A speech
disorder is an impairment of voice, articulation of speech sounds,
and/or fluency. These impairments are observed in the transmission
and use of the oral symbol system.
A language
disorder is therefore the impairment or deviant development of
comprehension and/or use of a spoken, written, and/or other symbol
system. The disorder may involve: the form of language, the content
of language, and/or the function of language in communication
in any combination.
A communication
disorder is an inability to understand or use speech and language
to relate to others in society. This can be divided into
four areas:
Language
- this involves listening, speaking, reading and writing
Articulation
- the pronunciation of sounds and words
Voice
- the sound produced by vibration of the vocal cords
Stuttering
- a disruption in the normal flow or rhythm of speech
Cause:
The brain
is extremely complex and our understanding of how it works is
very limited. For the majority of communication disorders, we
do not understand the cause. However, we do have an understanding
of how to help many children maximize their speech and language
development.
Known causes
of communication disorders include:
Hearing Impairment: Full or partial hearing impairment may cause
difficulty in speech and language development. An assessment
of hearing ability is one of the first steps in the investigation
of speech and language problems.
Physical Disability: Cleft lip and palate, or malformations of
the mouth or nose may cause communication disorders. More involved
disabilities such as cerebral palsy may preclude any speech at
all and for these non-verbal children, augmentative communication
methods may be used.
Developmental Disability: Some children,not all, with a developmental
disability or Down's Syndrome
may be slower to learn to talk and may need extra assistance.
Treatment:
Treatment
depends upon the actual disorder identified and therefore treatment
runs the full gamit of medical and psychological therapies.
