A Little Background on What We Do
You start to learning to communicate even before the day you are born. As you grow, you learn to use language to express your feelings and communicate with others. At times this development is impacted by known or unknown factors. As Speech Pathologists, we are able to provide services to students of all ages, needing help due to speech sound disorders, language delays/impairments, as well as those who struggle with fluency. Below are examples of definitions of these disorders as defined by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association.
Articulation
Most children make some mistakes as they learn to say new words. A speech sound disorder occurs when mistakes continue past a certain age. Every sound has a different range of ages when the child should make the sound correctly. Speech sound disorders include problems with articulation (making sounds) and phonological processes (sound patterns).
Articulation errors include substituting one sound for another such as /w/ for /r/ in the word rabbit. It can also include omitting sounds from words like saying nana for banana.
Phonological processes disorders include patterns of sound errors such as producing all sounds usually made in the back of the mouth towards the front. For example, a student who always produces a /t/ sound instead of a /k/.
Language
A language delay is when a child's language skills are developing in the right sequence, but at a slower rate. For example, a child may be speaking with one or two words instead of using complete sentences. A speech and language disorder describes abnormal language development.
When an individual has a difficult time understanding what others are saying, they may have a receptive language disorder. When a person struggles to share their ideas clearly and completely, the may have an expressive language disorder.
Fluency
Fluency describes the rhythm of speech. Stuttering can interrupt the rhythm and flow of speech.
Voice
A voice disorder is the abnormal production and/or absences of vocal quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, and/or duration, which is inappropriate for an individual's age and/or sex.
Literacy
Literacy is a person's ability to read and write. Reading and writing are important to help function in school, on the job, and in society. A Speech Pathologist can also help bridge the gap between early spoken language and early pre-literacy abilities