Characteristics of Speech Impairments

1. A C O M M U N I C A T I O N D I S O R D E R I S A N
I M P A I R M E N T I N T H E A B I L I T Y T O R E C E I V E ,
S E N D , P R O C E S S , A N D C O M P R E H E N D
C O N C E P T S O F V E R B A L , N O N V E R B A L , A N D
G R A P H I C S Y M B O L S Y S T E M S .
A C O M M U N I C A T I O N D I S O R D E R M A Y B E
E V I D E N T I N T H E P R O C E S S O F H E A R I N G ,
L A N G U A G E , A N D O R S P E E C H .
- A M E R I C A N S P E E C H L A N G U A G E
A N D H E A R I N G A S S O C I A T I O N ( A S H A )
What is a Communication
Disorder?

2. What is a Speech Impairment?
 A Speech Impairment is abnormal speech that is
unintelligible (difficult to understand), is unpleasant,
or interferes with communication.

3. Forms of Speech Impairments
 Articulation: The abnormal production of speech
sounds.
 Voice: Abnormal spoken language production,
characterized by unusual pitch, loudness, or quality
of sounds.
 Fluency: Hesitations or repetitions of sounds or
words that interrupts a person’s flow of speech (i.e.,
stuttering).

4. Characteristics of Speech Impairments
 Makes consistent and age-inappropriate articulation
errors (e.g., says pish for fish or wabbit for rabbit).
 Exhibits dysfluencies (e.g., I I I want to to go home).
 Has poor voice quality (e.g., raspy or hoarse).
 Is excessively loud or soft.

5. What is a Language Impairment?
 A Language Impairment is the difficulty or inability
to master the various systems of rules in language,
which interferes with communication.

6. Forms of Language Impairments
 Receptive Language: The ability to understand or
comprehend language heard or read.
 Expressive Language: Being able to put thoughts into
words and sentences, in a way that makes sense and
is grammatically accurate.
 Pragmatics: Refers to the social language skills we
use in our daily interactions with others. This
includes what we say, how we say it, our body
language and whether it is appropriate to the given
situation.

7. Characteristics of Language Impairments
 Is unable to follow oral directions.
 Is unable to match letters with sounds.
 Cannot create rhymes.
 Cannot break words into syllables.
 Has inadequate vocabulary.
 Demonstrates poor concept formation.
 Does not understand nuances, nonverbal cues, or
humor.
 Has difficulties expressing personal needs.