Today we will tell you about what speech defects are. In addition, you will learn how to get rid of such a pathological phenomenon, which specialist should be contacted if necessary.
General information
Speech defects are the incorrect pronunciation of sounds, which occurs as a result of a violation of certain functions of the speech apparatus. Such pathological conditions include lisping, stuttering, burr, etc.
As you know, human speech begins to develop especially intensively by 2-5 years of age. Until the age of 3, a child can correctly pronounce about 30-700 words, and by the age of 4 they can speak using complex sentences. At this time, the baby's vocabulary is approximately 1500 words.
How does speech develop?
The development of speech depends on external and internal factors. Usually children imitate their parents and almost completely adopt their manner of speaking. During the pronunciation of words or any sounds in a person, many different organs are involved, namely the centers of the brain, nerve pathways, respiratory muscles, muscles of the tongue and face.
Under normal adult speechand the child understands a clear and intelligible pronunciation of each letter. At the same time, a person’s conversation should be smooth and rhythmic. If the speech is slurred, illegible and incomprehensible, then they speak of its violation. Today, speech defects such as stuttering, inability to correctly pronounce individual letters, dumbness, etc. are distinguished.
Causes of occurrence
Speech defects in adults usually appear due to surgical operations and injuries to the main organs of speech (muscles of the larynx, vocal cords, tongue, palate, teeth and lips). Also, such a pathological condition can occur as a result of severe emotional upheavals (for example, divorce, loss of a loved one, etc.).
In addition to all these reasons, speech defects often develop due to upper lip cleft, congenital anomalies, malocclusion, special structure of the jaws, tongue, teeth and lips, deafness, and muscle diseases.
It should also be noted that with sparse or crooked teeth, people may not pronounce consonants correctly. Sudden loss of intelligible speech is very often observed in lesions and diseases of the brain.
Main species
Depending on the symptoms, speech defects in adults and children are divided into several types. To determine what pathological condition you have, you should definitely contact a specialist. The latter is obliged not only to determine the type of defect, but also to identify the cause of its occurrence, as well as prescribe treatment or special procedures (exercises).
Soconsider the main speech defects in more detail.
Aphonia or dysphonia
This anomaly occurs due to pathological changes in the speech apparatus. As a rule, such people have a noticeable violation of phonation. In other words, they mispronounce sounds.
Tahilalia
This is a special form of speech impairment, which is expressed in a very fast pace of speaking. This feature has no phonetic, grammatical or lexical deviations.
Bradilalia
Such a defect is accompanied by slow speech. In other words, it is very difficult for a person to make dissected sounds. It should also be noted that there is such a similar deviation as bradyphrasia. People with this diagnosis speak very slowly. As a rule, this is due to the weakening of the thinking process. Both of these pathological cases are the result of a local disease of the brain.
Stuttering
Such a speech disorder occurs due to the convulsive state of the muscles of the speech apparatus and is accompanied by frequent repetition of sounds or words, stops in conversation, indecision, inconsistency in tempo, rhythm and smoothness.
Dyslalia
These are phonetic defects (violation of sound pronunciation) that are observed in a person with correctly constructed speech and normal hearing.
Rhinolalia
This is a defect in the sound pronunciation and timbre of the voice, which occurs due to anatomicalviolations of the human speech apparatus.
Dysarthria
Such a defect occurs due to insufficient innervation of the speech apparatus. As a rule, it is formed as a result of lesions of the subcortical and posterior frontal regions of the brain. With such a deviation, the mobility of the organs of speech (tongue, soft palate, lips) is limited. As a result, articulation is difficult. In adults, dysarthria is not combined with the disintegration of the speech system. In childhood, such a defect can lead to a violation of reading, pronunciation of words and writing, as well as to a general underdevelopment of speech.
Alalia
This is the underdevelopment of speech or its complete absence with normal hearing and intelligence. The cause of such a defect in children may be damage to the cerebral hemispheres during childbirth, as well as brain diseases or injuries that were suffered by the baby in the pre-verbal period of life.
Aphasia
This is a violation of already formed speech. Such a defect occurs when the speech sections of the cerebral cortex are damaged, as well as as a result of strokes, injuries, inflammatory processes, tumors and some mental illnesses.
Who should I contact for help?
Now you know what a speech impediment is. It should be noted that it is extremely important to identify this problem in a timely manner. If you suspect such a pathological phenomenon in yourself or your loved one, you should immediately contact a specialist (defectologist, speech therapist, otolaryngologist, dentist, neurologist, orthodontist). After all, only an experienced doctor will be able to determine the presence of a deviation and try to correct it.
How to get rid of speech defects?
Speech defects in children and adults are corrected on an individual basis. First you need to identify the cause of such a deviation, and only then make every effort to eliminate it.
If a speech disorder is found in a child, then parents need to stock up on great patience. After all, a successful result depends primarily on the regularity of classes, diligence and perseverance of the patient.
It should be noted that due to the huge number of speech defects and their causes, there are many methods for treating such deviations. If, after curing the underlying disease, the patient does not get better, then specialists can apply respiratory or speech therapy. By the way, the latter is often prescribed after a stroke, injury or surgery.
Correction of speech defects in adults and children can take from several weeks to several months and even years.
Psychological factor
A person with such disabilities should not avoid the people around them. The fear of not being understood is very often unfounded. Such people, on the contrary, should communicate more often and regularly improve their speech. A patient who isolates himself from society may begin to suffer from severe mental illness.
Of course, speech impairment is not life threatening. However, such a pathological condition can directly affect a person's daily life. Due to the strongworries about having a defect in people, depression develops quite quickly or some other diseases arise. Therefore, speech impairment must be treated.
