1. What is "a communication disorder"?

Professionals talk about communication disorder when one or more areas of communication are affected. These areas include (Lechta, 2012):

  • ability to make words or sentences;
  • using proper vocabulary and comprehension of individual words;
  • pronunciation and phonetic aspect speech;
  • effective use of speech in social contact.

It means that speech disorders are just a part (although one of the most important parts) of a wider field of communication disorders (those can affect not only spoken language, but all kinds of human communication).

Sometimes also language disorders are considered distinct from speech disorders (even though they are often used synonymously). Speech disorders refer to problems in producing the sounds of speech or with the quality of voice, where language disorders are usually an impairment of either understanding words or being able to use words and do not have to do with speech production.

We must not confused communication disorders with a phenomenon of physiological speech deficiencies linked to the developmental stages, etc.

Possible causes od communication disorders

Speech disorders could be caused by brain damag -specifically in the speech centres - or by damage to speech organs. Speech organs consist of

  • breathing organs,
  • vocal cords, and
  • articulators (these include lips, teeth, hard palate, soft palate, and various parts of the tongue).

However, speech could also be affected by mental issues or other serious disabilities (e.g. hearing impairment, autism spectrum disorder, or intellectual disability).

Catogories of speech disorders

Speech disordres may be sorted according to different features, e.g.:

  • receptive disorders
  • expressive disorders

or

  • total disorders
  • partial disorders

or

  • symbolic disorders
  • non-symbolic disorders

or

  • organic disorders
  • functional disorders

etc.

Look at the simple overview of classification of speech disorders published online: