Pronouns and Anaphoras: Speech Therapy Guide
Pronouns are words that replace a noun or noun group to avoid repetition. Anaphoras refer to expressions that refer back to an element mentioned previously. Mastery of these is essential for the cohesion of discourse and understanding of texts. Pronoun difficulties are common in language disorders.
Types of Pronouns
| Type | Examples | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Subject Pronouns | I, you, he, she, we, you, they | Subject of the verb |
| Object Pronouns | me, you, him, her, it, them | Object |
| Possessives | mine, yours, ours | Possession |
| Demonstratives | this one, that one, those | Designation |
| Relatives | who, that, whose, where | Link in complex sentences |
| Indefinites | someone, nothing, everything | Vague reference |
Development
18-24 months: "me" to refer to oneself. 2-3 years: I, you, he/she. 3-4 years: we, you, they, object pronouns. 4-5 years: simple relative pronouns (who, that). 5+ years: complex relatives (whose, where), distant anaphoras.
Common Difficulties
I/you inversion: talking about oneself in the 2nd or 3rd person (common in ASD).
Omission of pronouns: "doesn't want" instead of "I don't want".
Confusion he/she: gender errors.
Object pronouns: "I give it to him" instead of "I give him it".
Anaphoric resolution: difficulty understanding what "he" refers to in a text.
Intervention
💡 Strategies
Role-playing: situations where the child must change perspective (I becomes you).
Visual support: photos, pictograms for people.
Systematic questions: "Who is doing the action? Who are we talking about?"
Our Downloadable Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
This confusion between subject and object pronouns can be seen up to 4-5 years occasionally. If it persists beyond that or is systematic, a speech therapy consultation may be helpful.
Pronoun inversion is more frequent in ASD but is neither exclusive nor systematic. It may reflect difficulties in perspective-taking or echolalia. Specific work can improve it.
