Language disabilities/impediments to fluency - Term Paper Example

Language disabilities/impediments to fluency Language disabilities are associated with the way people speak, such that peoplewho are affected by these disabilities tend to lack fluency. Individuals affected by language disabilities will most likely be found repeating some words, have long poses and hesitations during a communication or even tend to revise some phrases within a sentence (Vinson, 21). Such problems tend to make communication for such individuals a little difficult than it is for people without language disabilities. While certain aspects of language disabilities may be innate such that an individual is born with a language disability such as stuttering, some language fluency problems arises from the fact that the individual communicating is “having conflicting thoughts” (Howell and Borsel, 47). Additionally, when the sentence structure is fairly difficult, lengthy or comprising of new words and phrases that an individual has never encountered before, there are high chances that a fluency problem will arise. Language disabilities cause difficulties in the development of proper language skills for children, owing to the fact that such children tend to focus more on the difficulties they are having in making fluent speech. The outcome is that the children will tend to speak only when it is necessary, or they tend to “avoid certain words or sounds”, which they perceive as highly difficult to pronounce (Vinson, 7). Interjections within the sentences tend to increase, with people having a language disabilities tending to apply sounds like "um" or "ah" more frequently in their communication, thus making their communication even poorer (Kuder, 86). Although language disability is a communication problem, it is likely to have a significant negative effect on the personal and social development of children, while also affecting their classroom performance negatively. Nevertheless, parents, teachers and the society can play a significant role in mitigating the negative effects of language disabilities/impediments to fluency on the affected school children, which would in turn allow normal socialization and classroom performance for such children. Language disability/impediment to fluency does not necessarily mean that the affected individuals are retarded in normal growth and development. People suffering from language disabilities are equally intelligent as the non-stuttering individual, and thus given a chance they will compete with the non-stuttering individual in different aspects of life at a similar level (Hoodin, 33). A high percentage of children grow through some sort of “language disability between the age of 2 and 5 years”, but such children are often unaware of any tension in their speech (Vinson, 77). This makes it possible for such children to overcome and outgrow the weakness, considering the fact that such children have not internalized the speech problem as an anomaly. However, the problem with language disability starts to accelerate starting the age of 6 years onwards, when such children start developing cognitive and social abilities. The increased cognitive and social abilities allow such children to notice the difference in the way they speak from the way the rest of the society does. The “language disorders for different individuals therefore range from mild to severe” (Kuder, 13). This is based on the way the environment and the social setting are built towards enabling the affected individuals to communicate more openly. Therefore, without social hindrances, there are higher chances that individuals affected by language disabilities might improve their communication abilities to levels that are not so divergent from the normal speech process in the society. The impediments to fluency can take varied forms, such that the outcome of the individual communication is the impairment in articulation of the “speech sounds, voice or wording fluency” (Howell and Borsel, 53). The speech and language disorder is primarily characterized by speech articulation problems, while the other associated problems with the speech and language disorder are secondary functions of the social interaction and the immediate environment in which the affected individual lives. The articulation of speech can take the form of production of atypical speech sounds that may entail the omission of some words, unnecessary additions or even the distortion of the sentence structure that may eventually interfere with the way the speech is comprehensible (Vinson, 65). Therefore, language disability is not a causative agent for altered natural or academic intelligence abilities, but only a problem of communication for the affected individuals. This is because, while” fluency is a necessary condition for language proficiency”, it is not a sufficient condition on its own (Vinson, 72). Thus, the individuals affected by language disabilities can still be able to read and write appropriately, while at the same time being able to comprehend the content of the material they read. Nevertheless, school children and students suffering from language disabilities are associated with poor academic performance and even low-intelligence levels (Hoodin, 39). The low intelligence and poor academic abilities for such students may be perceived as resulting from their language disabilities, but the major influence for the intelligence and academic capabilities for students suffering from language disabilities is the nature of their socialization. Language disabilities/impediments to fluency can shape the life of the affected individuals negatively, not based on the fact that they have a weakness in communication, but because the society is treating their weakness as an anomaly. Language disabilities may be a weakness on the side of a child, but the way the society responds to this weakness has a high influence on the way the child will eventually develop socially (Hoodin, 56). Despite the fact that language disability is a primary problem that is not the fault of the person affected, the affected individual may develop other behavioral responses in form of secondary or accessory behaviors to adapt or responds to the environment . This is influenced by the way the people interacting with the affected individual “behave and communicate with them” (Kuder, 45). The secondary behavioral responses for the affected individual include refusing to speak even when the individual has the need to communicate, in fear of the reactions of the people to whom the individual is communicating. The effect of this persisted behavior is that the individual affected by the language disability will eventually develop anti-social behavioral tendencies that may cause the individual fail to develop the right communication and social skills. Such individuals might turn out to be “shy, reserved or withdrawn” from the rest of the society (Kuder, 42). Therefore, the anti-social behavior associated with people suffering from language disabilities is not primarily caused by their communication weaknesses, but by the secondary behavioral reaction to