Understanding Expressive Language Skills and How They Change with Age
The average person speaks around 16,000 words a day! Bonita Springs, FL certainly gives you plenty to talk about, from the quaint downtown to mangroves in the barrier islands and the Everglades Wonder Garden.
Your expressive language skills give you the ability to carry on a conversation about Bonita Springs and everything else going on in your life. These skills can change as you age, but you don't have to lose them.
Learn more about expressive language skills and how to maintain them as you age.
Receptive vs Expressive Language Skills
At the most basic level, receptive language is listening and expressive language is speaking. However, each component of language goes deeper.
Receptive Language
Receptive language involves understanding information that is presented in different ways, such as:
- Words and sounds
- Movements and gestures
- Signs, pictures, and symbols
Receptive language skills allow us to follow directions, identify objects and pictures, and understand a story. Children typically develop receptive language faster than expressive language.
Expressive Language
Expressive language is our ability to communicate our feelings, ideas, and needs. Speaking is the most common form of expressive communication, but other methods include:
- Writing
- Sign language
- Body movements and gestures
- Speech-generating devices
- Picture exchange systems
Word-based forms of expressive language rely on skills such as:
- Choosing the correct vocabulary words
- Using the correct grammatical forms
- Putting words in the correct order to form sentences
Babies start developing expressive language skills within a few days after birth, and development continues throughout childhood.
Normal Changes in Expressive Language Skills Due to Aging
Most people have developed their basic language skills by the age of 6, as a review in the journal Neuroscience explained. Education helps children continue to develop their grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension. Vocabulary can grow until people reach their mid-50s.
Changes in the Vocal Mechanism
As with other systems in the body, expressive language skills can decline with age. Physical changes can affect our ability to communicate.
People often notice changes in the sound of their voice, which can include:
- Weakness or lower intensity
- Hoarseness
- Trembling
- Higher or lower pitch than in the past
A variety of physical changes cause these changes in vocal quality. For example, the cartilage in the larynx often hardens with age. Lower blood flow to the vocal mechanism or a lower respiration rate can also affect vocal production.
These changes in the sound of the voice don't necessarily have a negative effect on your ability to communicate. Severe tooth loss can affect how well people can articulate words, though.
People sometimes become self-conscious about how their voice sounds and try to limit how much they speak. This reduces your ability to communicate.
Cognitive Changes that Affect Expressive Language Skills
Seniors who experience healthy cognitive aging generally have only moderate declines in their expressive language skills over time. Older adults tend to use simpler sentence structure than younger adults. Sentence fragments become more common as age increases.
However, most seniors maintain their conversational abilities. They retain the ability to take turns in conversation, develop a topic, and adapt their content based on the listener.
Cognitive Changes by Decade
Cognitive processing starts to slow after people reach the age of 50. You may remember fewer details of a book or movie or have more difficulty remembering exactly when and where an event occurred.
Over the age of 60, remembering names can become more difficult. Information processing continues to slow, but typically not enough to significantly affect your ability to perform daily tasks.
Generalizing about expressive language skills after age 70 is more difficult because cognitive abilities can vary widely. Factors that affect an older person's ability to maintain communication skills include:
- Life history
- Language competence
- Communication environment
- Dementia
- Smoking or alcohol consumption
People who are in generally good health and are aging normally typically maintain basic conversational skills well into their 80s and 90s.
The "Tip-of-the-Tongue" Phenomenon
The most irritating cognitive problem many older adults report is not being able to recall a well-known word. This "tip-of-the-tongue" issue affects people of all ages, but it becomes more frequent after age 60. Seniors may also have more difficulty spelling words correctly when writing.
Issues with word retrieval are usually not severe enough to prevent communication from happening. However, older adults who feel like they can't speak effectively may start to withdraw from social interactions. This can produce a negative spiral where less interaction and communication lead to greater difficulties with expressive language skills.
Maintaining Communication Skills Over Time
Most people don't need to worry about speech and aging. You may take a little longer to think before speaking or have occasional difficulty thinking of the right word, but you can still participate fully in social activities. The key is continuing to use your expressive communication skills.
Tips for healthy cognitive aging support healthy communication as well, such as:
- Exercise your mind by trying new activities or developing existing skills and hobbies
- Stay physically active
- Eat a balanced diet
- Avoid smoking and alcohol
- Engage in social interactions regularly
These strategies will help you maintain good communication skills as you age.
Speech Therapy
Seniors who have suffered a stroke or live with conditions like Parkinson's disease or dementia may need more targeted interventions. Speech therapy can address a range of issues including:
- Clarity of speech
- Vocal projection
- Memory and attention during conversation
A personalized therapy plan can help improve expressive language skills that have been lost.
Assistive Technology
Technological tools, such as picture boards, electronic communication boards, and speech-to-text apps, can improve communication. Discuss the options with your healthcare provider if you think an assistive device would be beneficial.
Supporting Senior Communication in Bonita Springs
Expressive language skills are essential for senior well-being. They help you stay connected to your family, friends, and the community. Most seniors are able to maintain their conversational skills as they age, but help is available when necessary.
Diamond Oaks Village provides independent living support for your holistic health. Our senior wellness programs include social, intellectual, spiritual, physical, medical, and emotional dimensions. You'll be inspired to pursue conversations with your neighbors, who will become your friends.
Schedule a tour of Diamond Oaks Village in Bonita Springs today and discover everything you'll have to talk about!