Speech and Hearing Communication Disorders

Therapists at the Speech and Hearing Center evaluate and treat many communication problems including:

• Speech and Sound Production
• Language
• Stuttering
• Voice
• Cleft Lip and Palate
• Swallowing
• Auditory Processing Disorders

Articulation – production of speech sounds. Examples of speech disorders include omissions (saying “how” for “house” or “ahah” for “pappa”), substitutions (saying “tat” for “cat” or “bacuum” for “vacuum”). The speech patterns are compared to age norms, so the therapist knows whether or not therapy is indicated. A general rule of thumb is that a three year old should be understood by a stranger. www.helpforkidspeech.org

Apraxia – difficulty in sequencing and executing speech movements. Apraxia of speech may occur in both children and be acquired by adults after a stroke. www.apraxia-kids.org

Dysarthria – group of speech problems resulting from disturbed or weak control of the muscles used for speech, often because of a stroke. Speech may be slurred, sound breathy or strained.

Delay – delay in understanding words or choosing words to express wants, needs and ideas. Vocabulary may be more typical of a younger child. A language disorder may signal other problems, such as autism or general developmental delay, or may be an isolated problem for your child. An evaluation is essential to determine reasons for a language delay, rule out hearing loss, and provide therapy and parent education when needed. www.helpforkidspeech.org

Aphasia – acquired language disorder following a stroke or head injury. Visit the National Aphasia Association website, www.aphasia.org

Dysfluency – difficulty saying sounds, words or phrases in a smooth flow, affecting both children and adults. Syllables, words, phrases or even whole sentences may be repeated (“I, I, I, want . . I want, I want to go, to go . . . .”), sounds prolonged (“ s-s-s-s-sock”), saying “uh, uh, uh, uh” or tension in the face or body while speaking. www.stutteringhelp.org

Hoarseness, weak or breathy voice – can occur in children or adults, and indicate a variety of problems from vocal nodules, vocal polyps to cancer of the vocal cords. A person with a voice disorder that lasts more than two weeks should always be seen by a ear, nose and throat doctor. Therapy following proper diagnosis by a speech therapist may be recommended.

Cleft – refers to an opening or split. A cleft lip or palate (the roof of the mouth) can occur some time between the sixth and twelfth week of pregnancy.

Clefts can occur in any combination of lip, hard palate (bony part of the roof of the mouth, toward the front) and/or soft palate (muscular portion of the roof of the mouth, toward the back). A cleft lip alone with have minimal effect on speech development, but a cleft palate will contribute to a delay in the development of speech. These speech difficulties may continue even after surgical repair, usually because of the speech habits prior to the surgery. Contact Cleft Palate Foundation at www.cleftline.org

Dysphagia – is the term for swallowing problems. Swallowing problems can occur because of structural or functional changes in the mouth (oral stage), throat (pharyngeal stage) or esophagus (esophageal stage). Swallowing problems can result from damage to the nervous system, head and neck cancer and other medical conditions.

General signs may include: Coughing during or right after eating, wet or gurgly sounding voice during eating or after eating/drinking, reoccurring pneumonia, weight loss or dehydration from not being able to eat enough, food leaking from the mouth or getting stuck in the mouth. For further information, contact www.asha.org

Auditory Processing Disorders – difficulty processing what one hears. Children who have difficulty understanding or using language my have normal intelligence and hearing ability, but are unable to process what they hear. This often results in difficulties learning to sound out words, read and spell. Baptist Speech and Hearing is a provider for a unique program to help children ages 6 to 14 with auditory processing problems. For a full description of FastForWord program, contact www.scientificlearning.com.