Speech disorders

Speech disorders, Speech impairment and Speech disorders can occur both congenitally and through disadvantaged and underdeveloped language development in children. Typical language disorders for this are stuttering, lisp and stammering. But even accidents and illnesses can lead to a regression of language and speaking in the course of life. Typical diseases that have speech disorders as a symptom are stroke and dementia. Speech disorders of this kind are also called aphasia.

What are speech disorders?

The earlier the therapy for language disorders and language development disorders begins, the more successful it is and the faster the therapy can bear fruit.

A language disorder is an impairment of the communicative use of language. On the one hand, there may be a partial or complete loss of language after completing the language acquisition, in which words cannot be understood or cannot be formed (sensory or motor aphasia). This also includes word-finding disorders and disorders of language production or language understanding (amnestic and global aphasia) as well as special forms. Please note that this is not an indication of an intellectual disability.

On the other hand, language disorders can arise even before language development has developed. In Kanner-type autism - a profound developmental and language disorder that usually develops before the age of 3 - there are usually severe contact disorders and intellectual disabilities, combined with aggressiveness and self-mutilation, in addition to the language disorder.

Another form is Asperger's Syndrome - a form of autism that can also occur in adulthood. There is also an age-appropriate language training, which is known as a language development disorder. This can be divided into dyslalia (stammering due to disruption of the use of sounds), dysgrammatism (inability to structure sentences correctly grammatically) and language comprehension disorders.

Finally, there is the deaf mute, an inability to hear and to be able to express oneself verbally. Speech disorders are to be distinguished from voice disorders or dyslexia.

causes

A speech disorder can be caused by delayed speech development, centrally by early childhood brain damage, damage to the language region or deafness.

The speech development disorder can be caused by hearing or visual disorders, defects of the speech apparatus and birth trauma or by genetic, sociocultural, environmental and psychological or spiritual factors. The causes of autism are not yet clearly explained. Infections during pregnancy, genetic or hereditary factors, other underlying diseases as well as brain damage and altered functions in the brain probably play a role.

Aphasia is a central language disorder that can result from damage to the language region after a stroke, from insufficient blood supply to the brain, cranial brain trauma, brain tumors, brain atrophy or encephalopathies. Depending on the severity and localization, language-dependent skills such as reading, writing and / or arithmetic can also be impaired.

The most common are motor (Broca aphasia) or sensory aphasia (Wernicke aphasia). The most common cause of aphasia in children is traumatic brain injury as a result of a traffic, sports, or gaming accident. Deaf-dumbness is the result of congenital or acquired deafness, whereby the speech apparatus is preserved.

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Diseases with this symptom

• concussion
• stutter
• lisp
• Asperger syndrome

• Hepatic encephalopathy
• Brain atrophy
• stroke
• Encephalitis

• Subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy
• Brain tumor
• dementia
• autism

Complications

As a rule, language disorders do not lead to special medical complications that could be life-threatening or hazardous to health for the patient. In many cases, speech disorders can also be treated, but the success depends heavily on the severity of the disorder and the patient himself. The treatment takes place both psychologically and with language training.

Often events from the past or certain experiences are the reason for the speech disorders. It is not uncommon for depression or social exclusion to occur due to language disorders. This problem is particularly common in children. Conversations with psychologists or other people who also suffer from speech disorders can help here.

If the speech disorders appear from birth, in most cases no treatment is possible that promises complete success. No complications can arise during treatment. This means that with treatment, the speech disorders cannot get worse, they can only get better.

Treatment with medication usually does not take place. People who are depressed because of speech disorders can be treated with medication or with a psychologist.

When should you go to the doctor?

A doctor does not always have to be consulted with speech disorders. In many cases, language disorders occur mainly in children who grow up multilingual and are a common symptom. Parents in particular must take the initiative and encourage all languages ​​to avoid language disorders. In the case of congenital language disorders, a doctor can be consulted. As a rule, many speech disorders can be treated with speech therapy exercises. However, there is no promise of success with this treatment.

If the speech disorders occur after a traumatic event, a visit to the doctor is also necessary. First and foremost, a psychologist can also be consulted to find the cause of the disorder. In many cases, it is not the speech disorders themselves that have to be treated, but the causes. In many cases this leads to a positive course of the disease.

Often those affected feel intimidated and cannot actively participate in social life due to the speech impairment. In these cases, too, a visit to a doctor is necessary.

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Treatment & prevention

The earlier the therapy for language disorders and language development disorders begins, the more successful it is and the faster the therapy can bear fruit. Speech therapy and speech therapy should take into account the individual cause. Changes in socio-cultural and environmental or psychologically caused language development disorders have a preventive effect. These can be reduced by avoiding stimuli, increasing family support or stimulation from outside.

The difficult treatment of Kanner's autism is based on promoting communicative behavior and social integration. There are hardly any preventive measures. Speech therapy is also indicated for aphasia. It should start as early as possible and differ depending on the type of aphasia. The individual therapies at the beginning are then later expanded to include group therapies to improve everyday communication.

One cannot protect oneself directly against aphasia, but the cardiovascular risk factors that promote arteriosclerosis can be reduced - for example, stopping nicotine consumption. The treatment of deaf dumbness is promising. If deafness can be eliminated with hearing aids, targeted language training can be carried out.

Outlook & forecast

The further course of language disorders depends very much on their cause and can therefore not always be predicted. If the speech disorders are present from an early age, treatment usually does not lead to a complete elimination, so that the patient has to live with remnants of the speech disorders. These can lead to reduced self-esteem and thus to psychological problems.

Language disorders are a major problem, especially with children, as they often result in bullying and social exclusion. Language disorders also often occur in children who grow up bilingually. They are a common symptom and can be treated well with speech exercises.

In general, language exercises and singing exercises help against language disorders and can prevent them. If the speech disorders arise due to a psychological problem, they must be treated by a psychologist. The success of this treatment depends on the cause itself and on the patient's own will. In children, speech disorders often arise after a bad experience. In this case, a psychologist should also be consulted.

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You can do that yourself

Self-help is not always possible with speech disorders. This is especially true for congenital language disorders, which can only be treated to a limited extent. If the speech disorders occur in people who grow up bilingual, this is a common symptom. In this case, it helps to train and practice both languages ​​regularly. This includes not only speaking, but also reading and listening.

Speech disorders are mainly treated through exercise. The patient can read books aloud at home himself. Since no one is listening in their own home, the patient does not have to be embarrassed if speech disorders occur. Singing helps just as well. Either songs or poems can be used for this. Singing can help reduce speech disorders. It is advisable to consult a speech therapist. In a speech therapy treatment, sufficient exercises for at home can be discussed and explained.

In addition to the exercise itself, psychological support is necessary. Conversations with friends, family or partner help here. The person affected must be aware that the speech disorders are not a reason to be ashamed.A self-confident appearance is also possible with speech disorders. Stressful situations are to be avoided as these promote the disturbance.