What is speech-language pathology?

Language is made of socially shared rules: what words mean (a “star” can be an object in the night sky or a celebrity), how to make new words (friend, friendly, unfriendly), how to put words together (“Peg walked to the new store,” not “Peg walk store new”), and which combination fits the situation (“Would you mind moving your foot?” can become “Get off my foot, please!” if the first request did not work).

Speech is the verbal means of communicating. Articulation is how sounds are made (children learn “rabbit,” not “wabbit”). Voice is the vocal folds and breath (overuse can mean hoarseness or loss of voice). Fluency is the rhythm of speech, including hesitations and stuttering.

When someone has trouble understanding others (receptive language) or sharing thoughts completely (expressive language), that is a language disorder. When sounds, fluency, or voice are the problem, that is a speech disorder. They can exist together or alone, mild or severe. Adults with aphasia and children with learning disabilities often have language problems.

Kelly’s 4-year-old, Tommy, speaks softly and his sounds are not clear. If his lips, tongue, and mouth are not moved at the right time, what he says will not sound right. That is a speech problem. Jane had a stroke. She speaks in one- or two-word sentences and has trouble following simple directions because she does not have a good grasp of word meaning and how to use words. That is a language problem.

In any case, a comprehensive evaluation by an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist is the first step.

From ASHA: Language and Speech.