Focus on the Speech-Language Institute During Better Hearing and Speech Month

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM), which means it’s the perfect time to prioritize these areas of your health. The theme for this year’s month is “Building a Strong Foundation.”

The Speech-Language Institute (SLI) at Salus University provides a wide range of pediatric and adult comprehensive evaluations, individualized treatment options, and a variety of support groups for individuals with communication and swallowing disorders.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) at SLI identify, assess and provide intervention for individuals for a variety of disorders, including articulation, fluency (stuttering), voice and resonance, receptive and expressive language (including reading and writing), hearing, swallowing and communication.

SLI also provides evaluations and follow-up sessions to enhance presentation style and professional communication skills including topics such as interpersonal communication, presentation and public speaking skills, writing abilities, personal/professional appearance, negotiations/assertiveness, problem solving, and stress management.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), two to three of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with detectable hearing loss in both ears and more than 90 percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents. Because of this, early intervention is critical. Since hearing affects speech, the earlier hearing loss is identified and intervention begins, the greater the chances are that children will develop language and other developmental milestones as expected. Eleven percent of children three to six years of age experience a voice, speech, language, or swallowing disorder. Yet, many families do not know the early signs to look for — a factor that can result in delayed care.

Among children and young adults ages six to 21, speech and language disorders are one of the most common issues for which students receive special education services in schools through the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. Unaddressed, speech and language disorders can affect a child’s success both academically and socially.

Here some of the common signs of these disorders:

Signs of a Speech Sound Disorder:

• Says p, b, m, h, and w incorrectly in words (two to three years)
• Says k, g, f, t, d, and n incorrectly in words (three to four years)
• Produces speech that is unclear, even to familiar people (two to three years)

Signs of a Language Disorder:

• Does not smile or interact with others (birth and older)
• Does not babble (four to six months)
• Makes only a few sounds or gestures, like reaching (seven to nine months)
• Does not understand what others say (10 months – two years)
• Says only a few words (19 months – two years)
• Does not put words together to make sentences (19 months – three years)
• Speaks using words that are not easily understood by others (three to four years)
• Has trouble with early reading skills, like pretending to read or finding the front of a book (four to five years)

Signs of Stuttering (Disfluency):

• Repeats the first sounds of words—“b-b-b-ball” for “ball”
• Stretches sounds out—“ffffff-farm” for “farm”
• Shows frustration when trying to get words out

Signs of a Voice Disorder:

• Loss of voice
• Uses a hoarse or breathy voice
• Speaks with strain and effort

The causes of speech and language problems that begin for the first time in adulthood can vary. They include brain injury, stroke, and diseases that affect the brain such as Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. They can also stem from cancers of the head and neck, breathing problems, and vocal cord injury.

For adults, the signs of speech and language disorders may include the following:

• Problems saying sounds correctly
• Slurred or slowed rate of speech
• Problems coordinating mouth or speech movements
• Difficulty imitating speech sounds
• Struggles to get out sounds or words
• Repetition of sounds, words, or parts of words
• Changes in voice (e.g., hoarse, raspy, breathy, nasal, or low-volume voice)
• Trouble thinking of the words they want to say
• Problems expressing what they want or need
• Saying words in the wrong order
• Trouble following directions or conversations
• Difficulty understanding what others say
• New trouble reading, writing, spelling, or using numbers

SLPs evaluate adults for communication disorders in home-based care, healthcare facilities, and private practices. They help their patients and clients get back the skills important to them for their everyday activities.

They also assist with understanding questions, directions, conversations, and stories; expressing thoughts and words; and reading and writing. They can also help people find other ways to communicate if they are having difficulty with spoken or written communication. These may include pointing or using other gestures, drawing pictures, or using an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device.

For a full assessment, call 215.780.3150 or email slinstitute@salus.edu.