Speech impediments can impact people of all ages. Children, teens, and older adults live with speech impediments for a wide variety of reasons. There are many root causes and audible differences that can affect a person’s verbal communication.

Date:   8/3/2022 9:03:44 PM ( 24 mon ago)

Speech impediments can impact people of all ages. Children, teens, and older adults live with speech impediments for a wide variety of reasons. There are many root causes and audible differences that can affect a person’s verbal communication. Speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and doctors are often part of the support team for an individual with a speech impediment. Children tend to benefit from early intervention therapies and adults can request reasonable disability accommodations in professional settings. In the following sections, learn about living with seven common speech impediments. 

1. Apraxia

Speech impediments are often connected to neurological issues. People who live with apraxia of speech experience a muddled or absent neural pathway between their brain and speech. Despite knowing exactly what they intend to say, a person affected by apraxia cannot make those exact words come out of their mouth. Their muscles are fine but the critical neural pathway for speech is greatly disrupted. People who experience a stroke, some genetic diseases, or brain damage may need to address varying degrees of significant apraxia with a speech-language pathologist. 

2. Speech Delay

Toddlers and children who do not make sounds and form words on a typical timeline have speech delays. Some children simply need more time to develop, while others require early intervention. A speech delay can be linked to brain damage or problems with organs. Treatment for a speech delay may involve evaluation of vocal chord health, mouth structures, and throat muscles. Diminished hearing can also cause childhood speech issues. 

3. Lisping

Pronunciation issues are more disruptive for adults with speech impediments. Lisping happens when “s” and “th” sounds are confused by the tongue hitting the teeth incorrectly. It can be addressed through vocal coaching exercises with a speech-language pathologist. People with lisps may work to strengthen and train their mouth muscles. Although lisps are quite common, they can often be corrected completely. 

4. Stuttering

A stutter can make a child or adult feel self-conscious, which can intensify the characteristic sound reputation and difficulty enunciating clear sentences. Stammering or stuttering happens commonly for people without diagnosed speech impediments, but it needs to be addressed when it negatively impacts communication and social relationships. People who stutter may become frustrated, anxious, or avoid social settings. Addressing the issue with professional help is important for helping children outgrow their challenges and can make life easier for affected adults.  

5. Dysarthria

Muscle or nerve damage can cause dysarthria, which leads to slow and slurred speech. Lip, jaw, and tongue movement can become restricted and uncomfortable. Changes in tone and pitch can impact the ability to articulate words. This issue requires making any possible repairs to the underlying nerve damage. Otherwise, the intervention has to do with managing symptoms, like labored breathing with learned techniques.

6. Cluttering

Cluttered speech is characterized by jerky or rapid speech in group settings. This speech pattern may be filled with a distracting amount of quick filler words and sounds. Cluttering is a fluency disorder and can be marked by unusual speech rhythms. It typically develops during childhood and can be addressed by speech-language pathologists at any age. Occupational therapists may also provide devices that feed individuals a delayed loop of their speech. Audio and video aids assist in slower speech training.  

7. Aphasia

Aphasia is different from apraxia because the damage occurs directly in the brain’s speech and language center, rather than the neural pathway for speech. It is linked with stroke events and neurological disorders. Brain damage can impact audio comprehension, writing, and written communication abilities in addition to speech. Brain scans and speech-language pathologists can help, and new therapies are expanding.

Countless people live with speech impediments, and accessible therapies can help them participate in enriching activities.   

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