by Sharon Early

Created on: October 25, 2008   Last Updated: October 30, 2008

Speech-Language Therapy is the treatment for most kids who have some type of speech or linguistic disorder, such as a stutter or a lisp. If your child is showing any signs of developing a speech disorder, the very best thing that you can do is take them to be tested by a speech-language pathologist who can determine whether your child is having difficulties or not. Speech disorders and language disorders are two very different conditions, which people tend to use interchangeably. A Speech disorder is a problem with the proper production of speech sounds. A language disorder is a condition in which the sufferer has difficulty understanding or combining words in order to communicate complete ideas.

There are three major types of speech disorders and two major types of language disorders. They are listed and described below.

Articulation disorders- difficulties in producing sounds or saying words incorrectly to such a degree that other people cannot understood what is being said.

Fluency disorders-difficulties such as stuttering where the flow of speech is constantly interrupted by abnormal stops, starts, repetitions, or prolonged pronunciation of sounds and syllables.

Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders- which include those conditions caused by difficulties in eating or swallowing.

The two major types of language disorders are receptive and expressive:

Receptive disorders- trouble with understanding or the processing of language.

Expressive disorders- include difficulty with finding the proper words and putting them together to communicate thoughts and ideas, difficulty putting the words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use linguistic skills in a socially acceptable and appropriate manner.

Any and all language and speech disorders can be improved by the use of speech-language therapy. A therapist may choose to address the issue in a one on one format, a group format, or in a classroom environment depending upon their evaluation of both the problem and the best learning format for the specific child. Parents will also have to take an active role in speech-language therapy by continuing the lessons learned in therapy at home with the child and practicing the sounds or language exercises that they are currently working on. Without active participation by parents and family members in the home and/or the educational atmosphere development of proper language skills and improvement will take longer to develop and can even serve to undermine the speech-language therapists efforts when working with your child.

Tips for addressing and language or speech impediment.

Try not to be overly critical or confrontational in you're approach when correcting your child's speech.
Play word games both verbal and written such as Scrabble, crossword puzzles, spelling bees with other children, or other type of structured language developing exercise as often as you can. Try to disguise it as play or singing so as not to make the child reluctant to participate. Make the games fun, give prizes, or special treats, and always give the child lots of compassion, understanding, and support even when correcting lapses.
Praise their development and progress. Let them know how proud you are of them and their efforts often.
Get involved from the very start. Sit down with the speech-language therapist and go over the tests that they have administered to your child and what the results of those tests may indicate and what the recommended thereapy is for such conditions. Find out as much as you can about the condition that your child is diagnosed with and also what you can do at home to support the speech-language therapeutic process.

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