Speech-Language Disorders
What is a Speech Disorder?
How is it different from a Language Disorder?
Will a speech or language disorder affect my child's performance in school?
Read the information below and follow the links to find answers to these and other questions you might have.
Definition: (From Speech-Language-Development.com)
Speech and language disorders refer to problems in communication and related areas such as oral motor function. These delays and disorders range from simple sound substitutions to the inability to understand or use language or use the oral-motor mechanism for functional speech and feeding. Some causes of speech and language disorders include hearing loss, neurological disorders, brain injury, intellectual disability, drug abuse, physical impairments such as cleft lip or palate, and vocal abuse or misuse. Frequently, however, the cause is unknown.
Characteristics:
A child's communication is considered delayed when the child is noticeably behind his or her peers in the acquisition of speech and/or language skills. Sometimes a child will have greater receptive(understanding) than expressive (speaking) language skills, but this is not always the case.
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Characteristics:
A child's communication is considered delayed when the child is noticeably behind his or her peers in the acquisition of speech and/or language skills. Sometimes a child will have greater receptive(understanding) than expressive (speaking) language skills, but this is not always the case.
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Stuttering ... According to the American Stuttering Association, "Stuttering is a communication disorder involving disruptions, or “disfluencies,” in a person’s speech. The word "stuttering" can be used to refer either to the specific speech disfluencies that are commonly seen in people who tutter or to the overall communication difficulty that people who stutter may experience. In addition to producing disfluencies, people who stutter often experience physical tension and struggle in their speech muscles, as well as embarrassment, anxiety, and fear about speaking. Together, these symptoms can make it very difficult for people who stutter to say what they want to say, and to communicate effectively with others. There are, perhaps, as many different patterns of stuttering as there are people who stutter. There are many different degrees of stuttering, from mild to severe.
Educational Implications:
Because all communication disorders carry the potential to isolate individuals from their social and educational surroundings, it is essential to find appropriate timely intervention. While many speech and language patterns can be called "baby talk" and are part of a young child's normal development, they can become problems if they are not outgrown as expected. In this way an initial delay in speech and language or an initial speech pattern can become a disorder which can cause difficulties in learning. Because of the way the brain develops, it is easier to learn language and communication skills before the age of 5. When children have muscular disorders, hearing problems or developmental delays, their acquisition of speech, language and related skills is often affected. To read more, visit speech-language-development.com .
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"Communication for a Lifetime"
"The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is committed to ensuring
that all people with speech, language, and hearing disorders receive services to help
them communicate effectively. Here you will find resources to help you understand
communication and communication disorders." (ASHA.org) Click ASHA to explore
their website.
that all people with speech, language, and hearing disorders receive services to help
them communicate effectively. Here you will find resources to help you understand
communication and communication disorders." (ASHA.org) Click ASHA to explore
their website.
More on ASHA: ASHA official webpages provide reliable information to parents and speech-language pathologists alike.
-> Learn what ASHA says about articulation of speech sounds.
-> Access information about language disorders.
-> Explore what stuttering is all about.
-> Learn more about voice disorders.
-> Access information about language disorders.
-> Explore what stuttering is all about.
-> Learn more about voice disorders.
Frequently Asked Questions: Speech and Language Disorders in the School Setting
To find the answer to these questions, click the button below to visit the ASHA website :
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Language and Literacy
Using literacy to promote language is a natural and effective way to increase your child's receptive and expressive language skills. Remember to not only read the words but focus on the story the pictures tell. Ask your child questions on each page and then at the end of the story. Ask your child, who are the characters and where did the story take place. Ask your child, what happened at the beginning/middle/end of the story. Try to get your child to relate the story to something they have done in real life. Ask them if they liked the story or what was their favorite part. Visit speech-language-development.com, Reading Rockets, and ASHA.org to learn more about the language-reading connection.
Here is a list of books that promote language through literacy for primary grades..
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Bad Day
Where the Wild Things Are Too Many Pumpkins
Johnny Appleseed Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Draw Me a Star I Went Walking
Jump, Frog, Jump The Gingerbread Man
The Napping House The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything
The Grouchy Ladybug Owl Babies
The Little Red Hen The Runaway Bunny
The Snowy Day There's a Nightmare in My Closet
The Very Busy Spider The Very Hungry Caterpillar
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie If You Give a Moose a Muffin
If You Give a Pig a Pancake The Rainbow Fish
Goodnight Moon Goodnight Gorilla
For students in grades 4 to 6, check out the recommended book list and reading strategies on Mrs. Sturges's reading page.
Talking vs. Reading
A recent article by Sarah Anderson reported that in a study conducted at UCLA, Dr. Frederick J. Zimmerman
found that talking helps language development more than reading alone. The study found that,
"...back-and-forth conversation was strongly associated with future improvements in the child’s language score...
Conversely, adult monologueing, such as monologic reading, was more weakly associated with language
development. What’s new here is the finding that the effect of adult-child conversations was roughly six times as
potent at fostering good language development as adult speech input alone.” Clilck Talking vs. Reading to read
more about this fascinating study.
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Here is a list of books that promote language through literacy for primary grades..
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Bad Day
Where the Wild Things Are Too Many Pumpkins
Johnny Appleseed Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Draw Me a Star I Went Walking
Jump, Frog, Jump The Gingerbread Man
The Napping House The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything
The Grouchy Ladybug Owl Babies
The Little Red Hen The Runaway Bunny
The Snowy Day There's a Nightmare in My Closet
The Very Busy Spider The Very Hungry Caterpillar
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie If You Give a Moose a Muffin
If You Give a Pig a Pancake The Rainbow Fish
Goodnight Moon Goodnight Gorilla
For students in grades 4 to 6, check out the recommended book list and reading strategies on Mrs. Sturges's reading page.
Talking vs. Reading
A recent article by Sarah Anderson reported that in a study conducted at UCLA, Dr. Frederick J. Zimmerman
found that talking helps language development more than reading alone. The study found that,
"...back-and-forth conversation was strongly associated with future improvements in the child’s language score...
Conversely, adult monologueing, such as monologic reading, was more weakly associated with language
development. What’s new here is the finding that the effect of adult-child conversations was roughly six times as
potent at fostering good language development as adult speech input alone.” Clilck Talking vs. Reading to read
more about this fascinating study.
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