Word Finding Difficulties in Children: Signs, Strategies and Activities

A child with word finding difficulties knows a word but can't get to it when they need it. They might point, describe it ("the thing you cut with"), say "that one", or stop mid-sentence and give up. Everyone has the odd tip-of-the-tongue moment. It becomes a concern when it happens often with familiar words and starts to get in the way of talking, learning or confidence.

What are word finding difficulties?

Word finding difficulties (also called word retrieval difficulties) are trouble recalling and saying a known word on demand. The child usually understands the word when someone else says it. The problem is in getting it out quickly and accurately, not in knowing what it means.
For example, a child may clearly know what a thermometer is, but say "the thing that checks if you're sick" because the word itself won't come.

What are the signs of word finding difficulties?

The most common sign is a child who clearly has something to say but keeps getting stuck on the key words. Several of these are described by the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.

One or two of these now and then is normal, especially when a child is tired or excited. What matters is the pattern: how often it happens, whether the words are ones the child knows well, and how much it affects their communication.

Why can a child know a word but not say it?

Knowing a word and retrieving it are two different steps. A word is stored with its meaning, its sounds and its links to other words. To say it, the brain has to find that stored word and pull out its sound pattern, fast.

Difficulties can sit at either point:

• Storage: the word is only loosely learnt. The child has a rough idea of it but few links to other words, so there's not much to help them reach it.
• Retrieval: the word is well known but hard to access in the moment, so it comes out slowly, wrongly or not at all.

This is why the most useful activities do more than drill names. They build connections, such as what group a word belongs to, what it looks like, what it's used for, what it goes with and how it starts. Each connection is another route back to the word.

Is a word finding difficulty a sign of something else?

Sometimes. Word finding difficulties can occur on their own or alongside other language difficulties. The Royal Children's Hospital also notes they can be a significant problem for some people after an acquired brain injury.

A word finding difficulty is not a diagnosis in itself, and having one doesn't mean a child has another condition. A speech pathologist can work out whether it is a stand-alone difficulty or part of a wider language picture, which changes what support will help most.

Word finding difficulty or limited vocabulary?

They can look similar, but there is a useful test. If you say the word and the child immediately recognises it ("Yes! Gumboots!"), the word was there and retrieval was the problem. If the word is new to them, or they're unsure what it means, it is more likely a vocabulary gap, and the first job is teaching the word well.

How can you help a child who can't find the word?

Wait first, then give a cue rather than the answer. A few seconds of quiet often lets the child get there alone. If they can't, a small clue does more for them than hearing the word supplied.

Start with the lightest cue and only add more help if needed. Descriptive questions, gesture, sentence completion and first-sound prompts are among the cues recommended in the Royal Children's Hospital's guidance. The table runs roughly from less help to more. The examples use banana.

Notice which kind works best for your child, and tell their teacher or speech pathologist.

Keep the mood light. If the child is getting upset, skip down the list and give the word. A word finding moment should never feel like a test they've failed.

What activities help with word finding?

The best word finding activities are short, game-like and full of chances to link words together. Each one below works with nothing more than a conversation. Where a ready-made resource helps, it's listed underneath.

1. Describe and guess

Describe an object without naming it: "It's an animal. It has a long neck. It eats leaves from tall trees." The child guesses giraffe. Then swap. Describing is harder than guessing, and it's the more valuable half, because the child has to pull up category, features and function on their own.

2. Category race

Pick a category (animals, food, things in a kitchen) and see how many items the child can name in 30 seconds. Take turns, or try to beat last week's score. Start broad for younger children, then narrow it down for older ones: "animals that live in the ocean", "things made of metal".

Resources: Let's Name Things Fun Deck has 52 illustrated cards for naming things in a category. Word Joggers for Categories is a bingo game covering six everyday categories, with cards for naming, describing and grouping.

3. Name the group

This works in the opposite direction. Show or say three items, such as hammer, saw, screwdriver, and the child names the category: tools. It strengthens the links between a word and its group, which is a useful route back to the word.

Resource: Name That Category! Fun Deck has 56 cards with three related pictures each, and more than one answer can be right.

4. What goes with it?

Say a word and ask what goes with it: toothbrush to toothpaste, bucket to spade, teacher to classroom. Ask for a reason ("Why do they go together?") to get more talk out of each pair.

Resource: Things That Go Together Fun Deck has 28 illustrated pairs to talk about.

