Speech and Language Disorders a Child Speech Pathology Expert Can Help You With

A child speech pathology expert is a highly trained professional who can help kids with speech or language difficulties. In some instances, he or she may also evaluate and treat children who have difficulties swallowing food and drink. Speech-language pathologists, or SLPs, are required to complete a university degree that encompasses all aspects of communication, including speech, writing, reading, symbols, and gestures.

SLPs treat various conditions that have something to do with language and communication. Among them are problems with articulation. A child may need speech language pathology if he has trouble saying certain sounds or words correctly. For instance, when he says "run," it might come out as "won" or when he says "say," the word may sound like "thay" to his listeners. Lisps are also considered articulation disorders.

Treating fluency disorders is also something an expert in child speech pathology specialises in. One good example of a fluency disorder is a stutter. For example, a child trying to say the word "story" might get stuck on the "st" and repeat it several times before he can get to say the word completely. Or he might draw out certain sounds and say "ssssstory" instead of pronouncing the word in a quick and precise manner.

Aside from treating problems with articulation and fluency, SLPs also help with resonance or voice disorders. A child might have a voice disorder if people are having a hard time understanding him or her. Unlike with the speech disorders mentioned above, the child experiences no difficulties when it comes to pronouncing sounds or words. But the problem is, the child might sound like he has a cold or as if he is talking through his nose. A kid is also likely to require speech language pathology if he usually starts his sentences loudly and clearly but by the end of his sentences, he can be barely heard by others.

Meanwhile, some people think that speech and language are the same thing but according to child speech pathology experts, they are actually quite different. Speech is the motor ability to talk, or basically how humans pronounce words. Language, on the other hand, is how humans formulate messages to communicate or express an idea.

Language disorders are also some of the problems that many child speech pathology experts deal with on daily basis. Such disorders are usually diagnosed on people who have difficulties with putting words together to convey their thoughts. Those who have problems understanding others might also be suffering from a form of language disorder.