Expressive language is the process in which an individual communicates,whether it be verbally or through other means such as American Sign Language, gestures/pointing, picture symbols, or a voice output system (AAC). It includes vocabulary, grammar, creating a verbal story, sentence structure and sentence length.

Receptive language is the comprehension of language, listening and understanding what is communicated through words or sentences verbally and in written text. It involves being attentive to what is said, the ability to understand the message, and the speed of processing the message.
Receptive language includes: understanding figurative language (metaphors, similes, idioms), following simple and multi-step directions, various linguistic concepts (sequential, prepositional, etc.), understanding stories, and types of questions such as Who/What/When/Where/Why/How (simple to complex or inferential).

Expressive and Receptive Language difficulties can include but are not limited to:

• Delayed speech production (ex: starting to talk as a toddler or making sounds)

• Decreased sentence length depending on a specific age

• Difficulty with memory or word finding

• Ability to recall events from the past or from stories

• Poor usage of grammar (ex: use of -ing, -ed, plural -s, past tense, etc.)

• Difficulty explaining oneself in a cohesive manner

• Unable to execute verbal directions

• Difficulty sequencing pictures

• Difficulty responding to various questions verbally/from stories/ and/or in writing.