Language disorders are extremely prevalent in society today, and they can significantly impact social participation. Language is the tool through which humans can communicate to each other about their emotions and other aspects of life. Therefore, when an individual has an impairment in this important cognitive function, it impacts numerous areas of his or her life. I am in a hum bio lecture series class that explores different childhood disabilities. This week, we heard Heidi Feldman speak about different language disabilities. We did not go into as much depth as I would have liked because the class only lasted 50 minutes, however I did glean some very important insights into the world of language disorders.
Children learn to speak and understand languages at very young ages. By 6 months of age, children are able to recognize their own name and babble continuously. At 1 year, children should be able to follow simple commands with gestures and should be able to say mama or dada specifically. This is also the time when their first words appear. At around 2 years of age their vocabulary should exceed 50 words. Language learning is based on observation and social interaction. There is no direct instruction as most children learn best from their environment. Therefore, if the environment is not inherently stimulus-rich, children are automatically at a disadvantage.This is why more language disorders are found in children from lower socioeconomic status. They have less language in their environment, which leads to being less competent.
Language skills are broken up into various sub sections. Receptive/Expressive language consists of phonology sounds (rules), morpho-syntax (grammar), semantics (meanings), and pragmatics (social functions). Speech itself consists of fluency, voice and resonance, speech sounds, which are made up of articulation, coordination of breath and movements, and motor planning. Therefore, there are many different areas that can be subject to disorders.
Developmental delay is one of the key signs that a language disorder might be present in a child. A delay is normally identified when a child at 24 months does not meet the criteria of having 50 words available in his/her vocabulary as well as having the ability to produce 2 word phrases. Half of all children delayed at 2 remain delayed at 3-4 years. However, a delay does not qualify as a disorder unless one of three criteria are met. Either the delays during the preschool era are severe, mild to moderate delays are still present at school age, or delays are identified that limit age appropriate functioning in learning, communication and social skills.
At this time, the causes of language delays are still unknown. Isolated language disorders suggest genetic contributions, but environmental causes may be equally important. There are some cases of normal speech delay that parents should understand and not worry about. Boys are normally slightly more delayed than girls in speech development. In addition, children from bilingual households may show mild delay and mixing. They have many more words to choose from in their vocabulary and so understandably sometimes they can confuse one language with the other. Also, ear infections are sometimes associated with delays. This problem is much easier to address than an actual language disorder.
The most important goal of treating language disorders is to diagnosis them early. One-on-one therapy can be extremely effective, but it is much easier when the child is still relatively young. Some language learning is possible even in children with severe levels of intellectual disability. However, the child’s long-term prognosis depends on the severity of the underlying disorder. Because most language disorders are treatable, children with language disorders should be taken to specialists as soon as possible. As language is the key to the human experience, a lack of communication skills deprives children of the ability to experience life to the fullest.
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