Speech disorders in childhood

Speech development disorders (SDD)

When is a child speech impaired?

Compared to their peers, a child has speech difficulties…

if their understanding of language and/or vocabulary is noticeably reduced
if sentences are not formed correctly
if certain sounds are not pronounced clearly or correctly

This also means that the sibilant sounds are formed incorrectly, e.g. the tongue is pressed against or between the teeth and the child’s speech is generally unclear to incomprehensible.

Language is the entrance ticket …

According to recent studies, a high proportion of pre-school children have language development disorders.

Speech development begins immediately after a child is born. Breastfeeding at the mother’s breast ensures the stable development of the mouth and throat muscles. Crying trains the lungs and vocal chords.
In the following babbling phases during the first year of life, the child trains the formation of sounds. At first, it forms all the sounds that occur in all languages. In the second babbling phase (around 6 months of age), the child comes closer to sound combinations, the mother tongue, and increasingly matches the language of its environment (motherese = mouth-child interaction) with its own sound production until it can say its first words at around 10-12 months of age – usually dad first, then mum. Dad is often said first because the sound sequence of the word is easier for the child to distinguish and form.

As language development continues, the child uses two-word and multi-word sentences and can speak almost all sounds at around two and a half years of age.
At around 4 years of age, the child speaks its mother tongue. They have mastered sounds (phonetics), the grammar of sentence structure (syntax), an extensive language lexicon (large number of words from the mother tongue) and can use language correctly in a situation-related way (language pragmatics). Children who grow up bilingual are in no way disadvantaged in this development. Under normal conditions, both languages develop as mother tongues
in the same period of time.

If language development is impaired, individual areas, e.g. sound development or several language levels (sentence formation), language range or the use of language can be affected. Furthermore, language disorders rarely occur in isolation, but also have a significant impact on the child’s cognitive and emotional development if they persist.

Reading and writing (written language acquisition) as special forms of language acquisition are, like spoken language, central cultural techniques that can be used to obtain information and communicate across temporal and spatial distances. In the age of increasing computer use, written language is by no means losing its importance; on the contrary, competent reading skills are a central prerequisite for accessing global information networks (Internet, etc.). Difficulties in acquiring these cultural techniques represent a significant impairment for a child’s development. According to the WHO, this reading and/or spelling disorder (hereafter referred to as LRS) is one of the most common specific developmental disorders (ICD-10). Without appropriate treatment, this disorder persists into adulthood and makes integration into the world of work more difficult.

Children learn language and speech primarily through communication with other children and adults. Every child goes their own way in this development and sometimes also takes detours.

When is speech therapy useful?

For example,
- cannot pronounce individual letters or words
  sule instead of Schule
  tomm instead of komm
  nane instead of Banane
- does not know the right words
  cow – for all large four-legged animals
  das da – for all things it would like to have
- swaps the order of words or doesn’t form words correctly
  I’m about to eat too.
  All children come the same way.
- often doesn’t understand what you tell him
  often has to show you what you mean (please get the jacket, open the door…)
- repeats words or syllables
  then then then I go outside
  a a a and it’s raining now
When in the area of speech and language...
- the child’s understanding of language is limited
- the child’s vocabulary is limited
- the child often cannot find the right words
- sounds are formed incorrectly or not at all
- speech is slurred overall
- sentences are not formed correctly
- the child stutters or stammers
- the child only speaks to a few people or only in a familiar home environment
If there are problems with the voice...
- the child is often hoarse
- the child frequently clears his or her throat
- the sound of the voice is nasal
If there are problems in the ENT area...
- the child breathes through the mouth, the mouth is often slightly open or wide open
- the airways are constricted
- the child suffers from asthma
- there are frequent colds
When eating, drinking and swallowing are impaired...
- your child’s swallowing is disturbed
- the child chokes frequently
- the child cannot chew
- only soft food can be eaten
- solid food such as meat is avoided or refused
- salivation
- there is paralysis in the mouth/face area
If there are abnormalities in the dental and/or jaw area...
- teeth and/or bite misalignments are present
- the child grinds its teeth

What happens during speech therapy?

Co-operation: therapist – parents – educators!

At the beginning of the therapy, a detailed diagnosis of the child’s language development takes place.

Speech therapy supports the child’s linguistic development and promotes it with regard to any remaining weaknesses and uncertainties.

Parent counselling and parent training

Focal points:

How can I support my child in the home environment?
Which principles must be observed
Causes of delayed language development
a basic attitude that promotes language
Optimisation of the language offer in everyday situations

In addition, an exchange takes place with the teachers in the daycare centre.

Optimisation of support in everyday daycare by educators

Speech therapy supports the child’s language development and promotes it with regard to any remaining weaknesses and uncertainties.

Support in the individual situation with the following focal points:

Vocabulary
Syntax, semantics
Language comprehension/communication behaviour
Perceptual skills, including phonological awareness
Targeted anticipation training related to the malformed sounds – first in isolation, then at syllable and word level and finally in the language context
Concentration/ working posture
Oral motor skills and movement patterns when eating and drinking
Breathing
Voice use/sound

What is the aim of speech therapy?

Förderung von Sprachentwicklungsstörungen in folgenden Bereichen:

Phonologie (Störungen der Aussprache)
Lexikon/ Semantik (Störungen der Bedeutung von Sprache und des Wortschatzes)
Syntax/ Morphologie (Störungen der Grammatik bzw. der Satzbildung u.s.w.)
Sprachverständnis (Verstehen von Handlungszusammenhängen und altersgerechten Aufgabenstellungen)
Wahrnehmungsleistungen im Bereich des Hörens, des Sehens, des Fühlens, des Riechens und des Schmeckens
Konzentrationsfähigkeit und Aufmerksamkeit
orofaziale Funktionen, die verantwortlich sind für die Abläufe bzw. die muskulären Bewegungsmuster sowohl beim Sprechen als auch beim Atmen und beim Essen und Trinken
Atmung, Anbahnung von gesunder Nasenatmung und Sprechatmung

Die Harmonisierung der Bewegungsabläufe beim Atmen und Essen und Trinken tragen dazu bei, dass die Kinder weniger Erkältungskrankheiten und ein besseres Essverhalten haben – Dies reguliert nicht nur die Verdauung, sondern hilft u.a. auch das Körpergewicht zu kontrollieren.