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Speaking Characteristics What It Looks Like in an Adult Mispronounces words.

• Adds, substitutes, or rearranges sounds in words, as in phenomenon for phenomenon or Pacific for specific.

Uses wrong word, usually with similar sounds. • Uses a similar-sounding word, like generic instead of genetic Confuses the morphology, or structure, of words.

• Uses the wrong form of a word, such as calling the Declaration of Independence the Declaring of Independence. Has a limited vocabulary.

• Uses the same words over and over in giving information and explaining ideas. • Has difficulty in conveying ideas. Makes grammatical errors. • Omits or uses grammatical markers incorrectly, such as tense, number, possession, and negation. Speaks with a limited repertoire of phrase and sentence structure. • Uses mostly simple sentence construction. • Overuses and to connect thoughts. Has difficulty organizing what to say.

• Has problems giving directions or explaining a recipe; talks around the topic (circumlocutes), but doesn’t get to the point. Has trouble maintaining a topic. • Interjects irrelevant information into story. • Starts out discussing one thing and then goes off in another direction without making the connection Has difficulty with word retrieval.

• Can’t call forth a known word when it is needed and may use fillers, such as “ummm,” and “You know.”

Has difficulty with verbal memory.

• Doesn’t remember directions, phone numbers, jokes, stories, etc. Has difficulty processing large amounts of spoken language. • Gets lost listening in classroom or large group presentations, complaining that people talk too fast.