LEARNERS WITH DIFFICULTY

IN COMMUNICATING
Leanne T.
A. DEFINITIONS: TYPES OF
COMMUNICATION IMPAIRMENTS AND
DISORDERS
COMMUNICATION
It is the interactive exchange of information, ideas, fellings, needs,
and desires between and among people ( Heward 2013).
 Communication is used to serve several functions, particularly to
narrate, explain, inform, request (mand), and express feelings and
opinion.
How is speech different from
language?
• Speech is the expression of language with sound or oral production.
• Speech is produced through precise physiological and nueromuscular
coordination : (1) respiration the act of breathing (2) phonation
production of sound by the larynx and vocal folds. And (3) articulation
use lips, tongue, teeth, and hard and soft palates to speak.
• Language is used for communication, a formalized code used by a
group of people to communication with one another, that is primarily
arbitary (heward 2013).
• People decide on symbols, their corresponding meaning and rules
that make up a language.
Components of Language
1. PHONOLOGY
- Refers to the sound system of a language.
- A phaneme is the smallest unit of sound within a language for
instance the word dog is made up of three phonemes, namely
/d/-/o/-/g/ while beans have four phonemes, /b/-/e/-/a/-/n/-/s/.
2. MORPHOLOGY
- A language refers to the smallest unit of language that has meaning
and which is used to combine words.
- Sounds, syllables, or whole words are examples of morphemes.
Components of Language
3. SYNTAX
- The syntax is the system of rules governing the meaningful arrangement
of words, which also includes grammar rules.
- For instance, the sentence, ready get for the exam does not make sense
unit arranged in the right sequences as get ready for the exam
4. SEMANTICS
- Refersb to the meaning associated with words and combination of
words in a language.
- This also includes vocabulary, concept development, connotative
meanings of words, and categories.
Components of Language
5. PRAGMATICS
- Revolves around the social use of language knowing what,when, and
how to communicate and use language in a specific context.
Pragmatic skills
• Using language for different purposes(narrating,explaining&requesting)
• Changing language according to the context(talking, speaking)
• Following rules for conversation and storytelling(taking turns,replacing
when unclear how to use facial expression and eye contact.)
Types of Speech Impairments
• Articulation Disorder
-A child is unable to produce a given sound physically
- Severe articulation disorder may render a child’s speech unintelligible,
Examples are substitutions amissions, distortions, and additions of
speech sounds.
Examples: I want a blue lollipop- I want to a boo wowipop.
Can I get three bananas? – and i ate tinanes
Types of Speech Impairments
• Phonological Disorder
a Child produces multiple patterns of sound errors with obvious
impairment of intelligibility.
There is also noted inconsistent mis- articulation of sounds (i.e
sometimes a child is able to articulate it but in other words.)
Examples: the pie is good - cut by is good
Types of Speech Impairments
Fluency Disorder
Difficulties with the rhythm and timing of speech.
Stuttering is an example marked by rapid fire repetitions and
consonants or vowel sounds, especially at the beginning of words,
prolongations,hesitations, interjections, and complete verbal blocks
repetitions( Ramig &shames, 2006 cited in garguilo 2012)
Examples: Blocks: I want a banana (blocks)
Prolongations: I waaaaaaant a banana
Repetitions: I want a ba ba ba ba banana.
Types of Speech Impairments
Voice Disorders
Problems with the quality or use of ones voice resulting from disorders
of the larynx. Voice may be excessively hoarse, breathly, or too high
pitched.
Examples: Pronation disorder: Breathiness hoarness
Hypernasality ( occurs when too much sound resonates (vibrates in the
nasal cavity(nose) during speech)
Hyponaxality occurs when there is not enough nasal resonance or
natural due to a blockage in the mesoparangus
Type of language disorders
a. Expressive language disorder
Inteferes with the productionof language.
A child may have a very limited vocabulary that impacts communications
skills or misuses words and phrases in sentences.
b. Receptive language disorder
Interferes with the understanding of language.
A child may have difficulty understanding spoken sentences or following
the directions a teacher gives.
Some children may be found to have a combination of receptive and
expressive language disorders.
 IDENTIFICATION
Communication difficulty is oftentimes of the most common red flags
observed by family members, daycare workers, and early childhood
teachers.
How do specialists determine a
speech and or language problem. ?
• A comprehensive speech and language evaluation to determine the
presence of a communication disorders involves several components
(heward 2013)
Speech and language evaluation
components
a. Case history and physical examination
Assessment always begins with the case history that provides the
specialist with the necessary background about the childs birth and
developmental history,health record, achievement test scores, and
adjustments in school.
The specialist examines the childs oral peripheral mechanism which
includes the mouth, noting irregularities in the tounge lips, teeth,
palates, or other structures that may affect speech production.
Speech and language evaluation
components
b. Hearing
Hearing is tested to determine wether an organic hearing problem is the cause
of suspected communication disorder, a discussed in the previous section.
Thus, hearing impairment needs to be treated to develop speech and language
skills.
c. Articulation
A childs articulation skills are assessed, which includes identifying speech
errors.
d. Phonological awareness and processing
Phonological awareness and processing skills psrovides the foundation for
beginning to read in young child(adams 2013)
Speech and language evaluation
components
Children with difficulties in processing sounds in language as wells as in
hearing, segmenting, and identifying phonemes in words may
experience problems with expressive and receptive spoken language as
well as in learning how to read.
e. Overall language development and vocabulary
Formal tests may be used to measure a childs overall language
developmental and vocabulary as these affect how well a child is able
to understand and use language in spotaneous speech and in academic
settings.
Speech and language evaluation
components
f. Assessment of language function
Language is used to serve functions such as to request, name, imitate,
ask,and converse among others b.f Skinner. (sunberg2007)emphasized
how language is used rather than the structure and form of language.
g. Language samples and observation in natural settings
Language difficulties may also be identified through play based,
authentic assessments where a specialist plays with a child during
which spotaneous speech and verbalizations can be elicited.