Common Causes

Autism is perhaps the most common pervasive developmental disorder. This article discusses how autism affects verbal and nonverbal communication, as...

If a brain injury involves the area of the brain that controls speech and language, speech difficulties and disorders may result. This article...

Cancer can affect many different parts of the body, but when it affects the mouth and/or larynx it can impede an individual's ability to speak....

Cerebral palsy is a medical condition that results from a brain injury that was sustained either before, during or very shortly after an individual’s...

Child abuse can take many forms including physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. While physical abuse and sexual abuse usually leave...

Cleft lips and palates can cause significant obstacles to verbal speech. Because cleft lips and palates are not well understood by the general...

Dementia is not a specific disease, but instead is the term used to describe a group of symptoms that are caused by a variety of disorders and...

Drug abuse, sometimes also called substance abuse, is a term used to describe the use of both legal and illegal drugs for non-therapeutic and/or...

Hearing is critical to the development of speech and language skills. This article discusses types of hearing loss, degrees of hearing loss,...

Neurological disorders are disorders which affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles. This article discusses three neurological disorders...

Physical impairments can cause or exacerbate speech difficulties by leaving individuals physically unable to produce speech in a normal manner. This...

A stroke occurs when the blood flow to the brain is disrupted, usually by a blood clot, and cells of the brain die and are damaged. This article...

Vocal abuse or misuse is often described as “vocal loading.” Vocal loading is a term used to describe stress put on the speech organs (mouth throat,...