Types of Disorders

What is a Language Disorder?
Language consists of a variety of components. Vocabulary, words with their underlying meanings, is combined to create utterances according to rules of syntax and grammar. In addition, the child is learning the social customs or pragmatics of her language. Language develops according to a timetable. Children whose language development lags significantly from the timetable may be considered developmentally delayed in acquisition. A child with a language disorder may not use the language commensurate with her peers.

What is a Speech Disorder?
The acquisition of speech occurs along a developmental continuum, where one can predict what developmental features should be present. By the time a child is 48 months old, she should be understood by others. Articulation skills involve the production of phonemes (sounds). Common errors in articulation include substitution of sounds, omission of sounds, and distortion of sounds. Children with oral motor weakness will sometimes demonstrate feeding difficulties in addition to articulation errors. Weakness of the lips, tongue, jaw or cheeks may cause difficulty with eating, drinking, speech, and/or facial expression.

What is a Voice Disorder?
Voice disorders are classified as problems with voice quality, loudness, pitch, and resonance. The most common symptom is chronic hoarseness. The major cause of voice disorders in children is vocal abuse. The speech-language pathologist can assist the child by identifying situations that promote poor vocal habits along with teaching her vocal hygiene. An Otolaryngologist (ENT) will diagnose the voice disorder before making a referral to a speech-language pathologist.

What is a Fluency Disorder (Stuttering)?
Stuttering is a disorder of speech that affects the fluent production of sounds, words, phrases, and sentences. Types of dysfluencies include part-word repetitions (i.e., b-b-b-ball), prolongations (i.e., m______an), broken words (i.e., hap-pen), whole word repetitions (i.e., My My My), phrase repetitions (i.e., I need some, I need some food), and interjections (i.e., hum). In addition, secondary behaviors may co-occur. These behaviors are particular to the individual and develop as the individual tries to cope with his stuttering. Occasionally children experience a period of normal dysfluency between the ages of three and six. These normal dysfluencies are characterized by interjections, whole word repetitions, and phrase repetitions.