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Various speech disorders can definitely complicate patients' lives. These include problems related to the speech apparatus itself (e.g. with the functioning of the muscles around the mouth and throat), as well as speech disorders related to neurological or psychiatric diseases.

Speech disorderscan significantly hinder everyday functioning. Yes, you can live without speaking - as an example it is enough to give people who use sign language. However, we should mention here the barriers encountered by such people - after all, this word is spoken to those used by the vast majority of society.

Statistics on the frequency of speech disorders can be quite astonishing. Namely, if we adopt the strictest criteria, according to statistics, only … 5 to 10% of people speak correctly. It turns out that the remaining people have various degrees of speech disorders - usually slight and even imperceptible -.

Speech disorders: types

Different specialists often have different opinions on this subject, which in fact can be classified as a speech disorder. Among such problems, one can distinguish, among others, speech fluency disorders, speech articulation disorders and disturbances related to the voice emission itself. Some scholars treat all of these problems as speech disorders, others believe that problems related to voice emission should be excluded from classic speech disorders.

One of the most common disorders of fluency is stuttering. Patients struggling with this phenomenon may repeat single syllables of different words, but also sometimes repeat whole words or even larger fragments of sentences. Stuttering is also characterized by unusually longer utterances of different words, as well as the occurrence of longer pauses between the consecutive words of a given patient. The other most common types of speech disorders include:

  • dysarthria
  • mutism
  • lisp
  • apraxia of speech
  • dysprosodia
  • alalia
  • dyslalia
  • afonia
  • dysphonia
  • anarthria
  • speech aphasia
  • oligophasia
  • paraphasia

Speech disorders: causes

The causes of speech disorders stand out stronglymore than kinds of this problem. This is due to the fact that both congenital defects (such as a cleft palate) and illnesses or psychological problems experienced during life can lead to speech problems. Among the potential causes of speech disorders, the following are distinguished:

  • mental retardation
  • damage to speech-related brain structures (e.g. as a result of a stroke or the development of a tumor of the central nervous system)
  • neurological conditions (e.g. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease)
  • damage to the muscles (or the nerves that supply them) related to the formation of speech
  • cancers developing in the mouth, neck or throat
  • hearing impairment
  • diseases of the larynx (related to, for example, the appearance of nodules within this organ, the development of neoplasms or diseases resulting from overuse of the voice),
  • psychological problems (e.g. stuttering can lead to severe stress, some speech disorders can also be associated with mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, autism or dementia)

Speech disorders: are they a serious problem?

The consequences of speech disorders depend mainly on the moment of their occurrence in the patient. In children, speech loss should be a concern - it may be the first symptom of autism.

Contrary to appearances, stuttering is often a problem of great importance. People experiencing this phenomenon may become so embarrassed that they may try to avoid speaking as much as possible. This may apply to both public speaking, but also - in the most extreme situations - avoiding communicating with other people in general. Stuttering can not only lead to complexes - for example, children may become victims of being laughed at by their peers. The occurrence of such a situation may, in turn, lead to further problems, such as depressive disorders or anxiety disorders.

In general, speech disorders should not be underestimated. An example is mutism, i.e. a state in which the patient does not speak despite the fact that his speech apparatus is completely functioning properly. For example, experiencing a very stressful event can lead to mutism. The appearance of this problem in a child may indicate that it has suffered some exceptional harm - one of the most drastic examples here is, for example, sexual abuse against minors. This is why speech disorders should not be taken lightly, and their causes should be looked for.

Speech disorders:treatment

If it is possible to find the cause of speech disorders - which may be, for example, the appearance of polyps of the vocal folds in a person with voice emission disorders - then it is possible to implement causal treatment of speech disorders.

In other cases - e.g. when a child experiences articulation disorders or stuttering - help should be sought primarily from a speech therapist. Therapy with such a specialist may be tedious and long-lasting, but it can definitely allow for the expected results in terms of improving the patient's speech. Sometimes - especially when psychological problems have led to speech disorders - it may be helpful to visit a psychologist or psychotherapist. It is worth mentioning that a speech therapist is not a specialist who can only be visited with children. The help of a speech therapist may also be useful, for example, for patients after stroke, in whom, thanks to speech rehabilitation, it is possible - at least partially - to reverse the consequences of this disease.

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

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Category:

Neurology