likely reason for your or your child's challenges (or would be a clear priority), I'm likely to suggest that you pursue a speech and language therapist as a first step and I can let you know how to find someone who can help. You can then come back to me later on to explore dyslexia if relevant.