Understanding Language Disorders: Types and Impact on Communication
The problems in understanding, processing, and producing language are referred to as language disorders. Language serves as a foundation of our communication, and these difficulties can affect communication skills. These language disorders can extend from difficulties with speaking or understanding words, leading to a struggle in forming sentences. Language disorders can hinder academic performance of a person. It can also impact social interaction and the overall quality of a person's life.
Types of Language Disorders
Understanding the types can help identify and manage them. Language disorders can be categorized into the following two disorders.
Expressive Language Disorder
People with expressive language disorder face difficulty expressing themselves through writing or speech. Their ability to understand language can also be impacted. This difficulty leads to struggles in forming sentences, using grammar, or finding the right words to form a sentence. In the case of children, they face problems with expressing "I...I...want...um...water," instead of "I want water". Even after knowing what to say, they struggle to express their thoughts.
Receptive Language Disorder
Inability to understand written or spoken language is known as a receptive language disorder. This is the second type of language disorder. People with receptive language disorder struggle with following directions, understanding conversations, and understanding word meanings. They also become unable to grasp the meaning of written text. In the case of children with receptive language disorder, they struggle to understand the meaning of what others say. When they hear the instructions that put their clothes in the cupboard, they struggle to understand the "cupboard" and put their clothes on the table instead.
Understanding Symptoms of Language Disorder
Mentioned below are some common symptoms of language disorders that can help enhance the understanding of language disorders.
Difficulty with Speaking or Expressing Ideas
People with language disorders may struggle to express their ideas and thoughts, as they have a very limited vocabulary to express themselves. They also may produce very short or incomplete sentences and leave out important phrases. Grammar errors may also occur while struggling to express saying, and they may also pause or hesitate during their speech.
Trouble Understanding Language
People who suffer from language disorders may face difficulty understanding the language of other people. They experience difficulty following directions and others' instructions. Problems with comprehension can also occur when they fail to understand the figurative language. They might get confused by hearing similar sounded words.
Struggles with Social Communication
People with language disorders may also struggle when engaging in social communication. They struggle to start, maintain, and end any conversation, and they might interrupt others' conversations. The inability to know their turn to speak also occurs while engaging in social communication. Recognition of non-verbal cues like body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice can become very challenging for them. Responding to the question that matches the questions might become hard for them.
Reading and Writing Challenges
Language disorders can exhibit reading and writing challenges, as people with language disorders face difficulty in understanding what they read, and they fail to understand the meaning of what they read. Challenges with writing may manifest as spelling errors, poor handwriting, or disorganized ideas in the writing. They might reverse the appropriate letters in the sentences or confusing words that make reading very challenging.
Pronunciation and Articulation Issues
Pronunciation and poor articulation may also be seen as one of symptoms of language disorders. People with language disorders may face problems in the pronunciation of words correctly, which makes it hard to understand their speech. The clarity in their speech can be impacted, with slurred sounds or difficulty in comprehending, even for familiar listeners.
Cognitive and Memory Difficulties
Cognitive and memory difficulties may involve struggling with retaining new information, affecting their learning and retention of language. Organizing ideas or saying anything in a logical order may become challenging for them; they often jump from one sentence to another without a clear structure.
Timely identification of language disorder symptoms is necessary to help in managing the language disorder's impact on communication.
Factors That Heighten the Risk of Language Disorder
Several factors can contribute to enhancing the risk of developing language disorders.
Family History: Someone with a family history of language disorders or other communication challenges is at a higher risk of developing language disorders.
Neurological Factors: Neurological factors, such as a person with other conditions like Autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, or Intellectual disabilities, are more prone to develop language disorders.
Premature Birth or Low Birth Weight: Children born prematurely or with a low birth weight are at more risk of developmental challenges, including language disorders.
Hearing Impairment: Hearing impairment can also play a role in enhancing the risk of developing language disorders, as children with this problem struggle to process auditory information, which impacts their language development.
Environmental Factors: Environmental factors play a vital role, as limited exposure to language-rich surroundings and minimal verbal interaction can increase the risk of developing language disorders.
A comprehensive assessment by a Speech-language pathologist or other professionals is crucial for accurate diagnosis. Early recognition can help in managing the impacts and improving the overall communication abilities.
Note: Not all of these risk factors can lead to the development of language disorders, but they may increase the risk of developing language disorders. Each person's experience may be unique.
Management of Language Disorders
Language disorders can be efficiently managed by various approaches, including some therapeutic approaches. The following are some of the very useful approaches and therapies for language disorders management.
Speech-Language Therapy
Speech-language therapy is the primary approach for the management of language disorders. It aims to focus on improving the target language areas, such as vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and social communication skills. A speech and language pathologist utilizes various techniques to facilitate language development and improve communication skills.
Individualized Education Plans (IEP)
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) offers support in education through collaboration with parents, teachers, and speech and language pathologists. It aims to provide individualized education support to meet the child's educational needs, facilitating language development.
Parent Involvement
The involvement of parents and caregivers is necessary in the management of language disorders. Parents can support children through the guidance of a speech and language pathologist through various techniques. Parents can provide a language enriched environment to engage children in activities for improving their communication skills.
Social skills training
Social skills training is considered helpful for people who struggle with interaction and communication skills in social situations. It aims to focus on improving the understanding of nonverbal cues, initiating conversations, and interpreting social situations.
Seeking professional support is necessary in the management of language disorders involves collaboration with professionals, including speech and language pathologists, educators, and other professionals. Early identification of language disorders can help in timely management, succeeding in academic challenges, improving communication skills, social interaction, and overall quality of life.