the social reactions. Further, the manner in which the society react towards the communication weakness that people suffering from language disabilities have, tend to influence their performance in school (Hoodin, 22). One of the major reactions associated with the people affected by language disability is pretending to forget what they wanted to say, so they can “avoid the embarrassment of non-fluent communication” (Hoodin, 58). Consequently, school children and students will tend to avoid active participation in class through asking and answering questions in class, so that their speaking is only limited to the essentials. The other secondary behavioral tendency associated with the individuals suffering from the language disabilities is the use of the ‘filler’ words to cover up for the speaking inadequacy, and make the speech sound normal (Vinson, 91). This inclusion of unnecessary sounds and words in sentences eventually affects the grammatical structure of the individual, such that their communication, both oral and written is characterized by the improper language and sentence structures. The other secondary behavioral tendency associated with the people suffering from language disability is the “rearrangement of words within sentences” (Vinson, 102). This behavior is meant to make the individuals apply a certain sentence structure or pattern that will not cause difficulties in pronunciation of the series of words in a sentence, thus reducing the stuttering effect. While this behavior might initially be pegged on oral communication, it eventually becomes a communication habit both orally and in written communication, thus affecting the student grammar, learning and performance in class work (Howell and Borsel, 16). Therefore, parents and teachers have an important role to play in assisting children suffering from language disabilities /fluency impediments. Despite the fact that certain therapies can be applied as treatment for language disabilities, the school offer a better socialization environment for children. This is because, children at school can communicate both formally and informally, thus offering diversity in speech and language development environment. The first role that teachers can play in mitigating the negative effects of Language disabilities/impediments to fluency on affected school children is reducing the rate of speech (Kuder, 12). Children affected by language disabilities or fluency problems are disoriented more, when a fast rate of speech is applied. This is because, young children are known to often “imitate the speech rates and patterns of their parents, or other significant adults that are in their environment” (Hoodin, 67). Additionally, individuals suffering from language disabilities have to think through and organize their wording and phrases before they can eventually put the same into writing. The reduction in the rate of speech by parents at home will enable the affected child to apply the same rate in speaking, thus making it possible to mention all the words, and voice all the necessary sounds without the need for “omission or addition of some words” (Howell and Borsel, 27). Similarly, if the teachers match the slow rate applied by the parents in speaking, the child is likely to adapt to the same rate, and thus become more capable of speaking without unnecessary distortions or alterations either in the wording or phrasing of sentences. The slow rate of speech will provide children with the time to organize thoughts and choose their vocabularies sufficiently, since the motor competencies for children to process speech are lower than that of adults (Howell and Borsel, 32). The other important method through which the negative effect of language disabilities and fluency impediments can be mitigated is through showing appreciation for what the affected children communicate, as opposed to how they say it (Hoodin, 71). This can take the form of trying to process the meaning of the words spoken by such children, and only ask them to “repeat the words or phrases that were not understood, as opposed to the ones lacking fluency or proper sentence structuring” (Kuder, 83). This effectively gives the affected children the confidence and the moral boost to feel that they are capable of communicating to the rest of the society. It is only when the attention is focused on “the meaning of the communication as opposed to the manner of production of communication”, that understanding the individuals affected by language disabilities commence (Kuder, 19). Self-esteem is a fundamental determinant of the personal and social development of individuals. Therefore, when attention is focused on understanding the meaning of communication, the self-esteem of the affected individuals is enhanced, and thus they are encouraged to continue making efforts to communicate better. However, when attention is focused on the manner of production of the communication, the affected individuals’ self-esteem is affected, and thus they tend to revert to withdrawn and anti-social tendencies (Hoodin, 46). Finally, the society, parents and teachers can help mitigate the negative effects of language disabilities and fluency impediments through “acknowledging the influences without labeling them” (Vinson, 22). This simply means that the area of lack of fluency for the individuals affected by language disabilities should be highlighted for possible correction, without referring such issues as disabilities or problems. This way, the affected individuals will have a positive attitude while trying to adapt the right language or mode of speech, since their inadequacy has not been treated as a weakness, but rather as an error that needs to be corrected (Howell and Borsel, 49). The identification of the area of non-fluencies should also be followed by assuring the students that “it is normal to have non-fluencies” (Kuder, 56). It is such positive attitude that makes the affected children to feel in control of the speech. Additionally, allowing the affected children to talk about their areas of interest and about whichever topic they like to discuss is important in allowing them develop natural speech abilities. Speech is better developed when it is naturally flowing, as opposed to when it is guided, instructed or even restricted to fit in certain predefined structures (Hoodin, 48). In this respect, where the children affected by language disabilities are placed in a free and open interactive environment, they learn to communicate better, as opposed to when they are being instructed to use certain words, sounds or phrases in certain order. Works Cited Hoodin, Ronald B. Intervention in Child Language Disorders: A Comprehensive Handbook. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2011. Print. Howell, Peter, and John . Borsel. Multilingual Aspects of Fluency Disorders. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, 2011. Print. Kuder, Jay. Teaching Students with Language and Communication Disabilities. Pearson Education, 2013. Print. Vinson, Betsy P. Language Disorders Across the Lifespan. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Read More