What types of speech and language disorders
affect school-age children?
Children may experience one or more of the following disorders:
- Speech sound disorders - (difficulty pronouncing
sounds)
- Language disorders - (difficulty understanding what
they hear as well as expressing themselves with words)
- Cognitive-communication disorders - (difficulty
with thinking skills including perception, memory, awareness, reasoning,
judgment, intellect and imagination)
- Stuttering (fluency) disorders - (interruption of
the flow of speech that may include hesitations, repetitions,
prolongations of sounds or words)
- Voice disorders - (quality of voice that may
include hoarseness, nasality, volume (too loud or soft)
Do
speech-language disorders affect learning?
Speech and language skills are essential to academic success and
learning. Language is the basis of communication. Reading, writing,
gesturing, listening, and speaking are all forms of language. Learning
takes place through the process of communication. The ability to
communicate with peers and adults in the educational setting is
essential for a student to succeed in school.
How may a
speech-language disorder affect school performance?
Children with communication disorders frequently do not perform at
grade level. They may struggle with reading, have difficulty
understanding and expressing language, misunderstand social cues, avoid
attending school, show poor judgment, and have difficulty with tests.
Difficulty in learning to listen, speak, read, or write can result
from problems in language development. Problems can occur in the
production, comprehension, and awareness of language sounds, syllables,
words, sentences, and conversation. Individuals with reading and writing
problems also may have trouble using language to communicate, think,
and learn.
Adapted from: www.asha.org