Speech is of key importance in the formation of higher functions of the child’s nervous system. It serves as a means of communication with adults, acts as a basis for the development of thinking. Speech provides an opportunity for regulation and planning of behavior, organization of the child’s mental life. It affects the formation of the personality as a whole.
All this made it necessary to detect speech impairment at the earliest stages of development . The classification of speech disorders , proposed by leading experts, allows you to detect failures in the formation of higher functions and take the necessary measures in a timely manner.
Relevance of the issue
Modern classifications of speech disorders are aimed at systematizing anomalies that occur in almost every child with different developmental disabilities. Some of them relate directly to pronunciation processes. Such anomalies are manifested in a decrease in speech intelligibility and are not accompanied by additional disorders.
Other deviations are associated with the phonemic side of the tongue. They are expressed not only by pronunciation defects, but also by insufficient mastery of the sound composition of words. This, in turn, entails a violation of reading and writing.
The third category of anomalies includes communicative abnormalities. They create obstacles when teaching a child at school and interfere with social adaptation. Children who have speech impairment are in a special category. They retain intelligence and hearing. But the existing deviations negatively affect the other sides of the psyche.
The main classification of speech disorders
Today, all deviations are systematized in two ways. The first is the clinical and pedagogical classification of speech disorders . It includes two groups of deviations. The first is formed by violations of oral, and the second - written language. These groups, in turn, are divided into subgroups.
The second classification is psychological and pedagogical. Its occurrence is due to the need for group work. For speech therapy impact on the team it was necessary to find general patterns of manifestation of speech defects in various forms of anomalies.
Oral Abnormality Group
The clinical classification of speech disorders has been developed mainly in relation to primary anomalies. Oral abnormalities are divided into:
- Disorder of the external (phonation) design of the pronunciation side.
- Internal (structural-semantic) systemic or polymorphic failure.
The phonon deviations differ depending on the link that is affected. This can be voice formation, tempo-rhythmic organization of utterance, intonational-melodic, sound-pronouncing elements. All disorders can be detected in combination or in isolation.
Athonia / Dysphonia
The classification of speech disorders distinguishes several types of anomalies. One of them is a disorder or lack of phonation due to pathological changes in the vocal apparatus. This anomaly is expressed either by the absence of phonation (aphonia), or a violation of the pitch, timbre and strength of voice (dysphonia).
Such a deviation is caused by functional organic disorders of the mechanism of voice formation of a peripheral or central nature. It can appear at any stage of development of the child. Such a violation can occur on its own or in combination with other disorders.
Bradilalia
It is a pathologically slow speech pace. A synonym for the term is the concept of bradyphrasia. Bradylalia is expressed in delayed articulation. It is caused by violations in the speech centers of the brain. By its nature, bradylalia can be functional or organic.
Tachilalia
This is the opposite of bradyllia deviation. It is expressed in a pathologically accelerated pace of speech. Tachyllalia can also be organic or functional. With delayed articulation, speech becomes stretched, monotonous, lethargic, while accelerated - swift, hasty, assertive.
Tachyllia may be accompanied by agramatism. In some cases, such phenomena are distinguished as independent anomalies: paraphrasia, buttarism. The classification of speech disorders combines bradyllia and tachyllia under the general name - tempo disorder. They have various consequences. For example, there is an anomaly of smoothness, melodic-intonational expressiveness, and the rhythm of speech.
Stuttering
It represents a violation of the temporal rhythmic aspect of speech. Stuttering is caused by the convulsive state of the musculature of the articulation apparatus. This disorder is centrally caused, may be organic or functional in nature. As a rule, stuttering occurs in the process of speech development as part of the transition to phrasal presentation. It is associated with a sharply negative emotional reaction of the child to some external stimulus.
Stuttering also contributes to the lack of stability of the central nervous system, in some cases due to organic brain damage. Violations of the temporal rhythmic aspect of speech are associated with convulsions of different sections of the peripheral apparatus - articulatory, respiratory, voice.
Dislalia
It is a violation of the pronunciation of sounds during normal innervation of the apparatus of speech and hearing. Dyslalia is expressed in the incorrect phonemic (sound) spelling of words. In particular, the child distorts the pronunciation of sounds, mixes them or replaces one with another. Deviation can be caused by incorrect or incomplete formation of the articulatory base.
The classification of speech disorders provides for the distinction between dyslalia on the functional and mechanical. The latter is associated with anatomical abnormalities of the articulatory apparatus. Functional dyslalia is caused by unfavorable conditions for the development of speech or impaired phonemic hearing.
Rinolalia
This deviation is associated with a violation of the pronunciation of sounds and timbre of the voice. It is caused by anatomical and physiological disorders. Rhinolalia is expressed in a change in timbre and distorted pronunciation in connection with a disorder of normal participation in the vocal formation of the nasal cavity. An air stream passes through it, as well as through the mouth. Sounds become too nasal. Speech as a whole is monotonous and illegible. This form of rhinolalia is called open.
