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What is Speech?
Many people are unaware of exactly what a Speech-Language Pathologist does. We work with people of all ages who have difficulty communicating with others. Also known as Speech Therapists, we can work in many different settings (hospitals, nursing homes, rehab centers, doctor's offices, clinics, and of course, schools) with many different populations (adults with strokes, people of all ages with brain injury, and children).
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association provides the following information (www.asha.org/public):
Language is different from speech.
Language is made up of socially shared rules that include the following:
- What words mean (e.g., "star" can refer to a bright object in the night sky or a celebrity)
- How to make new words (e.g., friend, friendly, unfriendly)
- How to put words together (e.g., "Peg walked to the new store" rather than "Peg walk store new")
- What word combinations are best in what situations ("Would you mind moving your foot?" could quickly change to "Get off my foot, please!" if the first request did not produce results)
Speech is the verbal means of communicating. Speech consists of the following:
- Articulation: How speech sounds are made (e.g., children must learn how to produce the "r" sound in order to say "rabbit" instead of "wabbit"). Articulation disorders include omissions, substitutions, additions, or distortions of phonemes within words. Articulation patterns that can be attributed to cultural or ethnic background are not disabilities. The chart below summarizes when 90% of children acquire speech sounds:
SPEECH SOUND DEVELOPMENT CHART
Horizontal bars indicate a range of typical sound development in children.
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Source: Sander, Eric K. "When are Speech Sounds Learned?" JSHD, 37 (February 1992).
- Voice: Use of the vocal folds and breathing to produce sound (e.g., the voice can be abused from overuse or misuse and can lead to hoarseness or loss of voice).
- Fluency: The rhythm of speech (e.g., hesitations or stuttering can affect fluency). For more information, visit http://www.stutteringhelp.org/
When a person has trouble understanding others (receptive language), or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings completely (expressive language), then he or she has a language disorder.
When a person is unable to produce speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has problems with his or her voice, then he or she has a speech disorder.
Language and speech disorders can exist together or by themselves. The problem can be mild or severe. In any case, a comprehensive evaluation by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the first step to improving language and speech problems.
Here are suggestions to improve your student's expressive and receptive language:
...in early elementary grades (K–2):
Talk with your child frequently
Read a variety of books; read often and talk with your child about the story
Help your child focus on sound patterns of words such as those found in rhyming games
Have your child retell stories and talk about events of the day
Talk with your child during daily activities; give directions for your child to follow (e.g., making cookies)
Talk about how things are alike and different
Give your child reasons and opportunities to write
...in later elementary grades (3-5):
- Continue to encourage reading; find reading material that is of interest to your child
- Encourage your child to form opinions about what he or she hears or reads and relate what is read to experiences
- Help your child make connections between what is read and heard at school, at home, and in other daily activities
- Talk aloud as you help your child understand and solve problems encountered in reading material
- Help your child recognize spelling patterns, such as beginnings and endings of words (e.g., pre- or -ment)
- Encourage your child to write letters, keep a diary, or write stories
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