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	Feature Article Speech disorders Definition Speech disorders refer to several conditions in which a person has difficulty communicating by mouth. See also: Speech impairment Alternative Names Articulation deficiency; Voice disorders; Disfluency Causes, incidence, and risk factors Speech is one of the primary ways we communicate with those around us. It is an effective way to monitor normal growth and development as well as to identify potential problems. Disfluencies are rhythm disorders that are usually characterized by the repetition of a sound, word, or phrase. Stuttering is perhaps the most serious disfluency. Articulation deficiencies involve sounds made incorrectly or inappropriately. Voice disorders involve abnormalities in the quality, pitch, and loudness of the sound. There are many potential causes of speech impairment. The most common cause is mental retardation. Other causes may include: Attention deficit disorder (ADD) Autism Cerebral palsy Cleft palate Cri-du-chat syndrome Disorders of the palate Gilles de la Tourette syndrome Hearing impairment Learning disability Schizophrenia Vocal cord injury Delayed speech development is one of the common symptoms of developmentally delayed children. It occurs in 5 - 10% of all children. Boys are three to four times as likely to have speech disorders as girls. Symptoms Disfluency: Repetition of sounds, words, or phrases after age 4 Frustration with attempts to communicate Head jerking while talking Eye blinking while talking Embarrassment with speech Articulation Deficiency: Unintelligible speech by age 3 Leaves out consonants at the beginning of words by age 3 Leaves out consonants at the end of words by age 4 Persistent problems with articulation after age 7 Leaves out sounds where they should occur Distorts sounds Substitutes an incorrect sound for a correct one Voice disorders: Pitch deviations Deviations in the loudness and quality of the voice Signs and tests Denver Articulation Screening Examination Early Language Milestone Scale Denver II Peabody Picture Test Revised Treatment 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. Expectations (prognosis) The prognosis depends on the cause of the disorder. Continue reading this article

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