Receptive language involves the comprehension of spoken language. Children with a receptive language disorder have difficulty understanding and processing what is said to them. They may have difficulty following directions, may often ask the speaker to repeat themselves, or may appear not to be listening. For a child with this diagnosis, spoken words may sound like a foreign language; the child can hear the words being said, but does not understand what they mean.

Receptive Language Disorders are a broad category and often overlap with other diagnoses. These diagnoses are often used by many people in different ways. Other names for a receptive language disorder may include:

• Auditory processing disorder;
• Auditory-linguistic processing disorder;
• Central auditory processing disorders (CAPD);
• Aphasia;
• Comprehension deficit;
• Word deafness;
• "Delayed language"