Question: My 4 1/2 year old has speech delays and he has been improving a lot in speech therapy. however he has been stuttering for a few weeks now. Should i tell him to slow down, or just ignore it?

Answer: If it has just started then the best thing to do is ignore it & treat it like it’s no big deal. but be very positive about his speech. Say encouraging things like, “You are so good at your new sounds” etc. Let him know with actions and body language that you will give him as much time as he needs to say what he needs to say.

it is normal for kids to stutter any time in the preschool years, it’s just how long it goes and how severe it is that determines whether they need speech therapy for it.

Just a funny: My DD stuttered off and on for over a year and it cleared up on its own. the funny thing is that she “backwards stuttered” for lack of a better term. Instead of repeating first sounds I l-l-l-like cookies she repeated the end part of the word “I like-ike-ike-ike cookies”. I’m a pediatric speech therapist and in 11 years i’ve never seen another child do this!

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