SPEECH

Speech refers to how we form sounds out loud to create words. Different languages include different speech sounds. We create these sounds by moving our lips, tongue, soft palate, jaw, and vocal cords into very specific positions. We use our voice by using our vocal cords and breath in order to say different sounds and include meaning beyond words (e.g., raising the pitch of your voice at the end of a sentence to indicate a question). Stuttering impacts the fluency of our speech sounds. Some children have difficulties producing specific speech sounds (e.g., the ‘r’ sound), lisps (e.g., the tongue poking through the teeth on the ‘s’ sound), or motor speech difficulties (impacting the planning, coordination, and execution of speech sounds). Some adults may experience speech difficulties following a stroke or traumatic brain injury, or as a result of a progressive disease (e.g., Parkinson’s Disease, ALS).

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LANGUAGE

Language is the method in which people communicate needs, questions, thoughts, and emotions with others. Using language involves understanding what words mean, knowing the rules to make new words, understanding how to put words into sensical sentences, using non-verbal cues, and knowing the social context to use different types of language. Difficulties with language may emerge in childhood, impacting a child’s understanding or verbal use of language, literacy development, and social interactions. Language may also be impacted in adults, due to stroke (e.g., aphasia), traumatic brain injury, dementia, or primary progressive aphasia.

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