What are Speech and Language Disorders?

People may often think of speech and language as the same thing, but the terms actually have very different meanings.

If your child has trouble with speech, he/she may struggle with the “how-to” of talking – the       co-ordination of the muscles and movements necessary to produce speech. When we refer to “articulation”  in speech, we mean the way we say our speech sounds. When we speak about “phonology”, we  are referring to the speech patterns we use when speaking.

If your child has difficulty with language, he/she may struggle with understanding what he/she hears or sees. He/she may struggle to find the right words and organise those words in a      meaningful way to communicate a message or hold a conversation.

Speech and Language impairments can affect the way individuals talk, understand, analyse and process information. The clarity, voice quality and fluency of a person’s spoken words may also be affected. Language disorders may include a person’s inability to hold meaningful               conversations, understand others, problem-solve, comprehend and express thoughts through spoken or written words.

Both adults and children can have Speech and Language Disorders. These disorders can occur as a result of a medical problem, can co-occur with a congenital condition or may have no known cause. The following is a comprehensive, though not exhaustive list of the more         common medical/developmental conditions in children and adults which are found to impact on speech/language competencies.

Medical/Developmental Conditions in Children:

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder)
• Cleft Lip and/or Palate
• Right Hemisphere Brain Injury
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Otitis Media (glue ear)
• Developmental Dyspraxia
• Progressive Neurological Disorders
• Dyslexia
• Specific Language Impairment
• Physical Disability
• Learning Disability

 Medical/Developmental Conditions in Adults:

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Dementia
• Huntington’s Disease
• Laryngeal Cancer
• Oral Cancer
• Right Hemisphere Brain Injury
• Stroke
• Traumatic Brain Injury

Speech Disorders

• Apraxia: Apraxia is a general term. Apraxia of Speech is a motor speech disorder. It is caused by damage to the parts of the brain related to speaking. Other terms include Acquired Apraxia of Speech, Verbal Apraxia, and Dyspraxia
• Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Motor speech disorder, causing difficulty planning and co-ordinating the movements needed to make speech sounds
• Dysarthria: Motor Speech Disorder
• Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders: inability to co-ordinate tongue movements for speech production
• Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonological Processes
• Stuttering/Stammering: Disruption in production of speech sounds -affecting fluency of speech
• Voice: problems with the way the voice sounds, such a pitch, tone, quality, hoarseness

Language Disorders

• Language-Based Learning Disabilities
• Pre-school Language Disorders
• Selective Mutism: Complex Anxiety Disorder characterised by a child’s inability to speak and communicate effectively in select social settings
• Aphasia
• Expressive Language Disorder: Difficulty using language
• Receptive language Disorder: Difficulty understanding language
• Pragmatic Language Disorder: Social use of language/social communication/the way we speak to/with others

Other Disorders

• Feeding/eating/drinking/swallowing Disorders: Difficulty chewing/ manipulating food with the tongue/coordinating mouth and throat structures and muscles; swallowing and breathing appropriately while eating).
• Oro-motor Disorders: including weak tongue and/or lip muscles