Children with language delays struggle to fast map, the rapid linking of words to meanings that drives typical word learning. Ming from Agents of Speech explains that delayed learners don't form robust word meanings from one or two exposures, so caregivers need to actively model and repeat words across different contexts.
Children who are language delayed or disordered, they have a problem with mapping words. It's called fast mapping is where they start mapping all the words in the world really quickly. There's a word explosion. They got, this is a cat, this is a lamp, this is a microphone. I know it now. But children who are disordered or delayed in terms of language, they cannot do that. It's kind of difficult for them. So therefore, if you aren't facilitating them because they've said a word or something once or twice, then they're going to not know how to use it in a different way. Doesn't mean they've lost it. It's never the case that they've lost it. It just means that they didn't know how to use that language. Different context, in the correct context, that is something you have to be careful about because picking up language is very difficult for a child who is already delayed or disordered. So it's going to be like you need to facilitate them whenever you hear it and don't take it for granted.
