Speech Pathology Blog for Parents

WHAT IS AN ARTICULATION DISORDER?  An articulation disorder is defined as the atypical production of speech sounds. It is characterized by substitutions, omissions, additions and/or distortions that may interfere with how well someone’s speech is understood. Articulation disorders can be classified as either functional or organic. Functional disorders have no known cause, where as organic

What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)?  A Neurological Speech Sound Disorder where the accuracy and consistency of movements needed for speech production are impaired. It is primarily a disorder of inaccurate planned movement, known as praxis; there is a difficulty in planning and executing voluntary movement sequences.  Childhood Apraxia of Speech is NOT:  

What is Early Intervention?  Early intervention is play-based language therapy provided to toddlers who are delayed in their development of speech and language.  PREDICTORS OF NEED FOR INTERVENTION Small vocabulary with limited verbs Language comprehension delay Few vocalizations, limited consonants or vowels Limited variety in babbling Restricted syllable structure Few spontaneous imitations Little or no

What is auditory language processing disorder?  Auditory language processing disorder is an impaired ability to attend to, discriminate, recognize, or comprehend auditory information, even though hearing and intelligence are within normal limits. This impairment worsens with competing speech, in noise, or in poor acoustic environments. Auditory processing abilities develop parallel with language, and children with

 EVALUATION &TREATMENT  A comprehensive evaluation may assess the following areas:  Expressive language (what the child says) Receptive language (what the child understands)  Play skills   In creating a treatment plan, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work with parents, teachers and other professionals to target weaknesses found during a language assessment (formal & informal). Good language skills help with learning,

WHAT IS A TONGUE THRUST?  Tongue thrusting is the habit of placing the tongue in the wrong position while swallowing. The pressure exerted on the teeth when this occurs may force the teeth and arches out of alignment. The tongue moves forward in an exaggerated way during speech, swallowing and/or at rest. Myofunctional therapy re-educates

What is Language?  Language refers to a socially agreed upon set of rules that govern communication. These rules include what words themselves mean, how to change endings to make new words, and how to put words together. It is different from speech, which is the verbal means of communicating.  SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS Some children may

What is Stuttering?  Stuttering is a disorder that affects the forward flow of speech. Speech may be stopped by interruptions or repetitions on the sounds and words in speech.  Who Stutters?  More than 45 million people in the world stutter  1% of the population stutters  Male stutterers outnumber female stutterers 3:1  About 5% of children

A few months ago, I attended a seminar on speech sound disorders and dyslexia.  The speaker was Dr. Kelly Farguharson at Florida State University1.  The informative content and data that she provided were very helpful to the clinicians working with children with speech sound disorders and also reading difficulties.  I thought that some of the