Speech and language disorders in children can affect the way they talk, understand, analyze or process information. Four major areas in which these impairments occur include:
Articulation | speech impairments where the child produces sounds incorrectly (e.g., lisp, difficulty articulating certain sounds, such as “l” or “r”);
Fluency | speech impairments where a child’s flow of speech is disrupted by sounds, syllables, and words that are repeated, prolonged, or avoided and where there may be silent blocks or inappropriate inhalation, exhalation, or phonation patterns;
Voice | speech impairments where the child’s voice has an abnormal quality to its pitch, resonance, or loudness; and
Language | language impairments where the child has problems expressing needs, ideas, or information, and/or in understanding what others say.
Language disorders include a child’s ability to hold meaningful conversations, understand others, problem solve, read and comprehend, and express thoughts through spoken or written words.