Speech Disorders

Speech disorders affect a person's ability to speak clearly and communicate effectively. Early identification and speech therapy can make a big difference, especially in children. Below are the common types of speech disorders:

1. Articulation Disorders

Articulation disorders occur when a child has difficulty forming speech sounds correctly. This is one of the most common speech problems in children.

Examples:

Substitutions: Saying “wabbit” instead of “rabbit”
Omissions: Saying “nana” instead of “banana”
Distortions: Lisping
Additions: Saying “puhlay” instead of “play”

2. Phonological Disorders

These involve patterns of sound errors. Children may use incorrect sound rules that affect their ability to be understood.

Example: Saying “tat” for “cat,” not due to difficulty producing the /k/ sound, but due to misunderstanding sound rules.

3. Fluency Disorders

Fluency disorders affect the flow and rhythm of speech.

Stuttering: Repetition of sounds or blocks (e.g., “b-b-boy”)
Cluttering: Fast, irregular speech that’s hard to understand

4. Voice Disorders

Voice disorders involve problems with vocal quality, pitch, and volume.

Dysphonia: Hoarseness or breathy voice
Aphonia: Complete loss of voice
Causes: Vocal cord nodules, overuse, or injury

5. Resonance Disorders

These affect how air flows through the nose and mouth while speaking.

Hypernasality: Too much air through the nose (e.g., due to cleft palate)
Hyponasality: Too little air through the nose (e.g., blocked nasal passages)

6. Apraxia of Speech

This motor speech disorder makes it hard for the brain to send correct signals to the speech muscles. The child may know what they want to say, but struggle to say it.

7. Dysarthria

Dysarthria is caused by weak or paralyzed speech muscles, often due to neurological conditions like cerebral palsy, stroke, or brain injury.

If your child is showing signs of speech delay or communication issues, don’t wait. Early speech therapy in India can lead to better outcomes.

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