Pronunciation Q&A: I have always believed that children develop at their own pace. Why should I be concerned when my child has a speech delay?

Question:

I have always believed that children develop at their own pace. Why should I be concerned when my child has a speech delay?

Answer:

While it is true that children develop at their own pace, they do so within a normal range. For example, a child will learn to say his first word sometime between 9 months and 18 months. This is a wide range. Children who talk much earlier might end up being gifted, and children who talk much later might end up having learning disabilities.

Late to talk: For any child who is late to talk, there is a chance that this lateness is a sign of another problem. Most learning difficulties are much easier to treat if they are diagnosed earlier. For example, a 2 year old child might not be talking because she is a little shy, and she will learn to talk a bit later than her peers and catch up. Her parents may learn some skills to get her talking a bit sooner than she might have, and therefore avoid some behavior problems.

However, other 2 year olds might not be talking because they have autism, or severe oral motor dyspraxia, or learning disabilities, or a hearing loss, or other difficulties. For each case, it is better to get an early diagnosis and treatment.

Pronunciation delays: For children who have delayed pronunciation, social interaction is a challenge. Improving pronunciation through speech therapy can help them interact successfully with their peers. Children who start school with pronunciation delays often have difficulty learning to read and write compared to their peers – especially if they try to write based on how they say the sounds. Early identification and intervention can prevent reading problems and the social and self esteem problems that are associated with school failure

Pronunciation Q&A: My four year old has a lisp. Should I be concerned?

Question:

My four year old has a lisp. Should I be concerned?

Answer:

Lisps can be complicated. If her speech delay makes it difficult to understand her, then you should have her evaluated by a SLP.

More information about lisps:

• Frontal lisp – some sounds are pronounced like a “th” sound.
• Lateral lisp – some sounds are pronounced in a “slushy” way. For example, there might be a “hissing” sound when the child says, “Chair” instead of a “Ch”. This type of lisp is rare and usually requires speech therapy to overcome.
• If a four year old can pronounce most of her sounds correctly, but her /s/ and /z/ sounds are pronounced as “th” (For example, sun sounds like “Thun”), this is probably normal.
• If the “th” sound is affecting her “Sh” and “Ch” sounds, she may need speech therapy.

Examples of communication disorders:

• autism — a developmental defect that affects understanding of emotional communication
• aphasia — loss of the ability to produce or comprehend language
• Learning disability – Both speaking and listening components of the definition
• Dysnomia - Deficit involving word retrieval
• Asperger syndrome – Areas of social and pragmatic language
• Semantic Pragmatic Disorder – Challenges with the semantic and pragmatic aspects of language
• blindness – a defect of the eye or visual system
• deafness – a defect of the ear or auditory system
• dyslexia – a defect of the systems used in reading
• dyscalculia – a defect of the systems used in communicating numbers
• expressive language disorder — affects speaking and understanding where there is no delay in non-verbal intelligence.
• mixed receptive-expressive language disorder — affects speaking, understanding, reading and writing where there is no delay in non-verbal intelligence.
• speech disorders such as
• cluttering, a speech organization disorder
• stuttering
• oesophageal voice
• speech sound disorder
• specific language impairment
• dysarthria

source: wikipedia

Many children have speech and/or language problems. These problems can be addressed and often remedied by a trained speech and language pathologist. Speech and language problems can include pronunciation problems, stuttering and more.

Communication disorders are speech and language disorders which refer to problems in communication and in related areas such as oral motor function. The delays and disorders can range from simple sound substitution to the inability to understand or use language.

source: wikipedia

Speech-language pathology is the study of disorders that affect a person’s speech, language, cognition, voice, swallowing (dysphagia) and the rehabilitative or corrective treatment of physical and/or cognitive deficits/disorders resulting in difficulty with communication and/or swallowing. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) or Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) address people’s speech production, vocal production, swallowing difficulties and language needs through speech therapy in a variety of different contexts including schools, hospitals, and through private practice.

Communication includes speech (articulation, intonation, rate, intensity, voice, resonance, fluency), language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics), both receptive and expressive language (including reading and writing), and non-verbal communication such as facial expression and gesture. Swallowing problems managed under speech therapy are problems in the oral and pharyngeal stages of swallowing (not oesophageal).

Depending on the nature and severity of the disorder, common treatments may range from physical strengthening exercises, instructive or repetitive practice and drilling, to the use of audio-visual aids and introduction of strategies to facilitate functional communication. Speech therapy may also include sign language and the use of picture symbols or Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (Diehl 2003).

The practice is called:

* Speech-language pathology (SLP) in the United States and Canada
* Speech and language therapy (SLTs) in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. Within the United Kingdom a Speech and Language Therapy team is often referred to by clinicians as the “SALT” team.
* Speech pathology in Australia
* Speech-language therapy in New Zealand

Other terms in use include speech therapy, logopaedics and phoniatrics.

from: wikipedia

photo: flickr: 42dreams