Introduction
Speech development disorders are common problems or difficulties people have when communicating. They are grouped into two broad types namely: Congenital and acquired. Congenital disorders normally are present from birth meaning that a child is born with it. In most cases, mothers who have problems during the delivery process do have children suffering from speech disorders. On the other hand, acquired disorders are got during the stages of development of an individual. Acquired language impairment can be a result of stroke, head injury, or illness. The brain normally does speech development. It is the brain that decides what message to be passed, how to send it by sending a series of signals to the speech muscles telling them what to do. After the muscles have received the signals from the brain then they will act in a coordinated pattern to produce the intended sounds. During this process, many things can go wrong. For example, there can be problems of articulation, the production of speech sound. Speech therapy, therefore, is very important simply because if proper intervention measures are not taken then those affected will continue making speech errors even up to the time, they become adults.
Background Information
The development of language disorder is a common problem affecting most children in our society. As I write this paper I have full experience on the causes and types of language disorders that most people especially children suffer from. Currently, I study special education in schools where those with hearing impairment and language difficulties are helped. However, I will not talk about the education Assessment criteria for placing these people. There are two major types of hearing impairment. We have the permanent and the partial. The cause of these will be briefly mentioned below. In our family, my younger sister has a language problem so she will serve as my client for this discussion to strengthen my argument using the practical example. I will emphasize the languages or speech problems in children especially those in primary school and below. The age is probably two years to five years.
In the country, pupils and students with special needs are either placed in separate schools called special schools or are placed in a general school where there is a specially trained teacher called the peripatetic teacher to deal with them. The mode of placement will depend on the severity of the problem (Yonata and Schaeffer, 2003). If I may take for example my sister Linda who has a partial language expressive problem and aphasia, the result from the assessment center suggested that Linda was to be placed in a general school where those who are normal and speech problems are placed. One advantage of this placement option is that students or pupils normally get all the materials they need at the right time. In special schools also there is no teasing of one another, which is very common in the general schools. Those placed in general schools are normally teased, discriminated but the government through the ministry of education is trying hard to promote the integration of those with special needs with those normal. Even at homes where we come from, some children are seriously struggling to develop language.
Assessment
The diagnosis that I learned was that children who do not develop language skills are either the language was delayed or had the disorder. What can be said is that there are several causes of language delays and disorders in children that may include hearing impairment, autism, and physical handicap (Robert, Scott and Gary, 1986).
All these problems deny the child that opportunity from interacting with their environment. At times my sister who is three years old now could struggle to bring up some sounds but nothing could be heard.
Most of the causes of language problems are a result of brain damage. Language impairment is caused by some damages to the part of the brain that is responsible for language function. According to the findings for EARS, damage to the brain occurs when a person is subjected to stroke, tumor, or head injury (Alison, 2003). Accidents can also cause language impairment of the brain affected will determine the degree of the problem in language and speech. Scientists believe that it is the left hemisphere of the brain that does control language development in children. The doctor can be the key contributor to all these problems during he is carrying out an operation to a mother having complications when giving birth. The use of drugs by the mother that is not recommended during pregnancy can also cause these disorders in children. This is why pregnant mothers are advised not to drink alcohol and smoke. Just for instance any damage to the Broca’s area, which is found in the left frontal lobe of the left hemisphere, will result in Broca’s aphasia characterized by difficulty in producing language (Knezevic, 1988).
Language or speech impairment in individuals is very different just the way genes are different in all human beings; the same applies to language problems. It will be very rare to find exactly three or four people having the same ability to understand language. People have differences in brain function, differences in location, and even the nature of the damage. All these differences will lead to a different degree of impairment that is unique to an individual. During parent’s day, I do visit the school where my sister is placed and have critically studied the differences and uniqueness in them. Some of them have word findings difficulties normally referred to as anomia (Bounfour, 2003). These children will struggle to find out the exact word whereby in the long run they end up using an incorrect word or a word that does not even exist in the dictionary. Pupils that use incorrect words or unrecognizable words in place of the correct one normally perform poorly and in classwork. Their grammar is always poor and in most cases, there is no flow of the essay they are trying to develop. Other children that have been closely observed are those having problems with word reputation. During the conversation, they get stuck on the way and end up repeating the same word.
