1. Look for Physical Difficulties Formulating Words
Some speech disorders center on the repetition of certain sounds or an inability to pronounce some sounds. Apraxia is different because it affects the coordination of muscles necessary to generate speech. You may know exactly how to say the word you want, but your brain has difficulty telling your mouth and lips how to pronounce it. Developmental apraxia of speech is present from birth, and appears as a child begins to formulate speech patterns in the first few years of her life. Acquired apraxia of speech can affect anyone of any age, and often follows a stroke or injury to the head. In both cases, the symptoms vary, but can entail a difficulty in pronouncing longer words, a struggle to assemble sounds into words and inconsistent mistakes in pronouncing the same types of sounds.
2. Watch for Troubles With Both Speaking and Understanding
Aphasia is caused by damage to the brain, specifically those portions of the brain which affect speech, and interferes with both the ability to speak and the capacity to understand. It can arise from a stroke or a blow to the head, but it can also develop gradually when a brain tumor is involved. There are three general types of aphasia.
Broca's aphasia affects the frontal lobe of the brain. Those suffering from it will speak in short, direct sentences, and will often omit small words such as "a" or "the." They are usually aware of the issue and can become frustrated by their struggles to speak clearly.
Wernicke's aphasia comes from damage to the temporal lobe. People who have it will often insert odd or unnecessary words into their speech or speak in long phrases full of gibberish. Unlike those with Broca's aphasia, they often have a hard time understanding speech as well as speaking it, and are usually unaware of their condition.
Finally, global aphasia stems from widespread damage to the language centers of the brain. People affected by it have extreme difficulties with the most basic aspects of speech, and have an equal amount of trouble understanding speech from others.
3. Take Note of Stuttering
Stuttering is a very common speech disorder with a number of different causes. It can be inherited, arise from developmental factors in childhood, or caused by the brain's inability to send the right signals to the mouth. It's characterized by prolonged individual sounds, repetitions of the same basic sounds and a perceived inability to complete a given word or phrase. It can be accompanied by signs of struggle on the face such as a trembling jaw or rapidly blinking eyes. Most people who stutter are extremely aware of their condition and may become frustrated if others insist on pointing it out to them.
