Speech disorders refer to several conditions in which a person has problems creating or forming the speech sounds needed to communicate with others.

Three common speech disorders are:

• Articulation disorders
• Disfluency
• Voice disorders

See also: Language disorder - children

Articulation deficiency; Voice disorders; Vocal disorders; Disfluency; Communication disorder - speech disorder

Speech is one of the main ways in which we communicate with those around us. It develops naturally, along with other signs of normal growth and development.

Disfluencies are disorders in which a person repeats a sound, word, or phrase. Stuttering may be the most serious disfluency.

Articulation disorders may have no clear cause. They may also occur in other family members. Other causes include:

• Problems or changes in the structure or shape of the muscles and bones used to make speech sounds. These changes may include cleft palate and tooth problems.
• Damage to parts of the brain or the nerves (such as from cerebral palsy) that control how the muscles work together to create speech.

See also: Phonological disorders

Voice disorders are caused by problems when air passes from the lungs, through the vocal cords, and then through the throat, nose, mouth, and lips. A voice disorder may be due to:

• Acid from the stomach moving upward
• Cancer of the throat
• Cleft palate or other problems with the palate
• Conditions that damage the nerves that supply the muscles of the vocal cords
• Laryngeal webs or clefts (a birth defect in whcih a thin layer of tissue is between the vocal cords)
• Noncancerous growths (polyps, nodules, cysts, granulomas, papillomas, or ulcers) on the vocal cords
• Overuse of the vocal cords from screaming, constantly clearing the throat, or singing

Review Date: 09/28/2010
Reviewed By: Sumana Jothi, MD, Clinical Instructor, UCSF Otolaryngology, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)