Q1.

A speech disorder is a condition in which a person has problems creating or forming the
speech sounds needed to communicate with others. This can make the child's speech difficult
to understand.

Common speech disorders are:

 Articulation disorders

 Phonological disorders

 Disfluency

 Voice disorders or resonance disorders

Speech disorders are different from language disorders in children. Language disorders refer
to someone having difficulty with:
 Getting their meaning or message across to others (expressive language)

 Understanding the message coming from others (receptive language)

Alternative Names

Articulation deficiency; Articulation disorder; Phonological disorder; Voice disorders; Vocal

disorders; Disfluency; Communication disorder - speech disorder; Speech disorder -
stuttering; Cluttering; Stammering; Childhood-onset fluency disorder

Causes

Speech is one of the main ways in which we communicate with those around us. It develops
naturally, along with other signs of normal growth and development. Disorders of speech and
language are common in preschool-age children.

Disfluencies are disorders in which a person repeats a sound, word, or phrase. Stuttering may
be the most serious disfluency. It may be caused by:
 Genetic abnormalities

 Emotional stress

 Any trauma to the brain or infection

Articulation and phonological disorders may occur in other family members. Other causes
include:
 Problems or changes in the structure or shape of the muscles and bones used to make
speech sounds. These changes may include cleft palate and tooth problems.

 Damage to parts of the brain or the nerves (such as from cerebral palsy) that control
how the muscles work together to create speech.

 Hearing loss.
Voice disorders are caused by problems when air passes from the lungs, through the vocal
cords, and then through the throat, nose, mouth, and lips. A voice disorder may be due to:
 Acid from the stomach moving upward (GERD)

 Cancer of the throat

 Cleft palate or other problems with the palate

 Conditions that damage the nerves that supply the muscles of the vocal cords

 Laryngeal webs or clefts (a birth defect in which a thin layer of tissue is between the
vocal cords)

 Noncancerous growths (polyps, nodules, cysts, granulomas, papillomas, or ulcers) on

the vocal cords

 Overuse of the vocal cords from screaming, constantly clearing the throat, or singing

 Hearing loss

Symptoms

DISFLUENCY

Stuttering is the most common type of disfluency.

Symptoms of disfluency can include:

 Repetition of sounds, words, or parts of words or phrases after age 4 (I want...I want
my doll. I...I see you.)

 Putting in (interjecting) extra sounds or words (We went to the...uh...store.)

 Making words longer (I am Boooobbby Jones.)

 Pausing during a sentence or words, often with the lips together

 Tension in the voice or sounds

 Frustration with attempts to communicate

 Head jerking while talking

 Eye blinking while talking

 Embarrassment with speech

ARTICULATION DISORDER

The child is not able to produce speech sounds clear, such as saying "coo" instead of
"school."
 Certain sounds (like "r", "l", or "s") may be consistently distorted or changed (such as
making the 's' sound with a whistle).
  Errors
may make it hard for people to understand the person (only family members
may be able to understand a child).

PHONOLOGICAL DISORDER

The child does not use some or all of the speech sounds to form words as expected for their
age.
 The last or first sound of words (most often consonants) may be left out or changed.

 The child may have no problem pronouncing the same sound in other words (a child
may say "boo" for "book" and "pi" for "pig", but may have no problem saying
"key" or "go").

VOICE DISORDERS

Other speech problems include:

 Hoarseness or raspiness to the voice

 Voice may break in or out

 Pitch of the voice may change suddenly

 Voice may be too loud or too soft

Q3.Children are born ready to learn a language, but they need to learn the language or
languages that their family and environment use. Learning a language takes time, and
children vary in how quickly they master milestones in language and speech development.
Typically developing children may have trouble with some sounds, words, and
sentences while they are learning. However, most children can use language easily around 5
years of age.

Helping children learn the language

Parents and caregivers are the most important teachers during a child’s early years. Children
learn language by listening to others speak and by practicing. Even young babies notice when
others repeat and respond to the noises and sounds they make. Children’s language and brain
skills get stronger if they hear many different words. Parents can help their children learn in
many different ways, such as

 Responding to the first sounds, gurgles, and gestures a baby makes.

