Individuals

with Speech
and Language
Impairments

By: Jessica Castillo

EDU 203 Intro to Special Education

Introducing Individuals with Speech and
Language Impairments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG50fv-B3Uk
The Nature of Speech, Language, and
Communication
– Speech is the expression of language with sounds-essentially the oral modality for
language
– Speech Production depends on precise physiological and neuromuscular coordination of:
1. respiration(the act of breathing)
2. Phonation (the act of production of the sound by the larynx and vocal fold)
3. Articulation (use of the lips, tongue, teeth, and hard and soft palates to form speech sounds)
– Is considered more than a motor behavior. It is willed, planned, and programmed by the central
nervous system-the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system
– Language is the ”rule-based method of communication involving the comprehension and
use of signs and symbols by which ideas are represented”
– Main purpose is communication or self-expression
– A social tool
– Also though of as a code in a sense that it is not a direct representation of the world but, rather,
something in which to represent ideas and concepts about the world.
– It is very complex and multidimensional system of symbols and the rules for appropriately using
these symbols.
 The Nature of Speech, Language,
and Communication

• https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=zhp83mZ6bLI
 The Nature of Speech, Language, and
Communication
Contains 5 major interrelated yet distinct elements and are expressed as receptive and expressive levels
Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
Semantics
Pragmatics
These components represent the basic rule systems found in language.
Form incorporates phonology, morphology, and syntax: elements that connect sounds or symbols
with meaning
Phonology- includes the sounds that are characteristic of that language, the rules governing
their distribution and sequencing, and the stress and intonation patterns that accompany
sounds; are approximately 45 different speech sounds in the English language which we call
phonemes
Morphology- includes the rules governing how words are formed from meaningful unites
called morphemes
Syntax- contains rules for how to string words together to form phrases and sentences, what
sentences are acceptable, and how to transform sentences into other sentences; allows a
speaker to generate an infinite number of new sentences and recognize sentences that are not
grammatically acceptable
 The Nature of Speech, Language, and
Communication

Content incorporates semantics: encompasses the meanings of

words and sentences
Semantics- is the linguistic realization of what the speaker
knows about the world-what people talk about. Are concern
with relationships:
 Between words and meanings
 Between words
 Between word meanings and sentence meanings
 Between linguistic meaning and nonlinguistic reality
Use addresses the social aspects of language or pragmatics
Pragmatics- the effectiveness of language in achieving
desired functions in social situations. Attitudes, personal
history, the setting, the topic of conversation, and the details of
the preceding discourse are among the social and contextual
factors that determine how speakers cast their sentences
 COMPONENTS OF LANGUAGE
Component Definition Receptive Level Expressive Level

Phonology The sounds characteristic of a Discrimination of speech sounds Articulation of speech sounds
language, the rules governing
their distribution and
sequencing, and the stress and
intonation patterns that
accompany sounds
Morphology The rules governing how words Understanding of the Use of grammar in words
are formed from the basic grammatical structure of words
element of meaning
Syntax Rules for how to string words Understanding of phrases and Use of grammar in phrases and
together to form phrases and sentences sentences
sentences- the relationships
among the elements of a
sentence
Semantics The linguistic realization of what Understanding of word Use of word meanings and word
the speaker knows about the meanings and word relationships
world- the meanings of words relationships
and sentences

Pragmatics The social effectiveness of Understanding of social and Use of language to affect others
language in achieving desired contextual cues
functions- rules related to the
use of language in social
contexts
The Nature of Speech, Language, and
Communication

– Communication- is the exchange of ideas, information, thoughts, and feelings. It does not
necessarily involve speech.
– Examples of nonlinguistic communication behavior are:
– Gestures
– Posture
– Eye contact
– Facial expression
– Head and body movement

– Communication process begins when a person has an idea or intention and wants to share it.
The idea or intention is formulated into a message and then expressed to another person or
persons. The other person receives the message and reacts to or acknowledges.
The Nature of Speech, Language, and
Communication

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UASW6zSuXaE
Defining Speech and Language
Impairments
 Speech and/or language impairments are problems in
communication and related areas such as oral motor function
 Delays and disorders may range from those so subtle that they
have little or no impact on daily living and socialization to the
inability to produce speech or to understand and use language
 Only very small percentage of children are at the most extreme
level of severity
 Severe communication and language disabilities are most likely to
occur secondary to pervasive cognitive, neurological, or physical
disabilities.
 Defining Speech and
Language Impairments
 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA
2004) label for students with communication difficulties is speech and language
impairment. Qualified individuals have to have:
 Communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language
impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational
performance
 The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (1993) defines a
communication disorder as “an impairment in the ability to receive, send,
process, and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal, and graphic symbols
systems. Evident in the process of hearing, language, and/or speech
Classifying Speech and
Language Impairments
 Speech Disorders
 Speech is the most common and the most complex mode for expression of language.
 Speech impairment is present when the individual’s speech deviates to such a degree
that it interferes with communication, attracts unfavorable attention, and adversely
affects the listeners, the speaker, or both.
 3 basic types of speech impairments:
 Articulation Disorders
 Fluency Disorder
 Voice Disorders
Classifying Speech and
Language Impairments
– Articulation Disorders:
– Omissions- occurs when a sound is not pronounced in a word
– Example: han for hand
– Substitutions- occurs when one sound is substituted for another in the pronunciation of a word
– Example: wabbit for rabbit
– Additions- wherein the speaker inserts extra sounds in spoken words
– Example: footsball for football
– Distortions- which a sounds is said inaccurately, but resembles the intended sound
– Example: shlip for sip

