Speech and Language Deficiency

The first time I realized I was different was in second grade, when I opened my mouth to answer a question and my peers giggled as I struggled to answer. I pronounced my R's like W's, which threw my whole pronunciation of the English language into a twist. My previously "adorable" lapses in speech were now affecting me negatively. I was different than the rest of my classmates; I had been born with a speech disorder.

When a child began talking that child lisped, stuttered, or had a hard time pronouncing words. People could think it is cute or not to worry because child would soon grow over it. However, if that child becomes teenager and still stuttering, then it becomes an issue. Speech disorder can divide into Fluency, articulation, and voice disorder.

Specific language disorders, or SLI, affect approximately 7-8% of children in kindergarten. SLI are diagnosed in children, mostly, age 3 and older. The relatively late diagnosis is done to distinguish the children that have SLI from those who are simply “late talkers”. Some of the characteristics of SLI involve problem in only one area and some with problems in all areas of language. The children who are diagnosed with SLI may have a delayed vocabulary growth, disinterest in engagement in social interactions relevant to their age, difficulty in comprehension and/or production in any of the following: morphology, semantics, phonology, syntax, and pragmatics. For example, a 4.8 year old child that does not engage in social interactions

There may be a recognised syndrome or disorder that causes language difficulty for the child and is not able to communicate with others. The child may have a lack of stimulation and support to provide the rich language experience necessary to develop speech, language and communication skills. For example at school, the setting may not have an enabling environment to stimulate the child’s different interests necessary for acquiring language. The books, music, songs and so on may not stimulate and interest the child.

* Speech, language and communication needs- Is any difficulty in which the child has in speech, language or communicating.

Speech, language and communication difficulties can have a profound and lasting effect on children’s lives and development. These can affect their ability to communicate and interact with others. The impact of these difficulties will vary depending on the severity of the problems, the support they receive, the demands of the child’s environment

Sam is an adopted child. Quite early on his adoptive parents had concerns about his speech and language. They noticed he uses very few single words and is very reluctant to communicate with anyone. Initially they thought he is feeling shy or taking time to adjust to new environment but Sam started having more tantrums. They were worried about his communication and ability to cope at nursery school. He was referred to the Speech and Language Therapy Service when he was two years old.

Neurological systems were also evaluated to identify any existing health or comorbidities promptly and to utilize interventions such as referral to neurologists, ophthalmologists, or speech pathologists if necessary. Developmental red flags, in this case, would include the inability to understand the use of action words and being unable to follow two-step direction (Bellman et al., 2013). This would be indicative of receptive language delay. Expressive language delays are characterized by a child’s inability to ask for things by name, use no less than 200 words, or repeat phrases in response to questions (Stevenson & Richman, 2016). However, none of these red flags was reported by the child’s

People with a Language Processing Disorder (LPD) find it hard to understand the meaning of words they hear – even though they might be fluent speakers of the language. They also have difficulties finding the right words to say, almost like words are “stuck on

Children with APD have trouble processing the sounds heard into letters and words. Many children may hear fewer words which were really spoken, giving them the impression that the sounds heard are foreign and unfamiliar. On the other hand, some children with APD may actually hear the words being said however they can’t connect the words to their meaning. Children with APD develop a second nature to lip read and follow facial cues to compensate for their lack of understanding spoken language. Yet when speaking on the telephone these factors are not present, creating a difficult task for children with this disability.

But “if there is a difficulty understanding what people say, difficulty speaking or forming sounds or words and using language in appropriate social contexts then this can affect a child’s behaviour and emotional development”. (Speech, Language Communication Action Plan 2011)

Communication is very crucial in life, especially in education. Whether it be delivering a message or receiving information, without the ability to communicate learning can be extremely difficult. Students with speech and language disorders may have “trouble producing speech sounds, using spoken language to communicate, or understanding what other people say” (Turkington, p10, 2003) Each of these problems can create major setbacks in the classroom. Articulation, expression and reception are all essential components for communication. If a student has an issue with articulation, they most likely then have difficulty speaking clearly and at a normal rate (Turkington, 2003). When they produce words, they

Speech and language delays can be problematic for preschoolers, school aged children and adolescents. These delays range in degree of severity and have many causes; physical and developmentally. Communication plays a specific and important role to all people, especially, preschool children who are developing speech and language skills at fast rate. The consequences of these delays can be devastating for the children affected and can follow them into adulthood. These effects may include academic problems, social and emotional issues and may even lead into mental illness. Children with speech and language delays need professional intervention as young as possible. However even with intervention, some children are still at risk of suffering

When children experience early speech difficulties they tend to be at risk later on. By being susceptible to language skills early on allows the child (ren) to be more proficiency and react in a way that contributes to them being able to express themselves in a way that causes them to use a variety of different phonemes and at the same time mix and maneuver other language and literacy skills. Numerous studies have found that there is a strong link between language problems, reading and overall academic achievement (Konza, 2006, Snow Burns and Griffin, 1998, Justice and Ezell, 2000).

Communication disorder is impairment in being able to receive, send, process, and understand concepts of verbal or nonverbal communication”. It can affect hearing, language, and speech. (ASHA) A speech disorder is when the articulation or speech is impaired, which includes articulation, fluency, and voice disorders. Language disorder is when comprehension or spoken or written language is not understood. There are three areas that can be affected which include form of language, content of language or function of communication. (ASHA)