 Repeating what the child says and adding to it.
 Talking about the things that a child sees.
 Asking questions and listening to the answers.
 Looking at or reading books.
 Telling stories.
 Singing songs and sharing rhymes.
This can happen both during playtime and during daily routines.
Parents can also observe the following:

 How their child hears and talks and compares it with typical milestones for
communication skills external icon.
 How their child reacts to sounds and has their hearing tested if they have concerns.
Some children struggle with understanding and speaking and they need help. They may not
master the language milestones at the same time as other children, and it may be a sign of a
language or speech delay or disorder.

Language development has different parts, and children might have problems with one or
more of the following:

 Understanding what others say (receptive language). This could be due to

o Not hearing the words (hearing loss).
o Not understanding the meaning of the words.
 Communicating thoughts using language (expressive language). This could be due to
o Not knowing the words to use.
o Not knowing how to put words together.
o Knowing the words to use but not being able to express them.
Language and speech disorders can exist together or by themselves. Examples of problems
with language and speech development include the following:

 Speech disorders
o Difficulty with forming specific words or sounds correctly.
o Difficulty with making words or sentences flow smoothly, like stuttering or
stammering.
 Language delay – the ability to understand and speak develops more slowly than is
typical
 Language disorders
o Aphasia (difficulty understanding or speaking parts of language due to a brain
injury or how the brain works).
o Auditory processing disorder (difficulty understanding the meaning of the
sounds that the ear sends to the brain)

Q2. "The lack of understanding of specific language impairment contrasts markedly with the
broader understanding and acceptance of similar disabilities such as dyslexia," says
researcher Professor Lucy Henry of London South Bank University.
SLI and dyslexia are similar in that both involve a 'specific' disability, which is generally
believed to affect one particular aspect of a child's thinking and ability to deal with
information. In the case of dyslexia, the dimension that is affected concerns reading. In the
case of SLI, the dimension affected is a language with grammar, vocabulary, the
understanding of meaning, and the ability to use sounds appropriately all potentially being
affected.
"SLI is often diagnosed when it is noticed that a child's speech is poorer than his or her other
abilities. Speech difficulties can involve grammar, a small vocabulary, or other aspects of
language. In addition, because language is important for reading, around half of the children
identified with SLI also have difficulties with reading. These problems are not due to them
having a general learning disability, autism, hearing impairments, or brain injury, " Professor
Henry explains.
This new research also found significant weaknesses with higher-order thinking skills --
including multi-tasking while trying to remember something, generating ideas, finding
solutions to new or demanding tasks, and ignoring irrelevant information where necessary.
With these added difficulties children with SLI may struggle to cope with many classroom
learning activities. As Professor Henry highlights: "The key aspect for children in the
classroom is learning new skills and dealing with novelty -- and as higher-order thinking
skills are exactly the tools required to do this successfully, children with SLI often fall behind
their peers."
SLI can, without intervention, continue into adulthood and have very marked, negative
consequences for both academic achievement and mental health. "The outcomes in later life
for many children with SLI are not particularly rosy," Professor Henry points out. "Between
50 and 90 percent of those affected by SLI never reach typical levels of language use."
Indeed, existing studies of young adults with SLI in their 30s show that on the whole, they
have very few educational qualifications, often have difficulty finding stable employment,
and, lacking the language skills to make good friendships, can become quite isolated. Hence,
we must spread awareness of this disorder, particularly among school teachers, so that we can
improve outcomes for the significant numbers of children affected.
Findings indicate that considerable levels of support will be required for children and young
people with SLI when they are embarking on any type of learning task. The key issue for
teachers is that children with SLI have not only language problems but difficulties in terms of
thinking, remembering, and planning which touch on a whole range of classroom activities.
Importantly, SLI may not be quite as specific to language only as previously thought.
"We hope that this research will raise awareness among all teachers, not just speech and
language specialists, of the complex difficulties that children with SLI face in the classroom,"
Professor Henry states. "We also hope to raise awareness of the many techniques class
teachers can employ which will help children with SLI learn more effectively."

PALKEET KAUR
A1506920530