Communication Disorders: Types, Causes, and Speech Sound Processes

Communication Disorder

Impairment in ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend verbal, nonverbal, and graphic symbol systems (ASHA, 2010)

Incidence

Probability/rate of occurrence within a timeframe (how many have had it)

Prevalence

Total number of people with a disorder at a specific time (how many currently have it)

Delay vs Disorder

Delay = typical errors, just later; Disorder = atypical errors

Speech Sound Disorders (SSD)

Difficulties with production and perception of speech sounds not typical of age/cognitive ability/language background. Recognized as a problem by community

Causes of SSD

Functional (unknown/idiopathic) and Organic (known: developmental or acquired)

Phonological Processes

Patterns of sound errors that children use to simplify speech as they learn to talk

Weak Syllable Deletion

Example: 'tefon' for telephone (gone by 4)

Reduplication

Example: 'meme' for messy (gone by 3)

Final Consonant Deletion

Example: 'si' for sit (gone by 3)

Cluster Reduction

Example: 'piz' for please (gone by 4-5)

Velar Fronting

Example: 'tootie' for cookie (gone by 3.5)

Stopping

Example: 'pan' for fan (gone 3-5)

Gliding

Example: 'wabbit' for rabbit (gone by 6)

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

inconsistent speech sound errors, difficulty with the planning and programming of speech movements, limited sound inventory, and difficulty with prosody and rhythm of speech.

Dysarthria

slurred or slow speech, difficulty controlling the muscles used for speech, changes in voice quality (such as breathiness or harshness), and reduced intelligibility due to weakness or incoordination of speech muscles.

Substitution

A speech error where one sound is replaced with another, such as saying 'habbit' instead of 'rabbit'.

Omission

A speech error where a sound is left out of a word,

Distortion

A speech error where a sound is produced in an unfamiliar manner, such as a lisped 's' sound.

Addition

A speech error where an extra sound is added to a word.

Phonological Process

A systematic sound change that affects a class of sounds, such as fronting, where back sounds are replaced with front sounds.

Articulation Disorder

A speech sound disorder that affects the physical production of sounds, often categorized by SODA terms.

Intelligibility

The degree to which speech can be understood by a listener, often impacted by SODA errors.