The closed type of deviation is caused by violations of the normal patency of the nasal cavity with adenoids, tumors, curvature of the septum, inflammatory processes of a chronic nature. In this case, this department is partially or completely disconnected from the process of voice formation. The speech loses some overtones, it starts to sound dull. The nasal sounds "n", "m" sound distorted.
Dysarthria
This is a violation of the pronunciation aspect of speech. It is caused by organic deficiency in the innervation of the apparatus. In dysarthria, the links of the pronunciation mechanism are not formed. As a result of this, articulatory-phonetic and voice defects arise. In the severe course of the disorder, the sound-producing side is completely absent. This condition is called anarthria.
With a mild degree, defects are manifested mainly in articulatory-phonetic disorders. In this case, the condition is usually called the erased form of dysarthria. However, it should be distinguished from dyslalia. Differentiation of disorders can only be done by a specialist. Dysarthria occurs due to damage to the central nervous system in cerebral palsy. However, it can appear at any stage of development in connection with neuroinfection or other brain pathologies.
Alalia
The classification of speech disorders associated with structural-semantic design is represented by two types of anomalies. The first is alalia. It represents the absence or underdevelopment of speech. This condition is caused by damage to the corresponding zones of the cerebral cortex at the intrauterine or early stage of development. This defect is considered one of the most complex. It entails a violation of the selection and programming operations at all stages of perception and reproduction of a statement, and prevents the formation of a system of language tools. The management of speech operations is impaired. This is reflected in the reproduction of the syllable and sound composition of words.
Alalia appears when the speech sections of the cerebral hemispheres (centers of Wernicke and Brock) are damaged. In accordance with this, sensory and motor abnormalities are distinguished. In the latter case, the understanding of speech addressed to the child is largely preserved, but the ability to reproduce words is sharply impaired. Sensory alalia is accompanied by a disturbance in the perception of the words of others.
The classification of speech disorders in speech therapy is of particular importance in situations where it is necessary to differentiate primary defects from secondary ones. In particular, this applies to alalia. Often there are complex cases in which the problem of differentiating it from speech development disorders against the background of hearing impairment and mental retardation arises.
Aphasia
This defect represents a partial or complete loss of previously formed speech. Aphasia is caused by local brain damage. It can be vascular pathologies, inflammatory processes, head injury. Usually a violation is considered aphasia if it occurs after reaching 3 years. This anomaly is divided into several types.
Psychological and pedagogical classification of speech disorders
It uses various criteria. The key are psychological and linguistic features. Among them, structural components of the system (grammar, sound aspect, vocabulary), the ratio of activities (oral and written), as well as functional aspects are taken into account.
The psychological and pedagogical classification of speech disorders includes two groups of disorders. The former are associated with a deviation in the formation of means of communication, while the latter are associated with defects in their application. Let's consider them in more detail.
Communication Media Disorder
The classification of speech disorders of children includes two subgroups of such anomalies:
- Phonetic and phonemic underdevelopment. It is a disorder of the processes of formation of the pronunciation system in connection with a defect in the perception and reproduction of phonemes.
- General underdevelopment. It includes a variety of complex deviations. These anomalies cause a violation of the formation of all system components related to the semantic and sound side of speech.
In the second subgroup, several common features are distinguished. These include:
- Agrammatisms.
- A poor supply of words.
- Later the beginning of the formation and development of speech.
- Defects in pronunciation and phoneme formation.
OHR is expressed to varying degrees. This may be a complete absence of speech, its babbling state or its expanded presence, but with elements of lexical-grammatical and phonemic underdevelopment.
Communication Disorders
The pedagogical classification of speech disorders includes stuttering in this category. It is considered as a disorder of communicative function with properly formed means of communication. In practice, a combined defect can also be detected. In this case, stuttering is accompanied by general speech underdevelopment.
OHR levels
Psychologist R. E. Levina identifies three degrees of disorders:
- On the first, there is an almost or absolutely complete absence of means of communication at the age of 5-6, when a child without pathology generally has speech. In the vocabulary there are sounds or onomatopoeic complexes. They, as a rule, are incomprehensible to others and are accompanied by gestures.
- At the second level, common, but somewhat distorted words arise. A distinction is made between individual grammatical forms. At the same time, a significant lag in pronunciation opportunities is revealed in comparison with peers.
- At the third level, an expanded phrasal speech appears with elements of phonetic-phonemic and lexical-grammatical underdevelopment. Communication with others is carried out only with the help of an adult.
The classification of speech disorders involves the allocation of the fourth level. It is characterized by mild lexical and grammatical disorders that make it difficult to master writing in elementary school.