Communication is one of the most complex aspects of human behaviour. It is our means to expressing our basic needs and feelings and our main way to understand and relate to our environment and other people.
The ability to communicate is something most of us take for granted, but 1 in 7 people have a communication disorder and require expert assistance to learn to communicate effectively. Communications disorders are varied and complex, some are due to physical conditions, such as hearing impairments or cerebral palsy. Other impairments have no known cause e.g. stuttering.
1. Speech – the physical production of sounds (consonants and vowels)
2. Language – understanding what is said and putting words together
3. Pragmatics – the social context for how we interact with each other
4. Fluency – the smooth rhythm and pattern of talking
5. Voice – production of sound by vibrating the vocal folds
have difficultly understanding or using language
SOURCE: Speech Pathology Australia
SIGNS OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
Speech (i.e. Articulation)
The main types of speech errors that children have are:
- Substitutions e.g. saying “wabbit” for “rabbit”
- Omissions e.g. saying “ba” for “bath”
- Distortions e.g. a slushy production of “s”
- Additions e.g. “baloo” for “blue”
Expressive Language
Expressive language is the use of words (vocabulary, word meanings and grammar) to convey information. Signs of children with expressive language difficulties include:
- Not talking or slow to start talking
- Uses short sentences than expected for age or sounds immature for their age e.g. “Her is running”
- Leaves out words e.g. He kicking ball”
- Uses words in the wrong order e.g. “The glass is made of window”
- Does not know names of items of objects or has trouble thinking of words
- Uses non-specific language e.g. “thing” “you know that”
- Uses lots of “fillers” or pauses e.g. “Ummmmmm”
Receptive Language
Receptive language (or comprehension) is the understanding of concepts, vocabulary and grammar. Signs of children with receptive language difficulties include:
- Poor concentration, especially when listening
- Forgetting instructions
- Seeming co-operative child who is having difficulty following instructions
- Relying on other children to follow instructions
- Answering questions inappropriately
- Making comments that are not relevant to the topic of conversation
Pragmatics
Signs of pragmatic difficulties include:
- Poor eye contact
- Difficulty initiating and sustaining a conversation
- Difficulty changing topic
- Difficulty talking turns in conversation.
Fluency (i.e. stuttering)
Stuttering may consist of:
- Repetitions (e.g. “m-m-m-mum” or “Can I – Can I – Can I?”), prolongations (e.g. Where’s the doooooog?”) and/or hesitations in speech.
Voice
Signs of voice disorders include:
- a husky, breathy or nasal voice
- intermittent of complete loss of voice
- inappropriately low, high, loud or soft voice
WHEN TO REFER?
1. If the person, their family or yourself are concerned about their communication
2. If the person is frustrated by their difficulty in communicating
3. If the communication problem causes difficulties in others areas, such as social interaction or learning
4. As soon as the problem is identified. It is rare for a communication problem to resolve without treatment
5. If unsure contact Canton Beach Speech Pathology to discuss if a referral is appropriate.