Speech and Communication Disorders
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Summary
Many disorders can affect our ability to speak and communicate. They range from saying sounds incorrectly to being completely unable to speak or understand speech. Causes include
- Hearing disorders and deafness
- Voice problems, such as dysphonia or those caused by cleft lip or palate
- Speech problems like stuttering
- Developmental disabilities
- Learning disabilities
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Brain injury
- Stroke
Some speech and communication problems may be genetic. Often, no one knows the causes. By first grade, about 5 percent of children have noticeable speech disorders. Speech and language therapy can help.
NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- Speech and Language Impairments (Center for Parent Information and Resources) Also in Spanish
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What Is Voice? What Is Speech? What Is Language?
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Living With
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Assistive Devices for People with Hearing, Voice, Speech, or Language Disorders
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Related Issues
- Speech-to-Speech Relay Service (Federal Communications Commission) - PDF
- Telecommunications Relay Service (Federal Communications Commission) - PDF
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Telecommunications Relay Services
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Specifics
- Aphasia vs. Apraxia (American Stroke Association)
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Apraxia of Speech
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: 22q13.3 deletion syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: 47,XYY syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: epilepsy-aphasia spectrum
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: PURA syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: triple X syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
Statistics and Research
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Quick Statistics about Voice, Speech, and Language
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Communication Disorders
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Language Disorders
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Speech Disorders
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
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NIDCD Glossary
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Find an Expert
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Directory of Organizations (Deafness and Communication Disorders)
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
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National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Teenagers
- Speech Problems (Nemours Foundation)
Seniors
- Eldercare at Home: Communication Problems (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
Patient Handouts
- Apraxia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Dysarthria (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Phonological disorder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Selective mutism (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Speech impairment (adult) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish