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HAPPY PLACE SPEECH SERVICES Inc.

What is the difference between speech and language?

Great question! Several factors impact speech and language development such as language exposure, family history, medical history and hearing. However, The American Association of Speech Language and Hearing (ASHA) defines a speech deficit as "as an impairment of the articulation of speech sounds, fluency and/or voice. An articulation disorder is the atypical production of speech sounds characterized by substitutions, omissions, additions or distortions that may interfere with intelligibility."

ASHA defines a language deficit as " impaired comprehension and/or use of spoken, written and/or other symbol systems. The disorder may involve (1) the form of language (phonology, morphology, syntax), (2) the content of language (semantics), and/or (3) the function of language in communication (pragmatics) in any combination."

If you would like to learn more information the causes of speech and language deficits please click on the link below.

Signs and Symptoms

Birth-1 year

Makes only a few sounds.
Fails to use gestures like waving or pointing.
Does not make animal sounds
Does not respond to name
Recurring ear infections
Reduced eye contact
Difficulty breastfeeding
Feeding/Sensory concerns
Not crying
Does not play games such as "peek-a-boo"

1 - 2 years

Points and uses vocalizations as opposed to using words.
Repeats words for same object
Echolalia
Unusual tone of voice (i.e raspy, hoarse)
Short frenulum (e.g. frontal lips or lateral lisp)
Does not identify items by pictures
Does not respond to gestures or facial expressions

2-4 years

Does not formulate 3-4 word sentences.
Says fewer than 50 words.
Speech is unintelligible over 50% of the time to the unfamiliar listener.
Stuttering or Cluttering
Fails to follow directions
Dental concerns (i.e. cleft lip or palate)
Does not follow songs, rhyming or engage in interactive play
Does not prefer to play with people

4-6 years

Difficulty following daily routine
Refuses to speak in school
Difficulty with social language (i.e. sharing, turn-taking)
Difficulty with phonemic awareness and reading
Does not understand simple wh questions (i.e who, what, where) .
Does not use narration such as telling a story about their school day.

When should I worry about Pragmatic/Social Language?

Did you know SLPs also help with pragmatic/social language?

Click on the link below to find out why pragmatic/social language is important for your child's development.

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