Speech/Language/Hearing Connie C. Boomsma Email me

 Speech and Language Impairment is the second most common disability in school-aged children.  Many students  are diagnosed with communication deficits that range from mild to severe.
    A person with a speech disorder has difficulty with the physical action of producing words.  Indicators may include voice tone or quality differences and problems with articulation or fluency.  The voice tone may be too loud or too soft and the pitch may be too high or too low.  Articulation problems refer to the mispronouncing of words by substituting sounds ("wabbit" for "rabbit") or omitting sounds ("ca" for "car").  The most common dysfluency seen in children is stuttering.
    A language disorder is a problem in understanding or producing meaningful conversation. It involves difficulty with following rules of grammar, understanding or using words in correct context, and choosing appropriate language for different situations.  Examples would be difficulty with rhyming words, singular-plural nouns, present-past tense, slow rate of vocabulary acquisition, understanding or saying new words,  difficulty understanding oral directions or abstract ideas, or problems having a two-way conversation with peers.
                                  

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