In 1995, approximately 46 million people in the United States of all ages, races and gender, experienced or lived with some type of communication disorder. There are 30,000 Americans who have undergone surgery for laryngeal cancer and an estimated 12,600 new cases are discovered annually. It is estimated that 3 million Americans stutter. Most begin to stutter at an early age, but occurs most frequently in young children between the ages of two and six who are developing language. One child in 30 goes through a period of stuttering that can last 6 months or longer.
Articulation disorders constitute the most numerous of all speech disorders.
About 3 out of 5 of all speech and language disorders are related to articulatory problems. Nearly 6 million children under age 18 have speech or language disorders. Aphasia - the loss of speech and language abilities generally resulting from stroke. Delayed language - characterized by a marked slowness in the development of language skills necessary for expressing and understanding thoughts and ideas. The clinical methods used will vary depending on the nature and severity of the problem, the age of the individual, and the individual's awareness of the problem.