Speech Disorders
Alternate Names : Articulation Deficiency, Dysfluency, Voice Disorders
DefinitionSpeech disorders include several speech-related problems that result in impaired or ineffective oral communication. Also see speech impairment.
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Speech is one of the primary ways we communicate with our environment. It is also an effective way to monitor normal growth and development as well as to identify potential problems.
Dysfluencies are rhythm disorders that are usually characterized by the repetition of a sound, word, or phrase. Stuttering is, perhaps, the most serious dysfluency.
Articulation deficiencies involve sounds made incorrectly or inappropriately.
Voice disorders involve abnormalities in the quality, pitch, and loudness of the sound.
There are many potential causes of speech impairment:
Delayed speech development is one of the common symptoms of developmentally delayed children. It occurs in 5-10% of all children. Boys are three to four times as likely to experience speech disorders as girls.
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