As a social species, communication is fundamental to humans and a significant part of how many of us do so is through speech. However, speech disorders affect millions of people of all ages, which can have a big impact on their quality of life. The good news is that speech therapy has the potential to assist in managing or improving speech disorders for many people.
Experienced and highly qualified speech pathologists can assess a child with speech difficulties to determine a diagnosis and develop a personalised treatment plan to provide support and intervention. This may not only help their speech development, but also many other factors such as their self-confidence, their engagement in school, and making friends. If you have concerns about your child’s speech, it may be advantageous to have one of our speech pathologists carry out a comprehensive evaluation. Read on to learn more about common speech disorders and how we may be able to help.
What is a Speech Disorder?
Speech is the action that allows us to produce sounds, words, sentences, and phrases. This is different from language, which involves using words to share or understand meaning. When speech is impaired, it means there is one or more issue related to voice, sound articulation, or fluency.
These three categories of speech disorders involve the following features:
Voice Disorders
Voice disorders involve issues related to voice:
- Volume.
- Pitch.
- Quality.
- Resonance.
- Duration.
Articulation Disorders
Articulation disorders involve issues related to the production of speech sounds, which can make it difficult for others to understand the person who is speaking. These issues may include:
- Omissions.
- Distortions.
- Additions.
- Substitutions.
Fluency Disorders
Fluency refers to how smoothly someone’s speech flows. Interruptions to this flow may involve elements such as unusual:
- Rhythm.
- Rate.
- Repetition.
5 Types of Speech Disorders
There are many types of speech disorders in children and in adults. These may be something the person was born with, due to reasons such as autism spectrum disorder, or may have been acquired, due to reasons such as damage to the brain in an accident.
Five types of speech disorders that affect children include:
1. Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
Our nerves carry messages from our brain to the muscles in our mouth and tongue to tell them what to do so that we can speak. In apraxia, the messages are disrupted in some way, so the muscles do not move correctly. This is a developmental issue from birth and varies in severity. Children do not grow out of CAS, so ongoing speech therapy aims to support them towards conveying what they want to say in the best way possible.
Some signs of CAS may include:
- Incorrect speech sounds.
- No speech (in severe cases).
2. Dysarthria
Dysarthria also affects a person’s ability to move the muscles needed for speech. However, this motor speech disorder revolves around muscle weakness because of brain damage rather than an issue with the messages from the brain to the muscles.
Some signs of dysarthria may include:
- Imprecise speech.
- Slurring.
3. Stuttering
Stuttering involves interruptions in someone’s speech. The cause of stuttering is not completely understood, but there does appear to be a genetic component.
Some signs of stuttering may include:
- Repetition of sounds, syllables, or words.
- Prolongation of certain sounds.
- Blocks in speech, when it is difficult to get the word out.
4. Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD)
OMDs involve difficulties with the tongue, mouth, and face due to the development of a person’s muscles and bones.
Some signs of OMDs may include:
- Imprecise sounds.
- Breathing or swallowing difficulties.
- Tongue thrusting.
5. Phonological Disorders
Speech errors are usual in speech development, and these may last for years. However, children should stop making certain errors at certain stages throughout their development. If they do not, it can indicate a speech sound disorder.
Some signs of phonological/speech sound disorders include:
- Changing sounds.
- Leaving a sound out.
- Adding a sound.
How Can Speech Therapy Help Speech Disorders?
A speech pathologist can undertake a thorough assessment of your child’s speech and identify the underlying issues. They can then develop a tailored treatment program that focuses on their needs. Many speech disorders cannot be completely fixed but undertaking speech therapy has the potential to make a difference in many cases.
Your child’s speech pathologist may provide various therapy methods depending on the underlying issues and diagnoses. These may include options such as:
- Practice saying problem sounds.
- Practice placing the tongue or lips in the correct positions.
- Augmentative and alternative communication, such as communication devices, phone apps, or body language.
- Breath control exercises.
- Education for people who are regular conversation partners for your child.
Chatterbox Speech Therapy Can Support Your Child
If your child is having difficulties with their speech, it may be frustrating, stressful, or upsetting for everyone involved. Early intervention is often better than delaying seeking professional help, both in terms of speech improvement and supporting everyone’s wellbeing. At Chatterbox, we understand how to support you and your child if they are dealing with a speech disorder. Please contact us today to make an initial consultation.