Celebrate Better Hearing and Speech Month in May

Celebrate Better Hearing and Speech Month in May

by Courtenay M. News Speech and Hearing Disorders
Better Hearing & Speech Month

May is Better Hearing & Speech Month. Image courtesy of American Speech-Hearing-Language Association

Let’s celebrate Better Hearing and Speech month! We at Speech Buddies celebrate this month as an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about speech, hearing and communication disorders, and to explore treatment and speech therapy options. Ever since 1927, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has celebrated Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM) by providing opportunities that raise awareness about communication disorders and promote treatments that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems with speaking, understanding, or hearing.
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Understanding Speech Impediments in Children

Understanding Speech Impediments in Children

by Courtenay M. Articulation Disorders Language Development News Parents' Corner Pronunciation & Lisps Speech Disorders Speech Therapist Speech Therapy Techniques

How do you know if your child has a speech impediment? Speech impediments in children are more common than you might think. They are a type of communication disorder where “normal” speech is disrupted. The disruption can include a lisp, stuttering, stammering, mis-articulation of certain sounds and more. Another commonly used phrase for speech impediments in children is speech disorder. Often, the causes of a speech impediment are unknown. However, sometimes there are physical impairments such as cleft palate or neurological disorders such as traumatic brain injury that may be the cause of the speech impairment. We have listed below five of the most common types of speech impediments in children and a general description of each. Of course, if you suspect your child may have a speech impairment of any kind, we encourage you to visit your pediatrician or hire a Speech Therapist for more information.

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The Most Common Articulation Disorders

by Courtenay M. Articulation Disorders Language Development Parents' Corner Pronunciation & Lisps Speech Disorders Speech Errors Speech Therapist

 

What Are Some Common Articulation Disorders? Image Courtesy of Gillberg Centre.

What Are Some Common Articulation Disorders? Image Courtesy of Gillberg Centre.

Speech and language articulation is the process by which a person forms words. This is done with different parts of the mouth, jaw, tongue, lips, palate and teeth. A child is considered to have an articulation disorder is if he or she is unable to produce the right sounds to communicate clearly and effectively. Articulation disorders are generally characterized by substituting one sound for another (wide for ride), omitting a particular sound (ban for band) or distorting a sound (sip for ship). Young children often make speech errors, however if these continue past a certain age, they are considered articulation disorders. Children by the age of 8 should be able to produce all sounds in English correctly.

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Say What? Voice Disorders in Kids

by Chris O Language Development Speech Therapist Speech Therapy Techniques

How Parents, SLPs, and Voice Coaches can Help by Teaching Vocal Hygiene

Kids who yell are using poor vocal hygiene

Image Courtesy of thesecondset.com

Maybe you’ve told your kids to wash behind their ears, but have you ever considered their vocal hygiene? Maybe it is time to start, especially if you’re concerned they might have a voice disorder, or dysphonia. While they are some of the rarer forms of vocal and speech problems, voice disorders affect an estimated 1 million children in the United States. Most of these children develop voice disorders due to unhealthy communication practices, such as yelling and straining the vocal cords. While vocal hygiene plays a part in many voice disorders, there are other causes that need to be evaluated by healthcare professionals.

  • Laryngitis (the most common type, caused by what some might consider vocal abuse)
  • Vocal cord paralysis
  • Contact ulcers and sores
  • Tumors on the vocal cords, voice box, and within the air passages
  • Vocal fold nodules Continue reading →

Does Your Child Need Voice Therapy for Spasmodic Dysphonia?

by Jacky G. Speech Disorders
Unusual Noises from Car Cartoon

Image source: Memegenerator.net

Unless you don’t drive, unusual noises from your car are probably high up on your list of “Things You Don’t Want to Deal With.” Especially when they are the types of noises that only occur when you’re the one driving it and never when your mechanic checks it out. Just because a problem is intermittent doesn’t mean that you’re imagining it, and the same holds true for voice disorders like spasmodic dysphonia. If your child has spasmodic dysphonia, you may only notice irregular vocalizations occasionally. It’s always best to have a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) evaluate your child if you think there might be a problem. Voice therapy and other treatment methods can help your child if he has spasmodic dysphonia.

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