Language is how we connect with one another. It is how we can be able to express our identity, thoughts, and feelings. For some of us, it can be hard to truly convey this as we may have difficulty in using our voice. Speech Pathology in Adelaide is a great avenue for those looking to improve their speaking impediments. Whether you have trouble with fluency, speaking, or even swallowing, we have trained therapists in speech pathology in who can help with your particular circumstance. They can diagnose and form a treatment plan over a few sessions in order to help enhance your quality of life. If you’re unsure if you or your little one needs speech pathology in Adelaide here are the seven tell-tale signs that you might require some assistance.
Types of Speech Disorders
Apraxia of Speech (AOS)
AOS happens when the neural pathway between the brain and a person’s speaking ability is lost or obscured requiredtreatment from peech pathology in Adelaide. The person may know what they want to say – they can even write what they want to say on paper – however, the brain is unable to send the correct messages so that the speaking muscles can articulate what they want to say, even though the muscles themselves work just fine.
Stuttering
Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a very common fluency disorder we treat at our Speech pathology in Adelaide. Stuttering only becomes a problem when it has an adverse impact on an individual’s daily activities.
Dysarthria
Dysarthria is caused by muscle damage, or nerve damage to the muscles involved in the process of speaking such as the diaphragm, lips, tongue, and vocal chords. It manifests itself as slurred and slow speaking, limited tongue, jaw, or lip movement, abnormal rhythm, and pitch when speaking, changes in voice quality, difficulty articulating, laboured communication, and other related symptoms. Because it is a symptom of nerve and/or muscle damage it can be caused by a wide range of phenomena that affect people of all ages whom we treat at our speech pathology in Adelaide. This can start during development in the womb or shortly after birth as a result of conditions like muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy. In adults, some of the most common causes of dysarthria are stroke, tumours, and MS. At our speech pathology in Adelaide, we can provide a proper diagnosis and treatment plan for Dysarthria.
Lisping
Speech pathology experts in Adelaide provide an extra level of expertise when treating patients with a lisp (also classified as functional language disorders). They can make sure that a lisp is not being confused with another type of disorder such as apraxia, aphasia, impaired development of expressive language, or an impediment caused by hearing loss.
A certified therapist from our speech pathology in Adelaide is also important in distinguishing between the five different types of lisps. Most laypersons can usually pick out the most common type, the interdental lisp. This is when a speaker makes a “th” sound when trying to make the “s” sound. It is caused by the tongue reaching past or touching the front teeth. Because lisps are functional speaking disorders, our speech pathology in Adelaide can play a huge role in correcting these with results often being a complete elimination of the lisp. Treatment is particularly effective when implemented early, although adults can also benefit.
Muteness – Selective Mutism
There are different kinds of mutism, and here at our speech pathology in Adelaide we are talking about selective mutism. This used to be called elective mutism to emphasize its difference from disorders that caused mutism through damage to, or irregularities in, the speaking process. Selective mutism is when a person does not speak in some or most situations, however that person is physically capable of speaking. It most often occurs in children and is commonly exemplified by a child speaking at home but not at school. Selective mutism is related to psychology. It appears in children who are very shy, who have an anxiety disorder, or who are going through a period of social withdrawal or isolation. These psychological factors have their own origins and should be dealt with through counselling or another type of psychological intervention which we can recommend at our speech pathology in Adelaide.
Aphasia
Aphasia is a communication disorder caused by damage to the brain’s language capabilities. Aphasia differs from AOS and dysarthria in that it solely pertains to the brain’s communication and language centre. As such anyone can suffer from aphasia because brain damage can be caused by several factors. However, our speech pathology in Adelaide are most likely to encounter aphasia in adults, especially those who have had a stroke. Other common causes of aphasia are brain tumour’s, traumatic brain injuries, and degenerative brain diseases.
Language Delay
A language delay refers to the phenomenon when a child is finding it difficult to understand and/or use age-appropriate language. For example, a child 2 years of age should be using 2-word phrases. There can be a number of factors causing this to happen, and that’s why it’s critical for our speech pathology in Adelaide to be involved. The are many potential reasons why a child would not be using age-appropriate communication. These can range anywhere from the child being a “late bloomer” – the child just takes a bit longer than average to speak – to the child having brain damage. It is the role of a therapist to go through a process of elimination, evaluating each possibility that could cause a language delay, until an explanation is found.
Speech Delay
A speech delay refers to the phenomenon when a child is finding it difficult to use age-appropriate sounds. Children experiencing delays can be difficult to understand as the pronunciation clarity can be significantly reduced due to errors. This can lead to literacy difficulties – difficulties with reading and writing – if it’s left untreated and persists. Our speech pathologists in Adelaide is highly trained in the treatment of these delays and/or disorders.
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