How do you define a speech Disorder / problem?
Disorders of speech affect people’s ability to make the sounds they need to communicate with others. They’re not the exact same as language disorders. speech Disorder prevent people from making the correctly-formed speech sounds. the disorder affects a person’s ability to comprehend words or comprehend what other people speak to them.
But the language and speech issues can make it more difficult for someone with a language disorder to communicate the thoughts or feelings others.
Types
People with speech disorders are of all age groups.
Certain types of speech disorders include stuttering, apraxia and dysarthria. We’ll discuss these disorders in the following sections:
1. Stuttering
Stuttering is a type of speech disorder that interferes with your speech flow. People who stutter may experience the following kinds of disturbances:
- Repetition occurs when people voluntarily repeat vowels, sounds, or even words.
- Blocks can occur when people are aware of what they wish to say, but have trouble making the speech sounds they need. Blocks can cause people to feel as if they are stuck in their words.
- Prolongations are the act of expanding or drawing away of specific words or sounds.
Stuttering symptoms can differ based on the circumstances. Anxiety, stress or even anger can cause the stuttering problem to worsen. People may also notice that certain sounds or words could cause stuttering to become more prominent.
Stuttering can lead to physical and mental symptoms that can occur simultaneously. They can be:
- tension in the shoulders and face.
- rapid blinking
- The lip shakes
- Fists clenched
- sudden head movements
There are two kinds of stuttering:
Stuttering in the development
It is a problem for children who are still developing the language and speech skills. Genetic factors can significantly increase the likelihood of developing this kind of stutter.
Neurogenic Stuttering
It happens when brain damage prevents the proper coordination of the various areas of the brain that are involved in speech.
2. Apraxia
The brain is responsible for every single step that we take including speech. The majority of the speech-related brain activity is automatic and unconscious.
When one decides to speak the brain transmits signals to various structures in the body which work in concert to create speech. The brain tells these organs on how to move and when in order to create the right sounds.
For instance Speech signals can are used to open or close the vocal cords move the tongue, form the lips, and regulate the movement of air in the mouth and throat.
The term “apraxia” is used to describe a general condition used to describe brain injury that affects the ability of a person to move and may affect every part of the body. Apraxia of speech or verbal apraxia, is referring specifically to impairments in motor abilities that hinder the ability of a person to make the speech sounds correctly even when they are aware of the words they’d like to use.
3. Dysarthria
Dysarthria is when brain damage results in muscles to weaken in the lips, face or throat. The weakness of muscles in these areas of the body could cause speech difficulties.
Dysarthria sufferers may be afflicted by these symptoms:
- Slurred speech
- Smiling
- speaking too slow or too fast
- soft or quiet speech
- difficulties in moving the tongue or mouth
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of speech disorders can vary according to the source and the degree of condition. Some people may develop multiple disorders of speech that have distinct signs.
Individuals with some or all of these speech disorder could suffer from these signs:
- Repeating or extending sounds
- distorting sounds
- by adding sounds or syllables words by adding sounds or syllables
- Rearranging words
- having trouble with pronunciation
- trying to pronounce the right word or make the correct sound
- using a hoarse, or a raspy voice
- Speaking very softly
Causes
The causes of speech disorders could be:
- brain damage as a result of head injuries or strokes
- muscles weak
- damaged vocal cords
- an illness that is degenerative like Huntington’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. amyotrophic-lateral sclerosis.
- Alzheimer’s
- cancer that can affect the throat or mouth
- Autism
- Down syndrome
- hearing loss
Risk factors that could increase the chances of someone developing speech disorders include:
- being male
- being born prematurely
- being overweight at the time of
- being a parent with a with a history of speech disorders
- having issues which can affect the nose, ears or the throat
Diagnosis
The speech language pathologist (SLP) is a health specialist who is specialized in disorders of speech and language.
A speech therapist will assess the person for a set of symptoms which indicate a particular kind that is a speech problem. To establish a correct diagnoses, SLPs need to rule out any other speech and language problems and medical conditions.
An SLP will examine a person’s medical history and family background. They will also assess the movements of a person’s mouth, jaw, and tongue, and will also examine the muscles in the throat and mouth.
Other methods for assessing speech disorders may include:
- Denver Screening for articulation: This test assesses the accuracy of a person’s pronunciation.
- Prosody-voice screening profile: SLPs employ this test to test a variety of aspects of speech patterns, including phrasing, pitch, the patterns of speech, as well as volume.
- DEMSS: is a complete guide to help SLPs identify speech disorders.
Treatment
The treatment method will usually be determined by the severity of the problem and the underlying causes.
Treatment options consist of:
- Speech therapy exercises focus on helping children become familiar with certain words or sounds
- Physical exercises that are focused on strengthening muscles that create speech sounds
We’ll discuss some treatments for speech disorders here:
1. Selecting the Target
The process of selecting a target involves using specific words or sounds to get familiar with certain speech patterns. Targets for therapy could include words that are difficult to pronounce or sounds that cause speech disturbances.
2. Contextual utilization
To accomplish this, SLPs teach people to detect speech sounds in a variety of situations involving syllables.
3. Contrast Therapy
Contrast therapy involves saying words in pairs with several different speech sounds. One example word pair could include “beat” as well as “feet” as well as “dough” as well as “show.”
4. Therapy for oral motors
The oral-motor therapy strategy is focused on strengthening muscles and motor control as well as breathing control. These exercises will help you improve their fluency, which results in an easier, smoother voice that sounds more natural.
5. Ear device
Ear devices are small , electronic devices that fit inside the ear canal. They can aid in improving the fluency of those who suffer from stuttering.
Certain earphones replay modified voices of wearers in order to appear as if they are speaking to someone else them. Other earphones create an audio signal that assists in controlling the sound of stuttering.
6. Medication
Certain speech disorders can lead individuals to develop anxiety issues. Stressful situations can cause anxiety, which can result in the more prominent symptoms of a speech disorder. The use of anxiety medications can reduce the symptoms associated with speech disorder in certain individuals.
Summary
The effects of speech disorders can affect an individual’s ability to create sounds that are used to create words. They’re not the same as language disorders that make it harder for people to learn new words or comprehend what people are saying to them.
The types of speech disorders include speech disorders like apraxia, stuttering, and dysarthria. There are many factors that cause speech problems like muscle weakness, brain injuries degenerative diseases, autism or hearing loss.
Speech disorders can impact an individual’s self-esteem as well as their general quality of life. Speech therapies, exercises for breathing and often, anti-anxiety medicines can improve speech and alleviate symptoms.
If you are in need of Speech Therapy, consult with the professionals of therapists like Speech Therapy Karachi, for the specific disorder you have.