Resources
Below you will find disorders that speech and language pathologists commonly treat and some accredited resources that will help you find the answers you need.
What Does a Speech and Language Pathologist do?
Speech and Language Pathologists specialize in the evaluation and treatment of numerous language, communication and feeding disorders.
Speech Pathologists work with children and adults in numerous settings such as Early Intervention (from birth to 3 years of age), pre-schools, schools and a patient’s home.
Speech vs. Language. A Common Misconception
A Speech disorder, as described by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) is “an impairment of articulation of speech sounds, fluency or voice”. In other words, when a child attempts to produce the word “Spoon”, he or she produces “PΛn” (Pronounced “Pun”) instead. Technically, the child presents an Initial Cluster Reduction that interferes with his or her speech intelligibility. What this means in layman’s terms is that the child is “clustering” or combining two or three consonants into a single sound. This demonstrates a child who more specifically has a speech sound disorder but with typical (normal), language skills.
A language disorder, on the other hand, as described by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) is “impaired comprehension and/or use of spoken, written, and/or other symbol systems”. In other words, a child who has difficulty answering “Wh” questions (Who, What, Where, Why), following directions, and has difficulty with narratives demonstrates someone who more specifically has a language delay/disorder.
Disorders we Commonly Treat
Cognitive Disorders
Cognitive disorders refer to difficulties with attention, memory, problem solving and/or executive functioning skills like mental control and self-regulation.
Articulation Disorder
This is when a child has difficulty producing certain sounds (like saying a “w” sound instead of an “r” sound). A lisp is also considered a common articulation disorder. While articulation disorders are pretty common as a child grows up, they are expected to master sounds by a certain age. Articulation disorders can affect the child’s ability to read, write and interact with peers.
Apraxia of Speech
A patient suffering from this form of brain damage will find speech difficult, particularly when it comes to sequencing and forming sounds. The patient knows what to say, just not how to say it because of a disruption in the part of the brain that sends the signal to the muscles necessary to produce the sound.
Stuttering
Stuttering can be divided into two branches, typical and atypical. Typical disfluency (stuttering) is characterized by whole word repetitions, uses of interjections such as (“um”,“er”,“like”) and repetition of phases which are usually resolved as the child grows. Atypical disfluency is characterized by repeating sounds or syllables, for example “B..b..b..baby”, sound prolongation, for example “Sssssssee you tomorrow”, blocks and secondary behaviors such as eye blinking or hand tapping.
Language Disorders
Language disorders are disorders that involve the processing of linguistic information. For example, linguistic processing is more complex than just the meaning of individual words. You need linguistic processing skills to figure out a sentence’s meaning. A disorder may involve, in any combination, the form, content or function of a language.
Dysarthria
Usually caused by muscle damage, or nerve damage to the muscles in the diaphragm, lips, tongue, and vocal chords, dysarthria results in slurred or slowed speech, abnormal rhythm and pitch while speaking, and limited tongue, jaw, or lip movement. This is another disorder that can inflict adults as a result of stroke or a tumor. However, it has also been observed among children as a result of muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy.
Feeding
A feeding disorder is characterized by a child having difficulty eating foods of different textures and colors.
Swallowing
Swallowing can be defined as a three stage process. Stage 1 – Oral Stage which includes sucking, chewing and leaving food and liquid into the throat. Stage 2 – Pharyngeal Phase which involves the start of the swallow and squeezing food down the throat. The child needs to protect this airway in order to prevent food and liquid from coming up, which can cause choking and coughing. Stage 3 – Esophageal Phase involves the opening and closing of the esophagus. The esophagus is responsible for bringing food down to the stomach.
The above mentioned disorders are only a few of many that we treat. Please contact us for more information on a specific disorder.
Resources
We have provided a few links that can guide parents on what your child should be able to achieve in terms of speech and communication at different stages of their development:
Below are more accredited resources you can visit to find out more about specific speech disorders, what they are, and how they are treated: