Understanding Speech

Speech Disorders Defined

Speech disorders refer to difficulties producing speech sounds or problems with voice quality, while language difficulties refer to a range of problems that can interfere with communication and cognition. Speech and language problems fall into two categories: receptive and expressive. Any child who has difficulty understanding language will also have problems with expression, but some children have good receptive skills while being unable to formulate their thoughts and feelings into spoken language. For this reason, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 4th Edition (DSM-IV, 1994) gives criteria for Receptive and Mixed Expressive/Receptive Language Disorder.

Problems can occur with both categories (receptive and expressive) at several levels: phonology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics:

Causes of Speech Disorders

Some causes of speech and language disorders include hearing loss, neurological disorders, brain injury, mental retardation, drug abuse, physical impairments such as cleft lip or palate, and vocal abuse or misuse. Frequently, however, the cause is unknown.

Characteristics of Speech Disorders

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. Listeners may have trouble understanding what a child with a speech disorder is trying to say. Children with voice disorders may have trouble with the way their voice sounds.

Some characteristics of language disorders include improper use of words and their meanings, inability to express ideas, inappropriate grammatical patterns, reduced vocabulary and inability to follow directions. Children with this disorder may hear or see a word but not be able to understand its meaning. They may have trouble getting others to understand what they are trying to communicate.