Super Star Speech

When you think of a speech/language disorder, what comes to your mind? A child who stutters? One who says, “wabbit” for “rabbit?”  An autistic child who has only a few words in his spoken vocabulary?  Speech-language pathologists work with a wide range of issues. These issues fall into several main categories:

Articulation

Articulation disorders include any type of speech sound errors.

Language

A language disorder is a deficit in receptive language (comprehension), expressive language (speaking), or both.  The child may have deficits in vocabulary, have difficulty formulating complete sentences or difficulty answering questions. He may exhibit poor grammar or misuse pronouns. His speech may sound fairly normal, but he may not use it appropriately in social situations.

Stuttering

A child (or adult) who stutters has difficulty with the fluency of his speech. He or she may repeat sounds or syllables. He may stretch out sounds at the beginning of words or “get stuck” when speaking. He may avoid social situations that he fears will cause him to stutter.  Many children exhibit short periods of disfluency between the ages of two and four as their language skills are rapidly increasing. This can be perfectly normal. If the symptoms are severe, or if the patterns continue beyond four, it may be indicative of a stuttering problem that needs speech therapy.

Voice Disorders

The most common voice disorder in children is a hoarseness caused by vocal abuse. This is typically seen in little boys that scream a lot. It is also common in singers. This vocal abuse can cause physical damage that requires surgery. A speech pathologist can work with the child to help him or her learn speaking methods that will be gentle on the vocal folds, allowing the damage to heal.

Another common voice issue with children is hyponasality or hypernasality. These are generally affected by cleft palate (repaired or unrepaired) or hearing impairment.

Speech-language pathologists also work with some issues that are not directly related to speech, such as swallowing disorders.

If you suspect that your child may have a problem in any of these areas, a speech and language assessment may be advisable. A speech pathologist can help determine whether your child’s speech behaviors need remediation, should be watched and rechecked later, or are within normal limits for his age.

Many children go through normal periods of disfluency around ages 2-4. This usually occurs during periods of rapid vocabulary acquisition. Children typically repeat words and syllables, especially when excited or talking rapidly. In some children, this normal developmental disfluency develops into true stuttering, which can be a lifelong struggle. The trick for speech pathologists is to identify which children would benefit from therapy in order to “cure” or minimize the problem early. Almost all stutterers begin stuttering before the age of five and it is very important to begin therapy early to remediate the problem.

We are all disfluent at times. We may repeat words, say, “uh” when trying to gather our thoughts, or we may prolong a sound while beginning a word. These disfluencies can be more prevalent in preschoolers.

Some examples of normal disfluencies are:

1. repeating whole words
2. repeating syllables
3.prolonging the first sound of a word.

If these speech behaviors are not excessive and do not last for more than a few months, there is probably not much cause for concern. If they are long-lasting or interfere significantly with communication or are causing the child frustration, however, a speech evaluation would be advisable.

Some examples of abnormal disfluencies are:

1. Use of the schwa vowel in repetitions (bu-bu-bu bat instead of ba-ba-ba-bat)
2. Tension in the body or around the mouth.
3. Getting “stuck” on words, blocking.
4. Frustration with or avoidance of speech

If you see any of these speech behaviors, it is much less likely that your child will outgrow his disfluencies without speech therapy.

What Can I Do?

Whether your child is actually stuttering, may be beginning to stutter, or is experiencing normal disfluencies, there are some things that you can do to help.

1. Avoid showing and frustration or impatience with your child’s speech.
2. Try to minimize stressful speaking situations for your child.
3. Do not react negatively to your child’s speech or label it as “stuttering.”
4. Don’t tell your child to “slow down.” Instead, model relaxed, slower speech yourself. Speak slowly, especially easing slowly into the first word of a sentence.

If you have concerns, please consult a speech pathologist who can ease your mind, give you suggestions, or suggest speech therapy if needed.

A wonderful source of information about stuttering is the Stuttering Foundation of America. This non-profit organization produces free and inexpensive resources for speech-pathologists, parents, and children for the prevention and improved treatment of stuttering. I highly recommend this resource.

Did you know?

-8 to 9% of children have speech sound disorders. By first grade, 5% have noticeable speech disorders.

-Most children with articulation disorders have no other handicaps or causative factors.

-More than 3 million Americans stutter. The highest prevalence of stuttering is between the ages of 2 and 6 and fewer than 1% of adults stutter.

-About 7.5 million Americans have voice disorders.

-Between 6 and 8 million people in the US have language disorders.

-Articulation, language and stuttering disorders and autism are 2 to 4 times more likely to occur in boys than in girls.

Source: NIDCD