| Speech is the physical act of producing sounds. There | | | | Other causes also occur. |
| are four major categories of problems. One cause is a | | | | Depending on where in the brain the injury occurred, |
| physical abnormality, such as a dental gap due to | | | | problems understanding language and difficulty |
| missing teeth or a gap between teeth. Some lisps are | | | | expressing oneself may result. A person could receive |
| an example of this. Cleft palates and cleft lips can also | | | | long directions and follow them, but not say he needs |
| result in speech that sounds different. | | | | a piece of equipment, for example. |
| A second cause is apraxia of speech, or verbal | | | | Word-finding problems are a special example of |
| apraxia, which is a sequencing problem. Sound clusters, | | | | difficulty expressing oneself. The word may be "on the |
| such as "str" are reduced to just "s", and long words | | | | tip of your tongue". Most people have occasional |
| are rarely spoken the same way twice. In fact, some | | | | difficulty with this, but if it is severe, this should be |
| syllables of long words are omitted at times. People | | | | investigated further. |
| with this problem may learn to speak in short words | | | | There may also be poor executive functioning, such as |
| as a way of hiding their difficulty. | | | | time management and sequencing skills. (This could |
| Dysarthria of speech sounds slurred. It comes from a | | | | include setting priorities, getting places on time, etc.) |
| weakness of various muscles. | | | | Math skills, both in basic operations like adding, and in |
| A fourth cause is idiopathic, or due to unknown causes. | | | | time and money skills, can be affected by head injuries |
| Stuttering is a special case. Research has often | | | | and strokes. |
| shown genetic components and physical differences | | | | Speech-language pathologists have the expertise to |
| int he brains of stutterers. Other people believe there | | | | diagnose and treat these problems. They may work |
| can be a psychological component, as when a person | | | | closely with your doctor, and often require a |
| starts stuttering when feelingunder a lot of stress or | | | | prescription from him before working with a client. |
| after a traumatic event. | | | | Help is available! Workers with these issues should talk |
| The two biggest causes of language problems are | | | | to their physicians, and check with their health plans |
| head injury, such as from car accidents, and strokes. | | | | about coverage. |