Speech Defect

Speech and language disorder is one kind of communication disorder. It refers to problems in
communication and related areas such as oral motor function. These delays and disorders may
range from simple sound distributions to the inability to understand or use language and use the
oral-motor mechanism for functional speech and feeding (Pierangelo, 2009).

According to Individuals with Diabilitie Education Act (IDEA), speech and language disorder
includes stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment or voice impairment which
adversely affects a child’s educational perfrmance.

There are 2 Classification of Speech Defect

Speech Disorder
- This refers to difficulties producing speech sounds or problems with voice quality. It
includes phonological disorder, dysfluency and voice disorder.

Based on the Diagnstic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM IV, 2000)
Articulation or Phonological Disorder is characterize failure to use developmantally expected
speech sound that are appropriate for age and dialect. It also includes error in sound
production, substitutions of one sound for anoher, omission of sounds and distorting a sound.

Dysfluency or Stuttering is an interruption in the normal fluency and time patterning of

speech characterized by sound and syllable repetitions, prolongation, broken words, audible or
silent blocking and hesitations.
Voice Disorder is characterized by inappropriate pitch (too high, too low, monotone,
interrupted by breaks), loudness (too loud or not loud enough) and quality (harsh, hoarsh,
breathy or nasal).

Language Disorder
- According to the American Speech-Language Association, when a person cannot
understand the language code there is a Receptive Language Disorder. The Language code
includes the understanding of the word, meaning, makng new words using prefix and suffixes,
combining words to meaningful sentence.

Furthermore the asociation explains that if the person does not know enough language
rules to share thoughts, ideas and feelings, then there is Expressive Language Disorder.
Other symptoms are having limited vocabulary making error in tense, having difficulty recalling
words or producing sentences with developmentally appropriate length or complexity (DSM IV,
2000).
 Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder includes all the symptoms of
expressive language disorder, difficulty in understanding words, sentences or specific type of
words such as spatial term (DSM IV, 2000)

Language disorder may be due to environmental deprivation, emotional factors,

structural abnormalities or retardation (Pierangelo, 2009).

Here are some Causes of Speech and Language Disorder

● Congenital malformation, prenatal injury, tumors, problem with the nervous systems.
● Exposure to teratogens such as X-rays, viruses, drug and environmental toxins.
● German measles or rebulla
● Traumatic brain injury
● Meningitis
● Abnormalities in respiration
● Limited tongue mobility
● Cleft lip or cleft palate
● Craniofacial malformation

Best Practice at School

Speech Disorder
Speech ang language pathologists often use discrimination and production activities as
part of the articulation therapy.

In discrimination activities, the child is given auditory, visual and tactile cues to help him
match his speech to the standard model.

In production activities, the child is trained to produce the correct speech sounds in different
situations. This speech production will begin with the articulation of sounds, syllales, words,
phrase, sentenses, structured and unstructured conversation.

For children who are stuttering it may be helpful if the teachers and parents will do such as
maintaining eyecntact with the child when he is speaking, expose the child to group activities to
encourage him to speak etc.

To treat the organic causes of voice disorder, surgery and medical intervention are the
usual remedies or cocal rehabilitation. Other activities include breathing exercises, relaxation
technique, procedures to increase or decrease the loudnes of speech and self-monitoring
(Heward, 2009).
Language Disorder
Didactic Teaching Approaches
- Unlock difficult or unfamiliar words before reading a story, listening to a sng or watching a
movie.
- Use story and song boards with pictures
- Create a word wall.
- Use graphic organizers and mnemonic devices in learning new words.
- Encourage the use of journals, email and social network sites to develop written language
skills.

Naturalistic Intervention
Since many children find it difficult to generalize ne skills frm structured school setting to
everyday situation, some speech and language pathologists often use the naturalistic
intervention which is also known as milieu teacher strategies in helping the student to develop
their language skills.

This teching technique looks like a coversation between the teacher or the therapist and
the child with SLD than a structured teaching. The primary goal of the naturalistic intervention is
to expose the child with different experiences, situations, people and other stimuli that can
encourage him to engage in a meaningful conversation.

In the naturalistic intervention, the teacher or the SLP will create a learning environment
hat can catch the child’s interest the posibilty of communication between them. A structured
adult responses in also important to keep the conversation going.

The following are some of the suggestions on how to create an interisting learning
environment for students with SLD.

● Provide interesting materials.

● Keep the favorite materials or toys of the child out of his reach to encourage him to
communicate his needs.
● Give opportunities to make choices.
● Do something unexpected like calling him with different name or giving him wron art kit.
● Provide activities that require asistance like using a knife to cut fruits and vegetables of
opening a containing of cookies or popcorn.

Alternative and Augmentative Communication

It’s a form of communication used by people who are unable to use the standard fom of
communications. This is often use by individuals who are non-verbal.
Howard (2009) discussed two types of ACC.

Aided ACC technique of communications

 It involves an external device or piece of equipment like paper and pencils (no-tech),
switches to transmit words or phrases (low-tech) and computerized voice output (high-tech).

Unaided AAC techniques of communication

It does not require a physical aid or device. Some examples are oral speech, gestures,
facial expression, posture and sign language.

There are many kinds of speech and language disorders that can affect children and these are
the four major impairments:

1. Articulation - speech impairment where children produce sounds incorrectly (such as “L” or
“r”).

2. Fluency - child’s flw of speech is distrupted by sounds, syllabus, and words that are repeated,
prlonged or avoided, and where there may be silent blocks or ianappropriate inhalatio,
exhalation, or phonotion patterns.

3. Voice - speech impairments is where the child’s voice has an abnormal quality to its pitch,
resonance or loudness.

4. Language - language impairments is when the child has problems expressin his needs, ideas
or information or in understanding what they hear.