5. Finish my sentence

Start a sentence that ends in a predictable word: "You sleep in a...", "You eat soup with a...", "You cut paper with...". It's the sentence-completion cue turned into a game, and it suits younger children.

6. Odd one out

Show three or four items where one doesn't fit, such as apple, banana, sandwich, tree. The child names them all, picks the odd one out and explains why. That's naming, categorising and reasoning in one turn.

Resource: Webber Photo Cards: What Doesn't Belong has 56 large photo cards, for ages 3 and up.

7. Build a word web

Write or draw a target word in the middle of a page. Around it, add spokes: group, looks like, used for, found where, first sound, number of syllables, goes with. Fill them in together. Word webs (sometimes called word wheels) appear in NHS speech and language therapy guidance, such as Alder Hey's word wheel, because they make every route to a word visible. Keep the finished webs for new topic words at school.

Resource: Picture My Picture Categories Flashcards gives you 40 photo cards across 8 categories to build webs around.

8. Structured practice for older children and therapy sessions

For children aged around 7 and up, games that mix describing, opposites, multiple-meaning words and timed naming give more varied practice.

Resources: Word Joggers by Super Duper Publications is a semantics and word retrieval game with seven card decks, a one-minute timer and graphic organisers (ages 7+). Vocabulary Chipper Chat covers 12 vocabulary skills, including associations, attributes and categories, across 360 cards.

For more options, browse FunStuff's vocabulary resources.

How can teachers support word finding in class?

Class discussions are where these difficulties show most. Answers have to come quickly, in front of others. A few small changes help:

• Pre-teach topic words. Before a new unit, go over five to ten key words with the child, using a word web for each. Words that are well stored are easier to retrieve.
• Give thinking time. Let the class know you'll wait, or tell the child the question before you ask it aloud.
• Offer choices. "Was it a volcano or an earthquake?" lets the child show what they know without the retrieval load.
• Accept descriptions. If a child explains the idea correctly but can't land the word, give credit and then supply the word.
• Use visual supports. A word wall or topic word list gives the child something to look at when they get stuck.
• Watch timed tasks. Quick-fire quizzes and oral tests can underestimate what a child knows. Written or multiple-choice options can give a fairer picture.

How can older children help themselves find words?

Once children are old enough to think about how they find words, they can learn to cue themselves. Teach a short routine they can run in their head when a word won't come:

1. Describe it. What does it look like, and what is it used for?
2. Group it. What kind of thing is it?
3. Find the first sound. What letter or sound might it start with?
4. Think of a link. Where would I see it, and what goes with it?
5. Use another word. If it still won't come, explain it another way and keep going.

Practise the routine in games first, so it's familiar before the child needs it in class. The last step matters: being able to talk around a word and carry on is a real communication skill, not a failure.

When to see a speech pathologist

Talk to a speech pathologist if a child often struggles to find familiar words, if it's affecting schoolwork or friendships, if they're becoming frustrated or avoiding talking, or if you have other concerns about their speech or language.

A speech pathologist will look at the child's vocabulary, how they store and retrieve words, and their wider language skills. Standardised naming tests are often part of this. One example is the Renfrew Expressive Vocabulary Test, formerly the Word Finding Vocabulary Test. The speech pathologist can then target therapy to the child's specific difficulty.

In Australia you can search for a speech pathologist through Speech Pathology Australia's Find a Speech Pathologist directory. Your GP or your child's school can also help you work out next steps.

The activities in this guide are good everyday practice, but they don't replace an assessment when one is needed.

FAQs

What is the difference between word finding and word retrieval?

Nothing. They are two names for the same difficulty: trouble recalling a known word when it's needed.

At what age do word finding difficulties show up?

It varies. Parents and teachers often notice them once a child is expected to explain, retell and answer questions in class. Occasional naming mix-ups in younger children can be part of normal development, so a speech pathologist is the best person to judge.

Can children grow out of word finding difficulties?

It varies from child to child. Practice and support, including the self-cueing strategies above, can help a child manage, and some children continue to need classroom adjustments. A speech pathologist can advise on your child's situation.

Sources

• Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Kids Health Info: Word-finding difficulties
• Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust: Word finding activities and word wheel
• Speech Pathology Australia: Find a Speech Pathologist

This article is general information and isn't a substitute for an individual assessment by a qualified speech pathologist.