– Articulation errors may be related to anatomical or physiological limitations in the

skeletal, muscular, or neuromuscular support for speech production or to other factors
– Therapy consist of correct speech sounds, generalization of the sounds to difference
settings, and maintenance over time.
 Classifying Speech and Language
Impairments
– Fluency Disorders
– Difficulties with the rhythm and timing of speech.
– “An interruption in the low of speaking characterized by atypical rate, rhythm, and repetitions in sounds, syllables, words, and phrases. This may
be accompanied by excessive tension, struggle behavior, and secondary mannerisms” (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 1993).
– Stuttering in the most familiar fluency disorder.
– Marked by rapid-fire repetitions of consonant or vowel sounds especially at the beginning of words, prolongations, hesitations, interjections, and complete
verbal blocks.
– Beginnings between ages 2 and 6
– Is situational in that it appears to be related to the setting or circumstances of speech.
– A child is more likely to stutter when talking with people he or she considers important and when called upon to speak before a group of people.
– Examples:
– Talking to parents, teachers, crush
– Talking in front of the class
– No cause for stuttering
– More common in males than females and also twins
– Cluttering
– Excessively fast and jerky speech
– Interferes with the flow of a persons’ speech.
– Result from disorganized speech planning, talking too fast or in spurts, or simply being unsure of what one wants to say
– Speech may initially be clear; then it gradually increases in speed, shifts to an irregular rhythm, and becomes mumbled
– Synonyms may include:
– Reading and writing disorders
– Word repetitions
– Short attention span
– Grammatical errors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF63zZpk4Kc
Classifying Speech and
Language Impairments
– Voice disorders
– Problems with the quality or use of one’s voice that result from disorders of the larynx
– Characterized by “the abnormal production and/or absences of vocal quality, pitch, loudness,
resonance, and/or duration, which is inappropriate for an individual’s age and/or sex” (American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 1993)
– Speech may be excessively hoarse, or lack appropriate inflection
– Caused by temporary conditions such as colds or allergies, chemically induced irritation, or vocally
demanding activities, or more permanent abnormalities such as vocal nodules
– Two types of Voice Disorders:
– Phonation disorders are breathiness, hoarseness, huskiness, and straining. In severe cases, individual may not have
any voice at all
– Resonance disorder may be characterized by hypernasality (too many sounds coming through the air passages of the
nose) or hyponasality (too little resonance of the nasal passages).
 Classifying Speech and
Language Impairments
– Language Disorders
– Occur when there is delay or difficulties with mastery in one or more of these areas in the five components of language
(phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics)
– Phonological Disorder
– Defined as abnormal organization of the phonologic system or a significant deficit in speech production or perception
– A child with this disorder may be described as hard to understand or as not saying the sounds right-the child is likely to
have difficulty decoding spoken language and may make substitutions for sounds
– Has ability to produce a given sound and does so correctly in some instances but fails to produce the sound correctly at
other times
– Reveals a pattern of responses and is therefore a rule-based phenomenon
– Focus therapy is to help the child identify the error patterns and gradually produce more linguistically appropriate sound
patters
– Apraxia of speech
– Neurological phonologic disorder that results from impairment of the capacity to select, program, or execute the
positioning of the speech muscles to produce speech sounds
– Speech mechanisms are operating but the child cannot get them to operate properly- when child wants to speak, he or she
has difficulty planning what to say and which motor movements to use
Classifying Speech and
Language Impairments
– Morphological inflections are inflections on nouns, verbs, and adjectives that signal different kinds of meanings
– Morphological disorder- have problems learning and using morphological rules (they use fewer grammatical
morphemes and produce more grammatical errors than same-age peers)
– Syntactical deficits- difficulty in acquiring the rules that control word order and other aspects of grammar such as
subject-verb agreement; problems processing sentences, even relatively simple ones, and then typically produce
shorter and less elaborated sentences with fewer cohesive conjunctions than their peers
– Semantic disorders- characterized by poor vocabulary development, inappropriate use of words meanings, and/or
inability to comprehend word meanings. Most evident are problems with word finding, the ability to generate a
specific word that is evoked by a situation, stimulus, sentence, context, or conversation.
– Pragmatic Difficulties- problems understanding and using language in different social contexts. They do not
understand how to infer their listeners’ needs, so they don not know what and how much information they need
to provide in an interaction. Other weaknesses include lack of understanding of the rules for:
1. When and how to make eye contact
2. How close it is permissible to stand when talking to someone
3. When to request clarification of information
4. How to interpret direct and indirect request
5. How to introduce topics
Classifying Speech and
Language Impairments
– Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)
– A problem in the processing of sound not attributed to hearing loss or intellectual
capacity, involving cognitive and linguistic functions that directly affect receptive
communication skills
– How we use and interpret auditory information
– Occurs when the ear and the brain do not work together as smoothly as they should
– Demonstrate problems with auditory figure-ground (difficulty attending to a speaker when
there is noise in the background), auditory memory, auditory attention (maintaining
listening focus), and auditory cohesion (for example, drawing inferences from
conversations, understanding riddles, comprehending verbal math problems).
– Causes are many and varied and may include head trauma, lead poisoning, and chronic ear
infections, as well as unknown etiologies
 References
– Individuals with Speech and Language Impairments Video:
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG50fv-B3Uk
– The Nature of Speech, Language, and Communication 1st Video (Indentify the signs of
communication disorders):
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhp83mZ6bLI
– The Stats on Know the Signs of Speech and Language Disorders
– http://medcarepediatrics.blogspot.com/2014_01_01_archive.html
– The Nature of Speech, Language, and Communication 2nd Video:
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UASW6zSuXaE
– Classifying Speech and Language Impairments Video:
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF63zZpk4Kc
– What is language image?
– http://www.amyspeechlanguagetherapy.com/language.html