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Hello, my name is Carol Wymer, clinical assistant professor in the department of speech language and hearing sciences at the University of Arizona. I'm a clinically trained and certified speech language pathologist and a member of the Talking Matters team. In this module, I'll be talking about speech and language disorders. You'll learn the definitions of speech and language, common types, associated disorders, and characteristics that may signal concern.
We know that most typically developing children learn language in predictable stages and at predictable ages. But within these predictable ages and stages, there's a wide range of variability. Every child develops at a unique pace, so you'll want to keep track of your own child's development and, with the help of this video, be ready to ask your pediatrician or a speech language pathologist who specializes in early childhood development any questions or concerns you may have about the development of your child's speech and language.
Let's begin by describing speech and language and common types of related disorders. Speech is the production of individual sounds put together to form words. Children learn the distinctive sounds of their language gradually and learn to combine them according to the rules or patterns they hear. From the moment they're born, babies listen, listen to all the sounds around them and to every sound you make, and soon begin to recognize frequently occurring sound combinations called words. By their first birthday, your child will say their very first words, and by age four, most children will produce nearly all sounds correctly and will be understood by most everyone around them.
Language is a combination or system of symbols used to convey ideas and understand others. There really are two parts to it: receptive language and expressive language. Receptive language represents what we understand, while expressive language represents what we can say or express in words, phrases, and sentences.
Speech and language disorders may occur separately or together. When talking is hard for a child, they may be experiencing a speech sound or articulation disorder. They may have difficulty producing one or many different sounds or sound combinations. Family members or friends may have difficulty understanding their speech or refer to it as baby talk. A child may leave out a sound or substitute one sound for another. This may not be cause for concern, but it could be if it persists past the age when they would be expected to produce such sounds correctly.
Other children who have difficulty may repeat sounds or words or phrases when they speak, or they may have a hard time getting the words out and take long pauses between their words. You might also notice a tense neck, face, or shoulders when they try to talk. When these behaviors persist and distract the listener, they may signal a stuttering or a fluency disorder.
A child with unusual voice quality, such as hoarseness or breathiness, or who uses a very loud or soft voice, might be demonstrating a voice disorder.
If a child has difficulty expressing ideas or needs, they may be reluctant to talk or become easily frustrated. This may signal an expressive language disorder. Or you might hear your child confusing the pronouns "him" and "her." For example, a child might say, "Him hit me." Or they may frequently use vague words like "stuff" or "thing" instead of specific labels. This could be cause for concern if other, more specific words are not used at all.
When a child frequently has difficulty following directions or understanding what others are saying, they may be showing signs of a receptive language disorder. They may hear or see a word but not understand its meaning. It's important to note that these symptoms may be mistakenly identified as poor listening, poor attention, selective hearing, or bad behavior. But children with speech and language difficulties often express their frustration by communicating through physical aggression or other disruptive behavior that may lead to poor relationships with peers or siblings or reluctance to attend school.
Speech and language disorders frequently occur together, so a child may be demonstrating a combination of several problems. Concerned family members may notice the child struggling and offer well-intentioned advice that, as a parent, you may consider intrusive. But if you sense something is different about your child's speech or language development and others have shared concern, it's probably time to seek help identifying whether or not a disorder is present.
There are many different causes of speech and language disorders, including hearing loss, brain injury, or physical impairments, to name just a few. But most of the time, the cause of speech and language disorders is unknown.
By the time children are ready to start kindergarten, critical speech and language development has already occurred. Family, friends, or even your pediatrician may advise you to wait and see if a child's communication improves without any intervention. But this could have lasting negative effects. Speech and language abilities lay the foundation for reading and writing success. Children with communication disorders may struggle with reading, writing stories or essays, and have difficulty taking tests. This can have a lasting impact on attitudes about school and participation in life, lifelong learning.
Communication skills are critical for a normal, productive life. Left untreated, a communication disorder can have a lifelong effect on social development, interpersonal relationships, the ability to learn, and on ultimate independence.
Some of the characteristics or red flags commonly associated with speech and language disorders that I've briefly mentioned here may be short-lived and may signify only a fleeting developmental blip. But if they persist or worsen, they could indicate difficulties that require professional evaluation and intervention. Early intervention has been shown to have a significant impact on a child's speech and language development. It improves their ability to communicate, interact with others, and improve social and emotional development.
So, when you have concerns, to ensure that your child is correctly assessed, it is important to receive a thorough evaluation by a certified speech language pathologist. A certified speech language pathologist will help you sort out whether or not a disorder is present and, if so, what you can do to get your child the right treatment.
Evaluation and therapy services for preschool children ages 3 through 5 are provided free of charge through the public school systems. These services, available through a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, also make available early intervention for children birth to 5 and services for school-aged children as well.
If you are concerned about your child's speech and language development, please click on the "Learn More" section of this module for a link to resources that will put you in touch with a speech language pathologist in your area. Also, on our website are answers to frequently asked questions about how children develop speech and language. However, if you have questions or concerns that aren't answered there, please call us on the Talk Line listed on this web page.
And remember, take time to talk to your children every day about the things that matter to you and to them, because talking matters. Thank you for watching.