What are Speech Language Disorders and why does it matter for your product?
Speech is how one produces words while speaking (how each individual sound is produced and the voice quality).
Language is the way we communicate with others. This can include gestures, body language, signs, tech-based speech output devices, and spoken words. Speech is just one way we can create language. We need language to read and write. We need language to express our wants and needs. We need language to learn.
Speech disorders are related to speech sound production, stuttering, and voice. Language disorders can affect how an individual understands someone talking to them, how they communicate to others, as well as reading and writing. There are many language disorders. One is Developmental Language Disorder. DLD is five times more prevalent than autism, affecting about 2 children in EVERY classroom (dldandme.org). This disorder makes talking and listening difficult. Specific deficits that DLD can cause:
Difficulty following directions
Difficulty following along in a conversation
Difficulty understanding content vocabulary words
Difficulty understanding grammatical structures that change the meaning of a message (passive voice, etc)
Difficulty asking questions
Difficulty finding the right words to express their thoughts, wants, and needs
Unorganized storytelling or personal experience expression
Children with DLD and other language disorders often miss jokes because they don’t understand the figurative language involved such as multiple-meaning words. For example, the joke “what has four wheels and flies” might conjure images of a flying car. The answer is “a garbage truck!” playing on the bug meaning of the word ‘flies’ rather than the verb. Children with language disorders will have difficulty grasping a new concept by “reading to learn” if that’s the only option provided for acquiring knowledge on a topic. A child may confuse the meaning of a message containing complex grammatical concepts such as passive voice (“the child was chased by the dog” may be perceived to mean ‘the child was chasing the dog’ instead of ‘the dog was chasing the child’).
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, Hearing Loss, and Intellectual Disability can co-exist. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) which is part of the US Dept of Health and Human Services, reported in 2016 that 3.3% of children in the US (almost 1 in 12) had a language disorder in the past 12 months. Other organizations that study specific language disorders cite much higher prevalence. It is difficult to determine an accurate number given the wide variety of different labels used to describe children with language disorders.
Given these difficulties, children with language disorders can often struggle to enjoy or be successful with many toys, games, and apps. The language within instructions for a game or puzzle as well as the language the characters use during an app could prevent a child with language disorders from participating.
Solve Learn Play can help you ensure your product/creation can be fully enjoyed by children with language disorders. Contact me if you’d like to schedule a free consultation to determine if this service could improve your product and expand your reach.