Speech and language disorders are not uncommon. In fact, over 7 million Americans have a speech problem. These conditions have a broad range, from vocal cord damage to selective mutism.
Some speech disorders are more common than others. Each with their own cause and symptoms.
A few of the most common speech disorders include:
Apraxia of Speech
Physically not being able to say what you want is called Apraxia of Speech (AOS). Typically occurs because the neural pathways have been damaged or brain injury. The brains receives a message, which needs to go to the mouth. The message goes to the muscles telling them when and how to move to make sounds. The message doesn’t get through as intended.
According to ASHA, the Signs and Symptoms of childhood Apraxia include
Not all children with CAS are the same. Your child may show some or all of the signs below. You should talk to your doctor and see an SLP if your child is older than 3 years and
does not always say words the same way every time;
tends to put the stress on the wrong syllable or word;
distorts or changes sounds; or
can say shorter words more clearly than longer words.
Children with CAS may have other problems, including
difficulty with fine motor skills;
delayed language; or
problems with reading, spelling, and writing
Stuttering
Stuttering can be identified by the repetition of sounds or words, interruption of speech, or overuse of fillers like “er” or “um”. Approximately 3 million Americans have stuttered in their life. Childhood stuttering is often times the speech is not developed correctly. The child is thinking the words faster than they can get them out.
ASHA characterizes the following types of disfluencies happen when someone stutters:
Part-word repetitions – “I w-w-w-want a drink.”
One-syllable word repetitions – “Go-go-go away.”
Prolonged sounds – “Ssssssssam is nice.”
Blocks or stops – “I want a (pause) cookie.”
Millions of adults and children suffer with speech and language disorders. But they can be treated, contact First Words Therapy for more information. Check back with us next week for more information on speaking disorders.
