What is

speech
impairment?
Speech impairment refers to a
condition where a person has
difficulty producing speech
sounds accurately or fluently,
that may interfere with their
communication abilities. It can
People who have speech
impairments have a hard
time pronouncing different
speech sounds. They might
distort the sounds of some
words and leave other
sounds out completely
Causes of speech disorders can include:

*brain damage due to a stroke or head

injury
*muscle weakness
*damaged vocal cords
*cancer that affects the mouth or throat
*autism
• *Down syndrome
The symptoms of speech disorders vary widely depending
on the cause and severity of the disorder. People can develop
multiple speech disorders with different symptoms.

People with one or more speech disorders may experience

the following symptoms:
*repeating or prolonging sounds
*distorting sounds
*adding sounds or syllables to words
*rearranging syllables
*having difficulty pronouncing words correctly
*struggling to say the correct word or sound
Risk factors that can increase the likelihood of a
person developing a speech disorder include:

*being male
"being born prematurely
*having a low weight at birth
*having a family history of speech disorders
*experiencing problems that affect the ears,
nose, or throat
THERE ARE 3
TYPES OF
SPEECH
1. FLUENCY DISORDER
"fluency disorder means you have
trouble speaking in a fluid or flowing
way. You may say the whole word or
parts of the word more than once, or
pause awkwardly between words. This is
called stuttering. You may speak fast and
jam words together, or say "uh" often.
What causes a fluency disorder?
Experts don’t know the exact causes
of fluency disorders. They may be
genetic and run in families. They can
happen at the same time as another
speech disorder. The symptoms of a
fluency disorder can be made worse
2.VOICE DISORDER
A voice disorder means you
have an atypical tone of
voice. It could be an unusual
pitch, quality, resonance, or
volume.
Risk factors
Many factors can lead to a voice disorder,
such as:
Aging
Alcohol use
AllergiesScarring from neck surgery or
from trauma to the front of the neck
Screaming
Smoking
Symptoms and Causes
What causes voice disorders?
Overusing your voice is the most common
cause of voice disorders. You can overuse your
voice by yelling, singing or simply talking too
much.
Sometimes, voice disorders are the result of a
short-term (acute) illness like a cold, allergies
or sinus infection (sinusitis). Once you recover,
3. ARTICULATION DISORDER
- If you have an articulation disorder, you
might distort certain sounds. You could
also fully omit sounds. Articulation
disorders involve a wide range of errors
people can make when talking.
Substituting a "w" for an "r" ("wabbit"
for "rabbit"), omitting sounds ("cool" for
In most children, there is no known
cause for articulation and
phonological disorders. In some, the
disorder may be due to a structural
problem or from imitating
behaviours and the creation of bad
habits. Regardless of the cause, your
The type of treatment will typically depend on the
severity of the speech disorder and its underlying cause.

Treatment options can include:

*speech therapy exercises that focus on building
familiarity with certain words or sounds.
*physical exercises that focus on strengthening the
muscles that produce speech sounds"Oral-motor therapy
*The oral-motor therapy approach focuses on improving
muscle strength, motor control, and breath control. These
exercises can help people develop fluency, which produces
smoother speech that sounds more natural.
*Ear device
Ear devices are small electronic aids that fit inside the
ear canal. These devices can help improve fluency in
people who have a stutter.
Some ear devices replay altered versions of the
wearer’s voice to make it seem as though someone
else is speaking with them. Other ear devices produce
a noise that helps control stuttering.
*Medication
Some speech disorders can cause people to develop
anxiety disorders. Stressful situations can trigger
REFERENCE
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
articles/324764

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/artic
les/324764#:~:text=Oral%2Dmotor
%20therapy,symptoms.%20Anxiety
%20medicationsocus