To schedule a free phone consult please follow the link here
The Hidden Language Skills That Help Children Succeed in School
Author: Isabella Knight M.S. CCC-SLP (Check Out Her Staff Page Here)
As students settle into their school routines, teachers are also beginning to learn more about each child’s strengths and needs. When we think about what it takes to be successful in school, we often focus on the more obvious expectations: reading, completing math work, following classroom routines, and interacting respectfully with teachers and peers. However, there are also several underlying language skills that play an important role in helping children learn, participate, and become more independent in the classroom. These skills include following multi-step directions, understanding spoken information, asking questions, and executive functioning.
1. Following Multi-Step Directions
Multi-step directions are a series of directions that include various steps. We take for granted how often these directions are used in school. For example, a teacher may say “put your worksheet away, grab your folder, and meet me on the carpet.” Not only do kids need to understand the words and vocabulary used in these directions, but they also need to remember the correct order.
If your child’s teacher says to you that your child is completing only the first step, watching classmates to figure out what to do, frequently needing directions repeated, or appearing distracted, they may actually be having trouble remembering the steps or understanding. This may be a sign that they are struggling with some skills and may benefit from support.
2. Hearing the Teacher vs. Understanding the Teacher
Your child may have passed a hearing screening at the beginning of the school year, or perhaps they have had a full hearing assessment and were found to be within normal limits. But what happens when it still seems like they are not understanding the teacher?
A child can have normal hearing and still have difficulty processing or understanding spoken language. Listening is the act of paying attention to spoken information, while comprehending means actually understanding what that information means. Although a child may appear to be listening, there may still be signs that they are not fully comprehending what they hear.
As classroom language becomes more complex with age, these difficulties may become more noticeable. A child may have trouble understanding longer sentences, identifying important details, answering questions about what they heard, or making connections between ideas.
3. Knowing How and When to Ask Questions
Knowing when and how to ask questions is an important skill for both learning and communicating with others. Some children may not realize when they have misunderstood something, while others may know they are confused but have difficulty figuring out what to ask. In the classroom, this can make it harder for them to complete assignments, follow directions, or participate in discussions.
Helpful question-asking skills include asking the teacher to repeat information, asking what an unfamiliar word means, requesting clarification when something is confusing, and learning to ask specific questions instead of broad ones like “What do I do?” These skills help children become more independent and better able to advocate for themselves when they need support.
4. Language and Executive Functioning Work Together
Executive functioning refers to the skills that help children plan, organize, remember information, and complete tasks. Language plays a bigger role in these skills than many parents realize. Children use language to remember instructions, organize their thoughts, figure out what they need to do first, next, and last, and even talk themselves through a task. They also rely on language when checking their work or adjusting to a change in directions or classroom expectations. Because of this, a child who appears “disorganized,” forgetful, or like they are “not listening” may actually be having difficulty with the language demands involved in planning and completing the task.
Download our age appropriate check lists to give you a better idea about whether or not to reach out.
Language Is Behind So Much of Learning
As a parent, you can look for some of the challenges discussed above, such as difficulty following multi-step directions, understanding spoken information, asking for clarification, or organizing and completing tasks. These difficulties are not always obvious and can sometimes look like a child is distracted, forgetful, or simply not listening. Strong language skills help children become more independent learners, participate more confidently in the classroom, and better understand what is expected of them. If you begin noticing these patterns consistently or they are affecting your child’s school performance, consider talking with their teacher or reaching out to a speech-language pathologist for additional support.