Speech or Language Impairments

Definition
"Speech or language impairment means a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”-IDEA


Types of speech and language impairments include: 

-Apraxia of Speech—Difficulty sequencing and executing speech  
movements.
-Nonverbal Learning Disorder—This is a neurological condition thought to result
from damage to the right hemisphere of the brain. There are three categories of this
disorder: motor, visual-spatial-organizational, and social. The social category pertains to
speech and language disorders as one symptom of this type is difficulty comprehending
nonverbal communication.

-Hyperlexia—This condition includes the ability to read far above the normal reading 

level for a person’s age, significant difficulty understanding and using verbal language,
and difficulty in reciprocal interactions.

-Auditory Processing Disorder—This is a disorder that 

affects how sound is processed and interpreted.
-Stuttering—This is a disorder that may cause a person
to repeat syllables when saying a word. This can be
accompanied by eye rolling, blinking, and head jerks.
Stuttering is influenced by psychological factors but is not
an emotional or nervous disorder.
-Speech and Language Delay—A child is considered to
have a speech and/or a language delay when he or she
is following the normal path of speech and/or language
development but at a slower rate. While it can be related
to cognitive development, this is not always the case.
-Perceptive-Expressive Language Disorder—This is an
impairment in both receptive and expressive language
development.
-Pervasive Developmental Disorders—These disorders,
such as autism, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative
Disorder, and Asperger’s Syndrome can be the cause of
speech and language disorders.
-Pragmatic Language Disorder—Individuals with this
disorder have difficulty using language to effectively
communicate with others.
-Phonological Disorder—Difficulty using expected
speech sounds appropriate to one’s age and dialect is
characteristic of this disorder.*

Causes
Not all causes of speech or language impairments are known. Here are some of the known causes: hearing loss, neurological disorders, brain injury, mental retardation, drug abuse, physical impairments, vocal abuse or misuse, and autism.*

Incidence
Over one million students in public schools are identified as having a speech or language impairment. About 1 in 10 people in the US have a communication disorder. 

Resources
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/
http://nichcy.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/fs11.pdf
***http://www.projectidealonline.org/speechLanguageImpairments.php
*http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/wyo4h/inclusive/speech.pdf
**http://www.speechlanguage-resources.com/effective-classroom-strategies.html
http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/speech_therapy.html#

Teaching Strategies

• Child with Language Impairment Sits at the Front
• 
  

  Separate the child with Language Impairment from Potentially Disruptive Children
• 
  

  
  

  Allow Extra Time to Complete Work
• 
  

  
  

  
  

  Diary or Whiteboard Routine**

The general education teacher should work with the speech-language pathologist to incorporate strategies to help the student generalize strategies mastered in speech therapy. This may include corrective measures, helping with speech and language exercises, and providing the student with immediate feedback when the speech-language pathologist is not present. The general education and special education teacher should both collaborate with the speech-language pathologist for interventions and teaching strategies.***