When is a child’s communication considered delayed?
When a child has trouble in the generation of speech, it amounts to a serious communication problem in the end. In addition, a child should be fluent in communication after attaining five years. However, there are cases when a learner may lag behind in terms of language skills and the acquisition of the right speech. Therefore, the communication level of a child may be considered delayed when the learner is not at par with the rest of the peers in the same grade (Kennison, 2013).
What are speech disorders and how are they characterized?
These are communication challenges experienced by individuals. It is mainly caused by the poor state of motor function. The affected persons may not be able to use oral motor mechanism that is required in ordinary speech. This type of disorder is characterised by a number of features.
For example, the rhythm of speech lacks adequate flow and may be interrupted several times in the course of conversation. Hence, the speech is shuttered due to lack of fluency. Phonological disorders or inappropriate formation of sounds is also a common characteristic of speech disorders. Other characteristics include poor voice quality and difficulties with pitch.
What is language disorder? How does it affect language development and education?
This refers to a form of impairment that inhibits the ability of an individual to comprehend or apply certain words in the right context during face-to-face or non-verbal communications. For example, inability to follow guidelines, reduced vocabulary, inappropriate grammatical patterns, poor ability to express notions, and inability to use words in their correct meanings are some of the common language disorders.
Learners with developmental language delay or those who have been diagnosed with language learning disabilities may be affected by the above disorders. It is possible for such children to fail to understand the meanings of specific words even though they can hear them.
Language development is affected because learners with this disorder cannot communicate effectively with other people. It is equally cumbersome to understand communication from children with language disorders.
There are also myriads of educational implications attached to the above language disorders. To begin with, it is prudent to mention that all speech disorders have the gross ability to alienate the affected persons from their immediate educational and social environment. Therefore, a timely intervention is necessary in order to avert the negative implications of language disorders in education. Second, learning difficulties are aggravated when there is delay in speech.
Worse still, learners with muscular disorders are highly likely to be slow in classrooms because they consume a lot of time before the can fully understand certain concepts or meanings of words (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2012). Effective language development and acquisition of speech are affected among children with such disorders.
How does a speech language pathologist help children with communication disorders? Explain
Children with communication disorders can be assisted by speech-language pathologists. First, individual therapy can be offered to a child who has been diagnosed with any form of speech disorder. The pathologist can also work closely with the child’s teacher on the most viable ways of improving communication in class. The pathologist may consult with the family members at home on how the child can improve his or her flow in speech.
Techniques and specific goals for both home and school therapy can be developed by the pathologist. It is also necessary to explore the individual work experience of the affected learner. Hence, counsellors and vocational teachers can be assisted by a speech-language pathologist to develop communication targets that can boost the learning experience of children with speech disorders.
Effective strategies can equally be devised so that children with speech-language disorders can smoothly transit from learning institutions to employment (Flasher & Fogle, 2012).
References
Flasher, L. & Fogle, P. (2012). Counseling Skills for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning
Kail, R. & Cavanaugh, J. (2012). Human Development: A Life-Span View Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Kennison, S. M. (2013). Introduction to language development. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.