Types of Speech Disorders in Young Children
How can you tell the difference between different types of speech disorders and if you child has one? You may become alarmed if your child's speech doesn't sound the way you think it should. But how can you discern if those mispronounced letters and words are simply a quirk of your child as he's learning how to speak or a genuine speech disorder? It can be difficult to tell. You should always bring up any concerns you have with your child's pediatrician, but there are some signs of speech disorders that you can look for.

What are the most common speech disorders?
A speech disorder in a young child means that he has difficulty with the production of sounds. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASH), there are several major types of speech disorders.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Childhood apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder in which a child may have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. CAS happens because the brain has problems moving the lips, jaw, and/or tongue.

CAS can sometimes be confused with other speech disorders, so it's important to have your child evaluated by a professional. Symptoms of CAS in a young child include the first words being late, not babbling as an infant, having long pauses in between sounds and difficulty eating.

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD). Children with OMD may move their tongue forward in an exaggerated motion while talking or swallowing. Their tongue may protrude between their teeth during speech and swallowing or it may lie too forward.

The most obvious sign of OMD is known as a "tongue thrust." Although a tongue thrust is common among infants, it usually fades away as a child gets older. If it doesn't, have your child see a certified language-speech pathologist.

Articulation Disorders. An articulation disorder means that your child has trouble producing sounds in syllables or has such difficulty saying words correctly that people can't understand him.

Some symptoms of an articulation disorder include a frontal or lateral lisp, trouble saying the consonant "r," confusing the "y" sound and the "l" sound, and difficulty blending the letters "l," "r," and "s."

Fluency Disorders. If your child has a fluency disorder, you may be able to tell by their stuttering. Stuttering is when your child's speech is interrupted by disfluencies, such as prolonging sounds or syllables or repetitions. Although most people have brief episodes of disfluencies (like using the words "um" and "uh"), stuttering becomes a problem when speech is constantly broken up by stuttering.

If your child is showing any of these signs or symptoms, take them to see their pediatrician or a certified language-speech pathologist immediately.

What is going on in the body?
Speech is not the same as language, though the two are often related. Language is any method of expression or communication, which may or may not be vocal. For example, a child may be unable to talk but still able to use sign language. There are many causes of speech disorders in children.

What are the causes and risks of the condition?
Many factors can contribute to speech disorders in children. Language disorders in children can lead to problems with speaking, writing, and other forms of communication. Physical or birth defects may interfere with the mechanics of speaking. An example would be a cleft palate, which is an abnormal space in the roof of the mouth. This defect interferes with the ability to pronounce certain words. Many children with Down syndrome have trouble producing speech because of physical differences.

Nervous system conditions or damage may affect coordination or speech centers in the brain. Nervous system disorders can result in a wide variety of speech problems, depending on the area of the brain that is affected. For example, damage to a nerve called the hypoglossal nerve can result in clumsiness of the tongue and interfere with pronunciation. Cerebral palsy, a type of brain damage often present at birth, may affect speech and language.

Deafness or hearing impairment can interfere with the child's ability to learn to speak. Stuttering is a condition without a known cause that often goes away on its own. Selective mutism occurs when a child chooses or pretends not to talk in certain settings. This usually indicates an emotional or psychiatric disturbance in the child. It may be caused by child abuse. Other causes of speech problems are also possible. Sometimes, no cause can be found.
 

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