An overview of the causes and treatment of speech and language disorders.
This paper examines how speech and language disorders may be defined as problems that result from various areas of communication and related areas such as oral motor function. It looks at how some causes of speech and language disorders include hearing loss, neurological disorders, brain injury, mental retardation, drug abuse, and physical impairments. It also discusses some of the educational implications that accompany speech and language disorders and how speech-language pathologists are the professionals trained to assist children who have various communication disorders.
“Screening procedures for speech and hearing are administered throughout the public school systems on a yearly basis and occur at the beginning of each school year. Over the last few years, special education programs throughout the nation, have served over a million students who have been categorized as having a speech or language impairment. This estimate does not include children who have speech/language problems secondary to other conditions such as deafness. Many children may also have other disabilities such as mental retardation, autism, or cerebral palsy and experience language disorders as a secondary disability. Communication disorders have been identified to affect at least 10% of the population living in the United States.”