Having some sort of speech-language disorder is never fun for the person with the disorder. If you asked Elmer Fudd if he liked it when everyone laughed as he hunted for that 'wascally wabbit', surely he would not have seen the humor. With an estimated 5% of school age children having some type of language disorder, it is important to be aware of what is possible. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association separates the disorders into two types - language and speech.
Speech Disorders - Get A Better Understanding
When talking about speech disorders, the areas that normally are discussed are the following: articulation, stuttering, pitch problems, volume, slurred speech, and vocal quality.
Understanding Language Disorders
Language disorders are categorized as receptive or expressive. A receptive disorder occurs when there are problems understanding language, while expressive disorders make it difficult to put words together, develop vocabulary, use language appropriately. People with an expressive disorder have trouble saying what they want to say.
Help Is Available If You Seek It Out
The best source of help is to contact a professional speech-language therapist. They have the training and knowledge to not only identify what the problems are, but they can use various testing methods to identify the communication problems.
What a Therapist May Do
Often the therapist will work with the individual on a one-to-one basis, using techniques that have been proven to improve the person's speech, language, voice and cognitive abilities. Some of the treatments a therapist may use are teaching correct pronunciation through modeling, repetition, and exercise. It's best to start treatment early and continue until the therapist and patient feel that maximum results have been achieved.
Can You Help Me?
There are countless reasons that a speech and language problem may have developed. Even if your situation is not listed here, there may be a way for a speech therapist to help you. Just to get you an idea, here are some areas that a speech therapist will typically help: cleft palate, autism, deaf or partial hearing problems, learning disabilities and developmental delays, weak or under-developed oral muscles, and even brain injuries.
Speech Disorders - Get A Better Understanding
When talking about speech disorders, the areas that normally are discussed are the following: articulation, stuttering, pitch problems, volume, slurred speech, and vocal quality.
Understanding Language Disorders
Language disorders are categorized as receptive or expressive. A receptive disorder occurs when there are problems understanding language, while expressive disorders make it difficult to put words together, develop vocabulary, use language appropriately. People with an expressive disorder have trouble saying what they want to say.
Help Is Available If You Seek It Out
The best source of help is to contact a professional speech-language therapist. They have the training and knowledge to not only identify what the problems are, but they can use various testing methods to identify the communication problems.
What a Therapist May Do
Often the therapist will work with the individual on a one-to-one basis, using techniques that have been proven to improve the person's speech, language, voice and cognitive abilities. Some of the treatments a therapist may use are teaching correct pronunciation through modeling, repetition, and exercise. It's best to start treatment early and continue until the therapist and patient feel that maximum results have been achieved.
Can You Help Me?
There are countless reasons that a speech and language problem may have developed. Even if your situation is not listed here, there may be a way for a speech therapist to help you. Just to get you an idea, here are some areas that a speech therapist will typically help: cleft palate, autism, deaf or partial hearing problems, learning disabilities and developmental delays, weak or under-developed oral muscles, and even brain injuries.
About the Author:
If you want to get started, Karen Barta is a Speech Therapist in Aurora, Colorado. She provides services to help with stuttering and so much more!
