INFORMATION ON SPEECH DISORDERS
Speech is one of the primary ways we communicate with our environment. It is also an effective way to monitor normal growth and development as well as to identify potential problems. Speech disorders include several speech-related problems that result in impaired or ineffective oral communication. Apraxia, also known as oral-motor speech disorder, is a problem with motor coordination or motor planning. A person with this speech problem has difficulty moving the muscles and structures necessary to form speech sounds into words.SYNONYMS OF SPEECH DISORDERS
Synonyms and related keywords:1. Voice disorders.
2. Dysphonia.
3. Motor speech disorders.
4. Language disorders.
5. Hearing impairment.
CAUSES OF SPEECH DISORDERS
Articulation deficiencies involve sounds made incorrectly or inappropriately. Voice disorders involve abnormalities in the quality, pitch, and loudness of the sound. There are many potential causes of speech impairment: the most common is mental retardation, hearing impairment, learning disabilities, autism, schizophrenia, cerebral palsy, vocal cord injury, disorders of the palate. Communication disorders may be developmental or acquired. The cause is believed to be based on biological problems such as abnormalities of brain development, or possibly by exposure to toxins during pregnancy, such as abused substances or environmental toxins such as lead. A genetic factor is sometimes considered a contributing cause in some cases.SYMPTOMS OF SPEECH DISORDERS
School-aged children often have problems understanding and formulating words. Teens may have more difficulty with understanding or expressing abstract ideas.Most children with communication disorders are able to speak by the time they enter school, however, they continue to have problems with communication.Some other symptoms are:
1. Frustration with attempts to communicate.
2. Head jerking while talking.
3. Eye blinking while talking.
4. Embarrassment with speech.
5. Pitch deviations.
6. Deviations in the loudness of the voice.
7. Quality deviations.
DIAGNOSIS OF SPEECH DISORDERS
Test under diagnosis of speech disorders are:1. Denver Articulation Screening Examination.
2. Early Language Milestone Scale.
3. Denver II.
4. Peabody Picture Test Revised.
