Brandi Wesley

Speech Impairment

A speech impairment is characterized by several factors that inhibit a person from

communicating. One characteristic of a speech disorder is when a person has a stuttering
problem. A person suffers from speech disorder when they are repeating sounds or words, and
when a person has prolongations which means they prolong or draw out certain sounds in words.
Another characteristic of having a speech impairment is having difficulty to say the correct
sound in a word. The federal definition of a speech impairment is a communication disorder,
such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that
adversely affects a child’s educational performance according to the Individuals With
Disabilities Education Act . Causes of a speech impairment are neurological disorders,
hearing loss, physical disorders, intellectual disorders, and speech impairment can also be caused
by damaged vocal cords.
When identifying a child for the exceptionality, a speech-language pathologist will evaluate
the child’s symptoms to help the speech-language pathologist to see what kind of speech disorder
the child has. The speech language pathologist will review information about the child’s medical
history, and after examining the symptoms, the speech-language pathologist will rule out various
medical conditions and speech language disorders. The history of the disability speech
impairment began in 1926 when the American Academy of Speech Correction was formed. A
few decades later, during World War II, several soldiers were returning home to America with
brain injuries and they received therapy from speech pathology researchers (Janus Development
Group 2019) . By 1975, speech impairment was treated separately from speech pathology.
Around 9.5 percent of people in America ages 0-19 have speech disorders (Rueben 2000).
Speech impairments occur in small children around 8 to 9 percent. Approximately 3 million
Americans suffer from the speech impairment of stuttering. Most children will lose their speech
impairment which is more prevalent from ages 2 to 6. Children with speech impairments have
various learning characteristics. Students with speech impairments may be noticeable behind in
development of language skills and speech efficiency. The students may omit or substitute
sounds when pronouncing words, and the student may have difficulties following directions in
the classroom. The students may be prone to have colds or allergy problems, and the students
may have slower oral muscular coordination. When students have speech impairments, the
teacher will have to work with the students more closely to help them with learning. Students
with this exceptionality require accommodations and classroom modifications. The
accommodations include the use of a voice synthesizer, the use of a classroom Whiteboard, and
laptop computers to give the students other sources of communication with the teacher. The
modifications to the learning for students with a speech impairment are the teacher working with
the students one on one and practicing the pronunciation of words the student is learning. In
order to make the student feel comfortable, the teacher may allow the student to speak in class
only when instructed for class participation or grades. The teacher will have course
modifications such as one on one presentations so the teacher can assess the student’s progress
with learning and speech without having the student to speak in front of the class (University of
Georgia 20022). With the student’s IEP, there will be articulation accommodations such as the
teacher will have the student write answers instead of pronouncing them verbally, and the
teacher will allow extended time for tests. With the IEP, the teacher will give the student a copy
of class notes, and the teacher will have the student to work in small groups with the other
students to build on social skills and development (Boise Speech and Hearing Clinic 2020).
Students with a speech impairment are typically placed in a regular classroom, unless their
impairment has caused them to be disabled and in need of special education services. The
teacher will differentiate their teaching strategies to adhere to the learning needs of students with
speech impairments. There are many teaching strategies a teacher will implement to help
students with this disability. With a speech impairment, the students may be uncomfortable with
speaking in front of the class, so the teacher will have the students work together in small groups
before presenting to the class (Speech Room News, 2018). The teacher will provide the students
additional time to complete a task, and teacher will also be sure to modify or shorten the
directions.
Students who suffer from a speech impairment will use assistive technology such as
augmentative and alternate communication devices including personal amplifiers which help to
amplify the sound with a microphone, and voice synthesizers that help teachers to understand
their students with speech impairments. Another tool is the Whiteboard in which the teacher can
share the screen with the students’ laptops, and the students can communicate with the teacher on
the Whiteboard. There are so many different ways students can communicate with their teacher
as they learn. Voice synthesizers will be used to enhance student learning because the student
with the disability will be able to keep up with the class, and the tool helps the students to answer
questions without having to repeat themselves, and this helps the learning process. Text to voice
software also helps the teacher to understand the student by transferring the student’s voice into
words Some students with speech impairments may not want to speak up in class or ask
questions. The assistive technology helps students to excel in the class by helping them to
communicate without having issues. This helps students to work with their classmates and take
part in group assignments. Assistive technology support growth and development. The assistive
technology enhances student learning because it helps the students with disabilities to take an
active part of their learning with open-ended discussions and showing how intelligent they are
with the concepts being taught (NIDRR 2019).
Students with speech impairments may benefit from IEP plans or 504 education plans. A
student with a speech impairment will typically learn in a regular classroom with differentiated
instruction. The teacher will have to work with the students with this disability closely because
they may have other problems with learning such as being behind in achievement.
 References
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