Causes, Incidence and Risk Factors Speech is one of the primary ways we communicate with our environment. It is also an effective way to monitor normal growth and development as well as identify potential problems. Dysfluencies are rhythm disorders that are usually characterized by the repetition of a sound, word, or phrase. Stuttering is, perhaps, the most serious dysfluency. Articulation deficiencies are sound that are made incorrectly or inappropriately.
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.