Speech and language are often confused, but there is a distinction between the two:
· Speech is the verbal expression of language and includes articulation, which is the way sounds and words are formed.
· Language is much broader and refers to the entire system of expressing and receiving information in a way that’s meaningful. Its understanding and being understood through communication which could be verbal, non-verbal or written.
Speech delays and disorders could include stuttering, cluttering or articulation difficulties. These difficulties do not necessarily mean the child has limited understanding but it does mean they cannot easily put things into spoken words for various reasons relating to their disorder.
In all cases it is important to remember it could simply be a phase in the child’s development and they will grow out of it. In the case of articulation difficulties it is very common for young children to pronounce words wrongly but very important that they are corrected. It is fair to say this can be viewed as “cute” or “funny” when the child is young and it could be encouraged by families, but it could be caused by a physical disability such as a cleft palate, oral malformation or hearing loss. Hopefully physical impairments such as these would be picked up by the child’s Health Visitor but we must remember some parents are more reliable at keeping appointments than others and to play devil’s advocate, some Health Visitors are better than others! Some parents may try to sweep problems under the carpet in the hope things will improve with time and may not want to admit their much cherished child is less than perfect. If a hearing loss is not picked up early enough it could have a very negative impact on the child’s development and they will struggle to learn and communicate.
In the case of stuttering, if the problem is still there at the age of 5 it is highly probable that the child will need some support and possibly speech and language therapy and the stutter will be an on-going problem. Therapy may help but there is no actual “cure” for a stutter or for cluttering. Early identification is very important as a child who cannot communicate properly could become withdrawn and lack confidence, therefore impacting on their self-esteem. They may be self-conscious so not contribute to group discussion or work and it is highly likely they would be the subject of teasing and bullying which would only exacerbate the problem. This would hinder their learning and impact on their emotional and social development.
The difficulties with early identification is that many of the traits of the disorders are very similar to the normal phases a child goes through whilst developing their speech and language so problems may not be picked up or thought a concern until the child starts nursery or school. In the case of hearing difficulties this could be way too late for the child as they miss crucial learning windows.
Language and communication could be affected by many many factors some personal and some external as mentioned in my previous assignment. Autistic children will almost always have a speech and language delay and may use little or no spoken words at all. They also will find other forms of communication difficult, such as eye contact and reading body language. Usually autistic children with more severe difficulties are diagnosed and earlier with support put in place. Children with mild difficulties may not be identified quite so easily and therefore may be seen as simply disruptive, naughty children who are punished for their behaviours. Autism also affects social relationships with peers as the child finds it difficult to react appropriately in social situations or show empathy for others. It is therefore vitally important to recognise and support autistic children as early as possible but this is not always easy and depends on the severity of their disability.
Children’s speech, language and communication could be affected by anxiety disorders such as Selective Mutism, extreme shyness or social anxiety. In the case of selective mutism the child may speak freely at home and the problem may only arise once they begin school. Therefore it would be impossible to predict the problem and put any interventions in place until the child is already in the learning environment. The child will be capable of speech and have understanding but will be unable to communicate vocally in certain situations. The disorder may be wrongly confused with shyness or rudeness and would undoubtedly hinder friendships and social development and the anxiety they experience would impact on their emotional wellbeing.
Bilingual children sometimes experience a delay in speech and language development purely because they are processing two different languages at the same time. The child would hopefully be easily identified and appropriate support put in place. Their understanding of language is often fine and the problem is when they come to vocalise it themselves. I personally understand a lot of the French language if it is spoken to me but would struggle to put as much of the language in to a two way conversation.
Trauma or abuse can also affect development. In my last role of Social work Assistant I observed that many neglected children had speech and language delay of varying severity. We have already looked at the impact neglect has on a child’s development in the previous assignment. If a child is ignored and not spoken to they will be unable to develop their speech and language and be unaware of how to communicate effectively. This again should primarily be picked up by the child’s Health Visitor but as I said before, these parents are less likely to keep appointments. School may therefore be the first place any problems are picked up. The child will more often than not have global development delays so the need to identify problems and begin support networks is invaluable to the child. It not only affects how they develop through childhood but will have an impact on them into adulthood. Early identification and intervention can open up more opportunities for the adult if the groundwork is done whilst the child is developing.
So to summarise, with all delays and disorders it is obviously ideal to identify and act as early as possible because it has such huge implications other areas of their lives such as their social and emotional development. The problems that can obstruct early diagnosis and interventions are inability and unwillingness to acknowledge the problem, lack of resources in a school and maybe not knowing what intervention to put in place.
R Frankham
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