What is Communication Disorder

It can affect how a person’s ability to comprehend, detect, and speech to engage in everyday life. They weaken speech-language, language skills, and impair the ability to understand.

 

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Types of Communication Disorder:

• Expressive language disorder

They have difficulty expressing themselves beyond simple sentences and limited vocabulary. They often have a lot to say but can’t figure out a way to arrange and retrieve the words than expected of their developmental stage.

 

• Mixed receptive expressive language disorder

It affects readings, writing, and understanding.

 

• Speech disorders

They affect the voice

• Articulation disorder- It involves substituting words to another like slurring of speech.
• Fluency disorder- Talking with an irregular rhythm of speech.
• Voice disorder- Involves having an abnormal pitch, volume, and length of the speech.

 

Common speech disorders are:

1. Apraxia of speech  (AOS) 

This happens when the neural pathway between the brain and speech function is lost. They know what they want to say, they can even write about it but can’t speak it out even though speech muscles work fine.

2. Stuttering/ Stammering 

This can be easily recognized.  it can also include non-verbal involuntary or semi-voluntary actions like blinkings or tics ( abdominal tensing)

3. Dysarthria 

It is caused due to a nerve or muscle damaged.

4. Spasmodic Dysphonia 

It is a chronic long-term disorder that affects the voice. It is characterized by the spasming of the vocal cords when a person attempts to speak.

5. Aphasia 

It is caused due to damage to the brain’s language capabilities. It is more likely to happen in adults more than children

6. Speech delay- Alalia 

It refers to a phenomenon when a child is not making normal attempts to verbally communicate.

 

Language disorders

They affect how you speak and write

• Phonology
• Morphology
• Syntax

 

Hearing disorders

impair the ability to language. They can also be called deaf/ heard of hearing.

 

Central processing disorders

It affects how a person analyses and understands data in auditory signals.

 

 

Causes

1.Genetics

2. Abnormal brain development

3. Neurological disorders

4. Strokes

5. Tumors in the area used for communication.

6. Exposure to substance abuse before birth

7. Brain injuries

 

 

Symptoms: 

1. Repetitive sounds.

2. Misuse of words.

3. Inability to communicate.

4. Inability to comprehend messages.

 

 

Who is at risk for communication disorder? 

It is most common in children and adults. Around 8-9% of children have speech sound disorder.

 

Prognosis:

It depends on factors on how much change is possible. For children, support from parents, teachers, and peers can be helpful. For adults. self-motivation is important.

Parenting tips for children with a communication disorder:

1.Keep all the appointments with your child’s healthcare provider.

2. Seek support from the local community services. Being in touch with parents who have a child with a communication disorder would be helpful.

3. Talk to the school counsellor about your child’s disorder.

4. Talk to your child.

 

 

When should I call my child’s health provider?

1. When you notice new symptoms

2. when the symptoms get worse or not better

 

 

Treatments

These treatments help children to improve their communication abilities and, coping strategies in environments like school, homes, and friends

1. Speech therapy-  Help children learn new vocabulary, organize and arrange their thoughts, and correct word errors.

2. Behavioral therapy – It is designed to increase children’s use of communication behaviours, and promote maladaptive coping strategies.

3. Some clinicians recommend stimulant medication as a treatment for any impulsivity/ hyperactivity symptoms.

4. Environmental modification-  It can be an important part of the therapy because giving extra attention to such students would help them better communicate.

 

 

Prevention

There are no specific ways to prevent, but avoid known risk or an injury to the brain. In children, it should be detected early and sent for therapies.