Stages Of Speech Development Research Articles

Impacts of Development, Dentofacial Disharmony, and Its Surgical Correction on Speech: A Narrative Review for Dental Professionals.

Speech is a communication method found only in humans that relies on precisely articulated sounds to encode and express thoughts. Anatomical differences in the maxilla, mandible, tooth position, and vocal tract affect tongue placement and broadly influence the patterns of airflow and resonance during speech production. Alterations in these structures can create perceptual distortions in speech known as speech sound disorders (SSDs). As craniofacial development occurs, the vocal tract, jaws, and teeth change in parallel with stages of speech development, from babbling to adult phonation. Alterations from a normal Class 1 dental and skeletal relationship can impact speech. Dentofacial disharmony (DFD) patients have jaw disproportions, with a high prevalence of SSDs, where the severity of malocclusion correlates with the degree of speech distortion. DFD patients often seek orthodontic and orthognathic surgical treatment, but there is limited familiarity among dental providers on the impacts of malocclusion and its correction on speech. We sought to review the interplay between craniofacial and speech development and the impacts of orthodontic and surgical treatment on speech. Shared knowledge can facilitate collaborations between dental specialists and speech pathologists for the proper diagnosis, referral, and treatment of DFD patients with speech pathologies.

Between support and help – cooperation between a family assistant and a speech therapist

The main purpose of the article is to draw attention to the need for cooperation between a family assistant and a speech therapist, which rarely occurs. An assistant is another profession called to work with a family in the area of support. "The main task of an assistant is to support parents in the proper fulfillment of their caring and educational functions and shaping the skills of family members in finding solutions to life difficulties" (Krasiejko, 2016, p. 5). Therefore, work in this profession requires continuous expansion of competences and their adaptation to the needs of those under their care. The article introduces one of the topics that a family assistant can meet in his work and which can be a challenge for him, mainly the topic of the correct and incorrect development of a child's speech. Stages of speech development were discussed, with particular attention to preschool children. The presented description of the course of speech development (normative - delayed - disturbed) will allow the family assistant to catch an early deviation from the norm, draw the child's guardians attention to the need for a speech therapy assessment of speech development and to help in organizing consultations with a speech therapist. As a result of the examination, the speech therapist will decide whether to start therapy and refer you to specialist examinations (e.g. audiological, ENT, orthodontic, psychological).

Long-term ventilator-dependent children: a vocal profile analysis

Ventilator dependent children need to be able to communicate effectively to be able to re-integrate into society. This study was performed to see if the Vocal Profile Analysis can be used to assess the voice quality produced by speaking aids in ventilated children, and therefore help to direct speech therapy input. This study attempted to evaluate vocal function using a perceptual rating scale in four ventilator-dependent children fitted with the Passy-Muir Tracheostomy Speaking Valve. The children were at different stages of speech development and had either intact or abnormal cognitive function. The evaluation was performed independently by three trained speech therapists blinded to the child's underlying diagnosis. Although speaking aids enhanced verbal communication skills, most of the subjects still displayed marked abnormalities of speech. There was significantly greater agreement among the trained observers when assessing children who were cognitively intact at the time of the study. The older child with intact cognitive function achieved near normal speech potential with the speaking valve. The Vocal Profile Analysis is a useful tool for assessing vocal characteristics in ventilated children with intact cognitive function. Near normal speech can be attained with speaking aids, provided a certain stage of speech development has already been attained.