Children with Aphasia normally have problems with word findings, repetition of words, and low vocabulary. These people can seriously be discouraged in our society if not encouraged. Accidents normally happen and no one can predict the occurrence of an accident.
System Design
At least the world has changed, unlike the olden days where children with special needs could be neglected and dumped in the bush. Today parents and society are being encouraged to help these children grow positively by interacting with them. When speaking with a person who has aphasia to ensure that there is a minimum distraction during the conversation, it is advisable to speak slowly and clearly (Ruth and Jeffrey, 1995). These children are part of us and should be accepted both at school and at home. Teachers and parents should help these children comprehend most of their words by using short and simple sentences when trying to communicate. At times training is very necessary where gestures can be used accompanied by speech. Alternatively, sign language can be used for those with severe difficulties with speech development. Children suffering from aphasia can also be helped by allowing them more time to respond. Teachers, parents, and probably relatives are encouraged to ask very short and simple questions that can be answered easily with either yes or single.
Not all children with speech difficulties are suffering from aphasia. The case of my sister Linda is very funny. The family doctor said that the problem she has was also a result of delayed language development.
According to the assessment that was done in one of the assessment centers when we were looking for the best placement option, it was found out that inclusion in the general school was the best option. One of the characteristics of children with delayed language is a problem with expression. Just with the case of my client, Linda took two good years before she developed speech. By this time she was two and a half years old. Children with language difficulties of impairment join school very late. They have difficulty in understanding language because of limited vocabulary (Hollander, 2003).
In most cases, they may not understand the meaning of word endings for instance that adding ‘s’ to a noun plural means possession or ‘ed’ to a verb shows that the action is a past thing. My sister usually uses few words when constructing sentences (Skutnabb, 2000).
Training follow up
Speech therapists have come up with prevention measures and approaches that may be used to assist those with speech difficulties. Families have to be on the central part in ensuring that their children are helped (Ruth and Jeffrey, 1995). They have to create a good learning environment for easy learning of the language. Various assessment centers for example the Hanen center in Toronto was formed to provide programs for helping families of children with language difficulties. These programs include training on how they can communicate effectively with their children. Parents must just use fluent language free from jargon when communicating with their children. The statements made should be short, clear, and simple for children to understand the message being passed. At times our children may keep quiet thinking that they have nothing to say but in the real sense you will realize that they have a lot but they lack that chance.
The speech-language therapists should therefore work with the parents to carry assessments, diagnosis, treatment, and helping to prevent speech-language disorders or difficulties. They normally keep the records on the initial evaluation, progress, and discharge of clients (Knezevic,1988). They also provide education and counseling services to individuals, families, co-workers, teachers, and any other person who may be interested in deciding communication.
References
Yonata, L and Schaeffer, J. (2003). Language competence across populations; Towards a Definition of specific language impairment. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Skutnabb, T.K (2002). Linguistic Genocide in Education or Wild wide Diversity and Human Rights? New York; Lawrence Erbaum Associates.
Ruth F.C and Jeffrey, A.C (1995). Parent’s Guide to special needs Schooling. London: Auburn House.
Bounfour, A. (2003).The management of Intangibles: The organization’s most Valuable Assets London: Routledge.
Alison, M. etal (2003). Listening Comprehension and working Memory. Are Impaired in Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Irrespective of language impairment, Abnormal Child Psychology, Vol 31.
Kinezevic, S. (1988). Handbook of Regional Cerebral Blood flow. New York: Lawrence Associates.
Hollander, E. (2003). Autism Spectrum Disorders. London: Marcel Decker.
Robert H.C Scott, M & Gary W.S (1986). Inside Doctoring stages and outcomes in the Professional Development of Physicians. London: Praeger publishers.