Speech impairments are widely varied and typically manifest in childhood. While correcting a speech disorder is generally dependent on identifying the cause of the disorder, several common treatments have been identified. Speech therapy, chiropractic care and even nutritional supplements are all effective treatments for speech issues.
What is a Speech Impairment?
“Speech impairment” is a term used to refer to a variety of conditions in which an individual has difficulty creating or forming the sounds necessary to communicate with other individuals. The most common speech impairments can be categorized into three groups: articulation disorders, disfluency and voice disorders.
Speech is one of the main modes of communication between people and typically develops naturally and in conjunction with other conditions of normal growth and development. When the normal pattern of development is disrupted, however, a disorder may occur. Disfluency is an impairment in which a person repeats a sound, word or phrase. Articulation disorders have no definitive cause but may occur as a result of genetics, mouth anatomy or damage to the brain or nerves. Voice disorders are caused by issues including acid reflux, cancer, cleft palate, nerve damage and others.
Symptoms of speech disorders vary greatly. Nonetheless, repetition of sounds and words, pausing during speaking, distorted sounds, errors in word formation, hoarseness, pitch issues and volume problems are all common manifestation of speech disorders.
Remedies for Common Speech Disorders
Treating speech disorders typically requires the identification of the cause of the condition. Nonetheless, many impairments respond well to common treatments including speech therapy, chiropractic treatment and nutritional supplements.
Speech therapy focuses on reteaching an individual how to formulate words and create sounds. Chiropractic care aids in realignment of the head and neck as well as the jaw to restore effective communication. Additionally, lithium, vitamin C and other supplements work to treat and reverse brain and neural damage that may be contributing to the condition.
Speech impairments range in severity from mild to quite severe. Depending on the severity of the condition, individuals may experience great difficulty communicating and may find regular interactions embarrassing. Effective treatments can remedy the problem and help an individual regain effective communication practices.
