Speech and Communication Disorders: MedlinePlus

Speech and Communication Disorders: MedlinePlus

 

A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

Speech and Communication Disorders

Also called: Communication disorders 

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Many disorders can affect our ability to speak and communicate. They range from saying sounds incorrectly to being completely unable to speak or understand speech. Causes include

• Hearing disorders and deafness
• Voice problems, such as dysphonia or those caused by cleft lip or palate
• Speech problems like stuttering
• Developmental disabilities
• Learning disorders
• Autism
• Brain injury
• Stroke

Some speech and communication problems may be genetic. Often, no one knows the causes. By first grade, about 5 percent of children have noticeable speech disorders. Speech and language therapy can help.

NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA  

• Apraxia
• Dysarthria
• Dysarthria - care
• Phonological disorder
• Selective mutism
• Tongue tie

Related Topics

• Aphasia
• Hearing Disorders and Deafness
• Learning Disorders
• Speech and Language Problems in Children
• Stuttering
• Voice Disorders
• Brain and Nerves
• Mouth and Teeth
• Symptoms

National Institutes of Health

• The primary NIH organization for research on Speech and Communication Disorders is the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

 

Start Here

• What Is Voice? What Is Speech? What Is Language?(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) 

• Overviews

  • Speech and Language Impairments(National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Speech-Language Disorders and the Speech-Language Pathologist(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)

• Latest News

  • Answers to Yes/No Questions Seen in Pupil Size(08/08/2013, HealthDay)

• Rehabilitation/Recovery

  • Speech for People with Tracheostomies or Ventilators(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)

• Disease Management

  • Assistive Devices for People with Hearing, Voice, Speech, or Language Disorders(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
  • Information for AAC Users (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
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• Specific Conditions

  • Aphasia vs. Apraxia(American Stroke Association)
  • Apraxia of Speech(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
  • Dysarthria(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
  • Language-Based Learning Disabilities(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
  • Right Hemisphere Brain Damage(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
  • Tongue-Tie (Ankyloglossia)(American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
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• Related Issues

  • Speech-to-Speech Relay Service(Federal Communications Commission) - PDF
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Telecommunications Relay Service(Federal Communications Commission) - PDF
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• Financial Issues

  • About Health Insurance(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
  • Getting Your Employer to Cover Speech, Language and Hearing Services(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
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• Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Communication Disorders(National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Language Disorders(National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Speech Disorders(National Institutes of Health)
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• Genetics

  • Genetics Home Reference: 22q13.3 deletion syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
  • Genetics Home Reference: 47,XYY syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
  • Genetics Home Reference: Triple X syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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• Journal Articles

  References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
  • Article: Phonological and articulation treatment approaches in Portuguese children with speech...
  • Article: Predictors of phrase and fluent speech in children with autism...
  • Article: Assessment of speech in neurological disorders: development of a Swahili...
  • Article: Corticobulbar tract changes as predictors of dysarthria in childhood brain...
  • Speech and Communication Disorders -- see more articles
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• Dictionaries/Glossaries

  • NIDCD Glossary(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
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• Directories

  • Directory of Organizations (Deafness and Communication Disorders)(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
  • Search for Assistive Technology: Voice and Speech Products(Center for Assistive Technology & Environmental Access)
  • Speech to Speech Services Access Numbers(Federal Communications Commission)
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• Organizations

  • American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
  • Assistivetech.net(Center for Assistive Technology & Environmental Access)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
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• Law and Policy

  • Model Bill of Rights for People Receiving Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology Services(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
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• Statistics

  • Quick Statistics(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
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• MedlinePlus Magazine

  • Connections That Count: Brain-Computer Interface Enables the Profoundly Paralyzed to Communicate
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• Teenagers

  • Speech Problems(Nemours Foundation)
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• Seniors

  • Eldercare at Home: Communication Problems(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
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• Patient Handouts

  • Apraxia
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Dysarthria
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Dysarthria - care
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Phonological disorder
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Selective mutism
  • Also available in Spanish