Speech and Language Impairment in Children

As a parent, you may be confused by the fact that your child's school has determined your child needs speech and language therapy, or speech and language related services. For many parents, the news comes as a surprise, not because the child does not demonstrate speech or language delays, but because parents and grandparents typically perceive speech and language as the ability to pronounce sounds accurately. Although this is certainly a factor in normal speech development, articulation is only one piece of the puzzle. Your child may speak clearly and articulate words well, and still have a speech and language deficit.

What is a Speech or Language Impairment?

According to NICHCY, a speech or language impairment is characterized by a delay in the development of communication skills. Children with speech and language impairments lag behind their peers in significant ways. Impairments may affect either receptive language (what your child hears) or expressive language (how your child expresses thoughts and ideas). Typically, receptive language is better than expressive language, but this is not always the case.

But why didn't I notice?

Parents are often unaware of these difficulties, most likely because they have unknowingly learned to decipher what the child means, despite the fact that may be expressed in unusual ways. Some children learn to compensate by memorizing appropriate responses for common situations, and can go unnoticed until a speech and language assessment is performed.

Types/Causes of Impairments

Speech and language impairments also refer to the inability to moderate the volume, pitch and quality of the voice. This too, can be overlooked as simply a rowdy child who gets excited and speaks too loudly, or a shy child who speaks too softly. Problems with moderating the rhythm of speech may be mistakenly attributed to either excitement or shyness.

Speech and language impairments may accompany other neurological or physical conditions, but in many cases, the cause for the impairment is unknown. In some cases, the impairment is the result of inadequate exposure to language.

So what now?

Correcting language delays typically requires one-on-one intervention with a trained speech pathologist. Your child's school may provide speech services during the school day, or you may be required to take your child to a speech pathologist after school hours.

Helping your child

As a parent, you can help your child by discussing appropriate activities with the speech pathologist or your child's teacher. Both can provide you will age- and developmentally-appropriate activities that will build your child's skills. Following through with suggested activities-- and providing consistent expectations at home--helps your child develop the skills she needs to become an effective communicator.

For many parents, the news that their child needs speech and language services comes as a surprise. It is important that parents understand that delays in speech are not an indication of low intelligence. Many children and adults with speech and language disorders have high IQs, but have difficulty expressing what they know.

NICHCY. Speech and Language Impairments
University of Missouri. Speech and Language Delays