Speech and language disorders
What they are, how they are defined, and the gray area to be considered.
We’ve talked before about the differences between speech and language-check out our shallow dive here-but this article will take it a step further. We will discuss the differences between speech and language, but also looking at how disorders through each differ. Speech Language Pathologists like Katie at As We Speak are the experts in diagnosing and discovery, but it’s important for parents and teachers alike to understand the differences on their own, so they can recruit the experts if needed.
So, as a refresher:
Speech = How we SAY sounds and words. Pronunciation, letter sounds, voice.
Language = The WORDS we use to share our ideas and get what we want. How we put words together to form sentences and structure in our commentary.
Speech and language disorders vary from person to person, and have different levels of delay or missing pieces.
“Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.”
Common speech disorders include:
Stuttering. This is characterized by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases. This can also be seen through silent pauses, or blocks, when they are unable to produce the sound they want.
Apraxia. This is a motor speech disorder that makes it hard to pronounce the correct sounds when speaking. For people with Apraxia, they may have a hard time saying certain words or put together a sentence. They often know what they want to say, but their brain has trouble sending the right signals to the muscles needed for speech.
Aphasia, or sometimes called dysphasia, is an impairment in a person’s ability to comprehend or formulate language. This often comes after a stroke or head trauma.
Articulation Disorders. As it suggests, articulation is the area of trouble with these disorders. The inability to produce specific speech sounds. Sometimes it takes the form of a lisp, or other pronunciation mistakes like mistaking an “r” sound with a “w” sound.
Dysarthria. This is a speech and sound disorder that results from neurological injury of the Motor component of the motor-speech system. It’s characterized by poor articulation of phonemes. It occurs when the muscles in the lips, mouth, tongue, or jaws are too weak to properly form words.
Voice Disorders- Voice disorders disrupt the normal pitch, volume, or quality of the voice. Voice disorders affect individuals across various professions. It can include vocal cord paralysis, vocal abuse, and vocal nodules- resulting in hoarseness or fatigue.
Speech disorders are common, typically have a reason behind why they exist, and can certainly be addressed with a professional SLP. It’s important to connect with a professional as early as possible to create the best chance of success in improving or correcting the disorder.
Speech and Language disorders are two different things.
This also means that one disorder could look different from one child to another. It’s important to look at the behaviors, patterns, and overall personality as a whole before determining if your child does, in fact, have a disorder that can be addressed.
There are two types of language disorders:
Expressive Language disorders-This is when a child has difficulty using words to communicate. They might not know the words or how to put them together in a way that others will understand.
When a child has an expressive language disorder, they may experience:
Having trouble finding the right words
Making up new words
Repeating common words or phrases
Using single words or short, simple sentences
Avoiding social interactions
Receptive Language disorders- This is when a child has difficulty understanding what people say.A child may feel anxious being around others because they’re never really sure what people are saying.
When a child experiences a receptive language disorder, they may show signs by:
Having difficulty following directions
Having trouble focusing while people are talking
Not understanding jokes or puns and taking them seriously
Seeming shy or uncertain
*Note, while these two categories exist, some children may experience symptoms of both. They may have difficulty using words to communicate and understanding what people say.
*To learn more about expressive and receptive language disorders, their causes and complications, visit The Cleaveland Clinic website . A trained SLP can also explain in more detail what to look for, and of course, how to approach and treat them.
Within these two categories, language disorders that are most commonly known include:
Autism- Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by repetitive, restricted, and inflexible patterns of behavior, interest, and activities. It also includes difficulties in social interaction and social communication. Autism itself is not a language disorder, but is often “comorbid”, or “co-occurring” with language disorders.
Developmental Language Disorder-This is a persistent difficulty in language acquisition. It impacts a child’s ability to understand and use language, including difficulties with vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure.
Through discovery, analysis and intervention, many of the disorders that are described above can be addressed and improved. Check out our process for evaluation and discovery here. You’ll also notice the variety of disorders that have been researched and studied. This also means that one disorder could look different from one child to another. It’s important to look at the behaviors, patterns, and overall personality as a whole before determining if your child does, in fact, have a disorder that can be addressed.
Through therapy sessions with As We Speak therapists, they can evaluate your child and meet them where they are. They can determine if a certain combination of therapies can create improvement and progress. Some children may have symptoms of one disorder, but another is keeping them from being able to progress.
“Every child is different”- you’ve heard that time and time again.
It’s never been more true when it comes to speech and language disorders, and it's key to meet your child where they are, and where they are comfortable to be able to determine the best course of action. If something feels off, or when Google isn’t answering the question - or giving you the answer you want- get in touch.
Let’s collaborate to help your kiddo be the best version of themselves.