Aphasia is an acquired neurogenic language disorder resulting from an injury to the brain. There are various types of aphasias, but all individuals with aphasia experience word-finding difficulties. Each individual is unique depending on the type of aphasia and level of severity. Regardless, research supports the benefit of receiving speech and language therapy in enhancing one’s communicative abilities. Aphasia causes varying degrees of impairment in spoken language and comprehension, as well as written expression and reading comprehension.

Articulation disorders are quite common. When an individual has an articulation disorder, it means that he or she is producing one or more speech sounds incorrectly. Some speech errors among young children are considered normal, as certain sounds are not acquired until a child is older. If you are unsure if your child’s speech is delayed, it is always best to consult a speech-language pathologist. Although articulation errors can be addressed at any age, it can be more challenging to remediate errors as children get older. The earlier articulation concerns are identified, the faster he or she is likely to improve and not face issues with speech and academics down the road. In some cases, articulation is impacted due to structural abnormalities, motor-based difficulties or neurological impairments. More often, children simply pick up sounds incorrectly, as speech and language skills are acquired very rapidly. This has nothing to do with the child’s intelligence.

Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) refers to communication that enhances and/or provides a complementary method for verbal speech. Any individual who is not currently communicating verbally or has limited verbal communication can benefit from AAC. AAC can be no-tech (such as sign language and PECS), low-tech (such as a Big Mack button) or high-tech (such as a speech generated device or the iPad with a designated application).

Speech, language and intelligence are not the same! There are many communicators who have difficulty with verbal expression but have the ability to communicate and live meaningful lives. A common misconception is that exposing children to AAC will inhibit his or her ability to acquire verbal speech – but in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Many children who begin therapy as nonverbal or minimally verbal communicators become more verbal or fully verbal communicators once a form of AAC is introduced. Furthermore, individuals who do not have the ability to express themselves may become highly frustrated, which can lead to undesirable behaviors. AAC is not only beneficial for children, but can also be valuable to adult clients who once had the ability to communicate verbally but no longer can effectively, due to an accident or a neurological condition.

Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder. Individuals with apraxia have difficulty planning and sequencing the motor movements needed to produce the sounds in syllables and words. Many people with apraxia know what they want to say, but have a hard time executing the motor plans necessary to send the right messages from the brain to the mouth. Apraxia can be acquired due to neurological impairments resulting from a stroke or traumatic brain injury.

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) impacts children from birth. Children with CAS are often late talkers, have a limited verbal repertoire, or have speech that is very difficult to understand. Therapy for CAS is critical and should occur early and often! Apraxia is very treatable, but it is extremely important for children with apraxia to be identified and treated by a therapist who specializes in this area. Therapy for apraxia is very different than other types of treatment approaches and results can be drastically different depending on the methods implemented.

Autism is a form of neurodivergence, which means that people with autism have a unique way of thinking and experiencing the world. Each person with autism is unique and therefore, autism is considered a spectrum. Individuals with autism may have characteristics including social differences, intense passions and interests, repetitions, sensory sensitivities, perception differences and executive functioning differences. Many people with autism benefit from speech-language therapy to reach their speech, language and communication potentials.

Individuals with Down syndrome may experience speech and language deficits. Speech-language pathologists can develop a comprehensive treatment plan to address all the areas the child, adolescent, or adult may be having trouble in, including receptive and expressive language, semantics (vocabulary), syntax (grammar), pragmatics (uses of language, social, and conversational skills), classroom language skills, speech, and oral motor planning and strengthening.

Stuttering, the most common type of fluency disorder, is marked by persistent interruptions in the flow of speaking. Individuals who stutter repeat sounds, syllables, words, and phrases; prolong specific sounds; or block sounds. Cluttering involves a breakdown in clarity, usually resulting from rapid or irregular speech patterns. It is often characterized by omitting parts of words (usually the ends) and pausing in places in sentences not expected grammatically. Speech-language pathologists provide strategies and tools to improve fluent speech and increase confidence.

Language delays occur when children do not develop the language abilities expected to have acquired by a certain age. A language delay occurs when a child's language is developing slower than other children the same age, but it is following the typical pattern of development. Delayed speech or language development is the most common developmental issue. Usually a child with a language delay will have trouble building his or her vocabulary, properly structuring sentences, and understanding what is being said to them.

Individuals with phonological disorders present with speech that is often significantly impacted and difficult to understand due to entire patterns of incorrect speech production. These patterns are called “phonological processes.” There are many different types of phonological processes and children can present with one process or many processes simultaneously. The more common phonological processes include: Fronting, Backing, Cluster Reduction, Final Consonant Deletion, Initial Consonant Deletion, Vowelization, Reduplication, Assimilation, Prevocalic Voicing and Postvocalic Voicing. For example, if an individual presents with final consonant deletion, he or she would omit many of the final sounds in words (i.e., saying “ba” instead of “bat”). If he/she presents with fronting, the individual would produce all back sounds (k,g) in the front (i.e., “dough” for “go” or “tee” for “key”).

Children with language impairment have a greater risk for developing reading disorders, which usually manifest as difficulty with decoding and/or comprehension. The likelihood that children with language impairment will have reading comprehension problems is great enough to warrant early intervention for literacy.

Communication issues can lead to long-term implications as they have an adverse impression on how an individual interacts with the world around them. Having a strong foundation in the understanding and use of social skills is essential for children and adults to be successful in communicating with others. Because social skills are very complex and can be difficult to teach people with speech and/or language disorders, a speech-language pathologist can be an invaluable resource.

Traumatic Brain Injury, often referred to as TBI, can be caused by any accident that results in injury to the brain. The most common causes are automobile accidents, sport-related injuries, firearms, and falls. TBI can negatively impact the individual in many ways, resulting in physical problems such as losing consciousness, experiencing seizures, headaches, dizziness or vomiting. Sensory issues associated with TBI include increased or decreased sensitivity to light, sound or touch. Behavioral changes include increased feelings of anger, anxiety and depression. Cognitive problems include difficulties with memory, attention and problem solving. Speech, language and communication difficulties are often present with TBI. Speech may be difficult to understand due to dysarthria, which refers to muscle weakness, and/or apraxia, which refers to difficulty with motor planning, necessary to coordinate the muscles to correctly produce speech. Furthermore, individuals with TBI may have difficulty understanding and using language as they once did. Social communication issues can include difficulty understanding nonliteral language, such as jokes, idiomatic expressions or nonverbal cues. Individuals with TBI are often referred to as “inappropriate” due to difficulty with social communication. Additionally, dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) can accompany TBI. Speech-language pathologists will address many of these speech, language, communication, cognitive and swallowing concerns.