Assignment 2 Final
Ella Malanga
Prof. Rose
ENG 160-29
07 November 2019
World Of Communication Disorders
My subject of interest and decided major is known as Communication Disorders, or Speech Pathology. A communication disorder is known as any disorder that affects one’s speech, ability to comprehend, or apply language in the correct way. This field struck my interest because I want to be able to help children and adults speak fluently with the confidence they deserve. Whether the disorder was brought on genetically, or after a traumatic accident, I want to learn and have the power to help them change it. My specific intended research I intend to share with you, depicts the area of speech disorders, and the effects each one has on the personal life of patients. I would like to extend my knowledge to you, and show you why I want to help these people better themselves and their confidence.
First I would like to take you on the journey of what speech disorders are, how they are caused, and how they can be treated with the help of many. A speech disorder affects the way a person creates sounds in order to form words. “One-third of children aged 3–10 years with a communication disorder had more than one type of communication disorder during the past 12 months. In contrast, one-fourth of children aged 11–17 years with a communication disorder had more than one type of communication disorder during the past 12 months. Speech problems on their own were the most common individual type of communication disorder, with 41.8% of children aged 3–10 and 24.4% of children aged 11–17 affected. Among children aged 3–10, 13.6% had language problems, 6.3% had voice problems, and 4.3% had swallowing problems. Among children aged 11–17, 23.2% had language problems, 12.5% had voice problems, and 14.5% had swallowing problems.” (U.S Health) These statistics from the U.S department of Health and Services are both accurate, as well as disturbing. The prevalence of speech disorder are becoming something we see everyday. The most common speech disorder is stuttering. Right after stuttering, there are Apraxia and Dysarthria. These three disorders are the most known within the United States. Stuttering is when a child or person, repeats a syllable or consonant more than two times. Apraxia is a motor speech disorder caused by genetic or traumatic brain injury , whereas Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder where the muscles in the face tend to weaken over time.
With the high prevalence and commonality of these disorders, i’m sure you are wondering how this happens. Some of the most common reasons for the causes of speech disorders are vocal cord damage, brain damage, muscle weakness, strokes, respiratory weakness, or vocal cord paralysis. Speech disorders can also develop over time and be genetic or hereditary, or go along with a disability or developmental issue. Some of the most common conditions that can come with speech or communication disorders are; autism, ADHD, strokes, oral cancer, dementia or parkinson’s disease. A lot of patients who acquire or were born with these conditions require a speech language pathologist to work with them. My desire to help patients comes in after researching the various amounts of symptoms that can come with these disorders. “The symptoms of speech disorders vary widely depending on the cause and severity of the disorder. People can develop multiple speech disorders with different symptoms.” (Medical News Today) Just a few of the many are; repeating sounds, adding extra sounds and words, making words longer, making facial or head movements while speaking, communication frustration, loss of voice, and finally frequent pauses while speaking. With all these symptoms, there has to be a hopeful amount of treatments. Depending on the type of disorder, the treatments may vary. A speech therapist can work with you on a variety of techniques to strengthen your face and throat muscles. There are also medications that can calm the patients down, or ease the pain some symptoms might bring on. Children and adults are all affected by speech disorders, and with early treatment, and help from the people who matter, their lives can be made a lot easier, and I hope to be one of those people.
The major of communication disorders has struck my interest from a young age. Growing up with a mother who is a special education teacher, and an Aunt who is a speech pathologist for patients when they go through the aftermath of a stroke, created a huge curiosity of the subject for me. The effect of these tragedies on the patient and their family is what I want to be apart of. One website states, “Some people with speech disorders are aware of what they would like to say but are unable to articulate their thoughts. This may lead to self-esteem issues and the development of depression.” (healthline.com) This is one of the main reasons that I would like to major in Communication Disorders. Many people suffer from these speech issues and are bullied because of them and lose all of their self esteem and confidence, making them fall into a state of depression. Many people lose their ability to be sociable or never even gain said ability because of their speech issues. “Conversely, children referred to speech and language clinics for communication disorders have been found to have a high rate of diagnosable psychiatric disorders. Most of the emerging knowledge regarding relationships between communication disorders and psychiatric disorders has been presented in the child psychiatric literature. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists also need to be familiar with this information; an understanding of the complex interrelationships between communication disorders and emotional and behavioral disorders is important for diagnosis, assessment, and treatment.” (ASHAWire) New research is showing the high prevalence, between kids with communication disorders and mental disorders. It is becoming more and more common that they are linked together, and this is what makes me so interested in helping these patients. The amount of patients are growing, and I want to be involved in the population who helps it.
My field of interest is something I am passionate about. Everyday when I attend class and get to learn more about it, I am both interested and excited about what my future as a speech pathologist holds for me. I can confidently say after working as a teenager and hating it, that I am eager to begin working with the major I intend to stick with. The knowledge I have gained in only a short amount of time studying the subject, amazes me and makes me curious to learn more. After seeing my field from my point of view I hope you can see everything it holds, and my passion for it. I look forward to learning more and growing as a student, and eventually a working speech pathologist, changing and helping patients live their lives.
Works Cited
Minnis, Syndey 2017 “What are speech disorders?” Healthline Clinic.
https://www.healthline.com/health/speech-disorders#treatment
Bower, Bruce. “Autism Numbers Surprisingly High.” Science News, vol. 179, no. 12, 2011, pp. 16–16. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41332388
Kramer, Morton. “Statistics of Mental Disorders in the United States: Current Status, Some Urgent Needs and Suggested Solutions.” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A (General), vol. 132, no. 3, 1969, pp. 353–407. JSTOR,