Speech Deficits
- Articulation Disorders: Difficulty pronouncing sounds correctly.
- Fluency Disorders: Issues with the flow of speech, such as stuttering or cluttering.
- Voice Disorders: Problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice. This can include hoarseness, breathiness, or a strained voice.
- Motor Speech Disorders: Difficulties with the physical act of speaking due to muscle weakness or coordination problems, such as apraxia of speech or dysarthria.
Language Deficits
- Expressive Language Disorder: Difficulty using spoken or written language to express thoughts and ideas.
- Receptive Language Disorder: Challenges in understanding and processing spoken or written language.
- Aphasia: A language disorder resulting from brain damage (often due to stroke). It can affect speaking, understanding, reading, and writing.
- Pragmatic Language Disorder: Problems with the social aspects of communication, such as understanding and using language appropriately in social contexts.
Treatment
Treatment typically involves working with a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who can assess the specific deficits and provide tailored interventions. Therapy might include exercises to improve articulation, strategies to enhance language comprehension and production, or techniques to address social communication challenges.