How to Know if your Child’s Verbal Reasoning Skills Need Intervention

When a child is either struggling or falling behind in school, it can be an underlying expressive or receptive language issue that needs to be addressed at the source. These challenges can sometimes be tough to identify. Speech therapy is not just for those who have some trouble speaking, but many additional language skills can benefit. Verbal reasoning is one of those skills.

Signs of Verbal Reasoning Challenges

Does your child have a difficult time making predictions? While reading together, ask your child, “What do you think will happen next?” Or ask a more specific question about the character in the story and what action they might take next.

Does your child fail to understand inferences? For example, if someone is frowning, it can be inferred they are sad. If someone opens an umbrella, it can be inferred it is raining. If your child struggles, while reading or in daily life, to infer what is NOT explicitly stated, it could be a sign they struggle to understand inferences.

Other signs of challenges with verbal reasoning skills include, but are not limited to:

• Difficulty with problem-solving
• Difficulty with providing alternate scenarios
• Difficulty with explaining reasoning using words

Suppose you recognize this behavior or challenge in your child. In that case, an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist is an essential next step. If it is an expressive and receptive language issue, a Speech-Language Pathologist can identify and target those areas of difficulty.

If you think your child might require intervention on improving their verbal reasoning skills, give our team a call today. We can start with an evaluation from a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist to determine a plan. 704-845-0561