Speech, Swallowing, & Voice Specialists of Hawaii
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SPEECH/ LANGUAGE THERAPY SERVICES
Below are common speech/language impairments that affect communication.
APHASIA
Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain that are responsible for language. This disorder can impair the expression and/or understanding of language as well as reading and writing. People with aphasia may exhibit the following symptoms: speak in short or incomplete sentences, speak in sentences that don't make sense, substitute one word for another or one sound for another, speak unrecognizable words, not understand other people's conversation, and write sentences that don't make sense. The most common cause of aphasia is brain damage resulting from a stroke.
DYSARTHIA
Dysarthria occurs when the muscles you use for speech are weak or you have difficulty controlling them. Dysarthria often causes slurred or slow speech that can be difficult to understand. Some common symptoms are: slurred speech, slow speech, inability to speak louder than a whisper or speaking too loudly, rapid speech that is difficult to understand, nasal, raspy or strained voice, uneven or abnormal speech rhythm, uneven speech volume, monotone speech, and difficulty moving your tongue or facial muscles. Some common causes of dysarthria are Parkinson's Disease, Stroke ALS, Cerebral Palsy, Brain Injury, and Multiple Sclerosis.
APRAXIA
Apraxia is a speech sound disorder. A person with apraxia may have trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently. It is a neurological disorder that affects the brain pathways involved in planning the sequence of movements involved in producing speech. The brain knows what it wants to say, but cannot properly plan and sequence the required speech sound movements. People with apraxia may present with distorted sounds, inconsistent errors in sounds, groping for sounds, and errors in tone stress and rhythm of speech. Some common causes of apraxia are a stroke, head injury, tumor, or other illness affecting the brain.