Voice disorders involve differences in the quality, pitch, and loudness of the sound. Males are three to four times as likely to experience speech disorders as females. The best treatment is prevention and early intervention by a speech pathologist. Speech training is an involved and time consuming endeavor that can have profound results with consistent treatment. The prognosis depends on the etiology of the disorder, usually, speech can be improved with speech therapy.
Prognosis improves with early intervention.
Complications psycho-social problems associated with ineffective communication Calling Your Health Care Provider Call your health care provider if your child's speech is not reaching the standard landmarks, if you suspect your child is in a high risk group, or your child is showing other signs of a speech disorder. Prevention Since mental retardation and hearing loss are predisposing factors for speech disorders, at risk infants should be referred to an audiologist for an audiology exam. Audiological and speech therapy can then be initiated if necessary. Stuttering can best be prevented by parents withholding undue attention to dysfluency in their young child. As young children begin to speak some dysfluency is common.