Join us in celebrating Better Hearing & Speech Month! Connect. Communicate. Thrive.
Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM) was founded in 1927, by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The aim of Better Speech and Hearing Month is to raise awareness around both speech and hearing problems and communication disorders and to highlight the role the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association plays in providing life-altering treatment. For 2022, the theme is “Connecting People"!
Interesting Speech and Language Facts
o In 2015, nearly 1 in 12 children ages 3-17 had some form of communication disorder.
o 6–8 million Americans have some form of language impairment.
o As many as 5 percent of school-age children are believed to have a language disorder. This makes language disorders some of the more common childhood disorders)
o The prevalence of later talkers is 10-20% of 2 year olds. (asha.org)
o There are 44 sounds in the English language, but only 26 letters.
o The alphabet was created to represent speech sounds (phonemes) in 1700 BC and was made up of 19 letters (none of which were vowels), but wasn’t complete until 1604 AD.
o The most frequently occurring vowel sound isn’t even a letter - it’s the schwa - which can be represented by any written vowel letter or combination of vowel letters.
o The foundation for literacy (speaking, listening, reading, writing, and thinking) is language.
o 75% of each day is spent communicating, but only 7% is spoken out loud. 55% of communication is through body language and 38% is through tone of voice.
o The number one skill employers look for is good communication (Top Resume, 2017)
Speech-Language Pathology Service Delivery Areas (Reference: www.asha.org)
This list of practice areas and the bulleted examples are not comprehensive. Current areas of practice, such as literacy, have continued to evolve, whereas other new areas of practice are emerging.
Fluency
Stuttering
Cluttering
Speech Production
Motor planning and execution
Articulation
Phonological
Language- Spoken and written language (listening, processing, speaking, reading, writing, pragmatics)
Typical Language Acquisition
Natural Language Acquisition (Echolalia to self-generated language)
Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
Semantics
Pragmatics (language use and social aspects of communication)
Prelinguistic communication (e.g., joint attention, intentionality, communicative signaling)
Paralinguistic communication (e.g., gestures, signs, body language)
Literacy (reading, writing, spelling)
Cognition
Attention
Memory
Problem-solving
Executive functioning
Voice
Phonation quality
Pitch
Loudness
Alaryngeal voice
Resonance
Hypernasality
Hyponasality
Cul-de-sac resonance
Forward focus
Feeding and Swallowing (Dysphagia)
Oral phase
Pharyngeal phase
Esophageal phase
Atypical eating (e.g., food selectivity/refusal, negative physiologic response)
Auditory Habilitation/Rehabilitation
Speech, language, communication, and listening skills impacted by hearing loss, deafness
Auditory processing
Potential etiologies of communication and swallowing disorders include
neonatal problems (e.g., prematurity, low birth weight, substance exposure);
developmental disabilities (e.g., specific language impairment, autism, dyslexia, learning disabilities, attention-deficit disorder, intellectual disabilities, unspecified neurodevelopmental disorders);
disorders of aerodigestive tract function (e.g., irritable larynx, chronic cough, abnormal respiratory patterns or airway protection, paradoxical vocal fold motion, tracheostomy);
oral anomalies (e.g., cleft lip/palate, dental malocclusion, macroglossia, oral motor dysfunction);
respiratory patterns and compromise (e.g., bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease);
pharyngeal anomalies (e.g., upper airway obstruction, velopharyngeal insufficiency/incompetence);
laryngeal anomalies (e.g., vocal fold pathology, tracheal stenosis);
neurological disease/dysfunction (e.g., traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, cerebrovascular accident, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis);
psychiatric disorder (e.g., psychosis, schizophrenia);
genetic disorders (e.g., Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, velocardiofacial syndrome); and
Orofacial myofunctional disorders (e.g., habitual open-mouth posture/nasal breathing, orofacial habits, tethered oral tissues, chewing and chewing muscles, lips and tongue resting position).
This list of etiologies is not comprehensive.
If you or your loved one is seeking speech therapy, please consult a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist for guidance. At Resonate Therapy Solutions, we provide skilled speech therapy services for children and adults in the comfort of home or via teletherapy. Schedule a consultation with us. https://www.resonatetherapysolutions.com