Communication Disorders and their Characteristics
Language Disorders
Problem in Receiving, Understanding or Expressing Ideas; Developmental Delays, Aphasia, Mental Retardation; Autism.
Possible Causes
Brain Injury; Disease; Stroke; Environmental Deprivation; Learning Disability; Congenital Factors; Hearing Loss.
Speech Disorders
ARTICULATION
Impaired Production of Speech Sounds Causing Intelligibility Problems.
STUTTERING
Fluency Disorder Characterized by Sound/Word Repetition, Hesitation, and/or Prolongation
Possible Causes
Structural; Muscle control; Hearing Loss; Brain Damage; Habit Pattern
Hearing disorders
CONDUCTIVE LOSS
Damage to the Outer and Inner Ear Which Block Sound Waves
SENSORINEURAL LOSS
Damage to the Inner Ear or Brain Resulting in Sounds Being Heard Incorrectly.
MIXED LOSS
A Combination of Conductive and Sensorineural Hearing Loss.
Possible Causes
Heredity, Birth Defects; Diseases and/or Accident or Noise
aCCENT rEDUCTION
When speech is difficult to understand due to language difference because of rhythm, sounds, or grammatical structure and it is interfering with upward job mobility, social interaction or ability to be understood.
Ask These questions if you suspect a problem
Does the individual’s articulation fluency or voice draw attention to itself?
Do others have difficulty understanding the person’s speech?
Does the person withdraw from communication situations because of the way he or she feels about his or her speech, hearing or language?
Does the individual appear to have difficulty hearing or understanding?
Does the person have difficulty following complex directions?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, the office can help.
What is A Speech Language Pathologist?
A highly trained professional who can identify, evaluate and remediate communication problems.
What is AN AUDIOLOGIST?
The professional that would assess air and bone hearing levels and middle ear pressure