Speech and Language Impairments

B

Vocational and social training.

Very few children can be regarded as totally uneducable, all those who have some form of handicap are capable of modifying and adapting their behavior. In the past 15 years there has been a move away from an academic educational system to a much more socially-orientated training and educational programme. In modern terms the education of the slow learner is seen as preparing the young adolescent and adult for life.

He must be able to work at a job. His work is likely to be semiskilled or unskilled, although in a number of cases skilled work has been carried out successfully. Therefore, individuals not only need to be taught a specific work skill but also to receive a general vocational training. Socially they learn to arrive on time, take instructions and use adequate language.

Home living skills, such as preparing meals, buying food, keeping home, clean require development.

A

Provision for the young handicapped child.

The importance of early special education is gaining recognition and specialists now consider that some educational help should be available from soon after birth in addition to medical and social support. It is possible for local education authorities to provide special education from the age of two. In recent years many authorities have been making arrangements for young children particularly those with impaired vision and hearing and with severe mental handicaps. The use of home visiting teachers is established in the field of handicap and is developing in the field of the severe mental handicap.

Teachers help parents to create a program of activities for their child and with other services provide support. Such a service ensures early attention to the child's special needs. Young handicapped children may also attend play groups and day nurseries supervisor by social services. In these situations they are associated with ordinary children.

B

Speech and Language Impairments

Speech and language disorders refer to problems in communication and related areas such as oral motor function. Some causes of speech and language disorders include hearing loss, neurological disorders, brain injury, mental retardation, drug abuse, physical impairments such as cleft lip or palate, and vocal abuse or misuse. Frequently, however, the cause is unknown.

Speech disorders refer to difficulties producing speech sounds or problems with voice quality. They might be characterized by an interruption in the flow or rhythm of speech, such as stuttering, which is called disfluency. Speech disorders may be problems with the way sounds are formed, called articulation or phonological disorders, or they may be difficulties with the pitch, volume or quality of the voice.

A language disorder is impairment in the ability to understand and/or use words in context, both verbally and nonverbally. Some characteristics of language disorders include improper use of words and their meanings, inability to express ideas, inappropriate grammatical patterns, reduced vocabulary and inability to follow directions.

B