Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Speech and Language Disorders

Psychiatric practice is founded upon communication, and knowledge of communication disorders is thus crucial to the psychiatric team. This is especially true for the care of children, since communication impairments are deeply interwoven in all aspects of normal development, psychopathology, and the functions of daily life. Neurodevelopmental communication disorders are classified according to the affected system (speech, language) as well as behavioral manifestations. Language disorder is characterized by lasting difficulties in language acquisition and use as a result of deficits in the production or understanding of language. Speech sound disorder (SSD) is characterized by failure to use speech sounds in a manner appropriate for one’s developmental level. Childhood-onset fluency disorder (COFD)Fluency disorder, commonly known as stuttering, is one of the most widely recognized disorders of speech and is characterized by interruptions in the normal flow of speech, including blocks, prolongations, and repetitions of words or part-words. Social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD) involves impaired pragmatic or social aspects of language, such as inferring humor or sarcasm during conversations or interpreting body language. All of these disorders must develop during childhood and must not be fully explainable by another medical, neurological, anatomical, psychiatric, or sensory condition. The communication disorders as a whole have a male predominance and are often familial. The evaluation and management of these disorders requires a multidisciplinary team, including a speech-language pathologist working with the psychiatrist and other team members.