(ROCKVILLE, MD-May 5, 2005) Speech, language, and hearing disorders affect one in 6 Americans. A person can have a communication disorder because of a stroke, an undetected hearing loss, a stuttering problem, a head injury, a movement or muscle problem, or another disorder or problem that interferes with speaking, understanding, hearing, or reading and writing.
Since 1927, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the national association for audiologists and speech-language pathologists, has recognized May as Better Hearing and Speech Month. Through health fairs, special newsletters, free hearing screenings, and other special events, audiologists and speech-language pathologists across the country reach out to inform people about speech, language and hearing disorders and new treatments that are available.
"Too often we take our ability to communicate for granted," said Dolores E. Battle, PhD, speech-language pathologist and ASHA president. "When we talk to our friends, listen to music, join a discussion, understand an idea, or express a thought, we realize that communication is essential to learning, working, and enjoying family life and friendships. By observing Better Hearing and Speech Month, we hope people will learn about communication disorders, about what they can do in their daily lives to maintain healthy communication, and about speech-language pathologists and audiologists who can help."
Speech and language problems take many forms. Babies can be born with them. Accidental injury or illness can cause them at any age. Speech problems include stuttering (the inability to produce fluent speech) or articulation problems (the inability to pronounce sounds correctly so that others have difficulty in understanding their speech). Language disorders limit a person's ability to understand spoken or written words. Voice disorders can affect the pitch, loudness, or quality of the voice. A voice disorder can also cause pain or discomfort when speaking or singing. Whatever their kinds or causes, speech and language disorders can have serious consequences. For children, speech and language problems can limit academic achievement, social adjustment, and career advancement.
Speech-language pathologists are the professionals who identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems including swallowing disorders. Speech-language pathologists work in schools, private practice, hospitals, clinics and other health education settings.
Hearing loss often occurs slowly and has many causes, such as exposure to noise, or hearing loss associated with aging. Hearing loss due to noise affects millions of Americans. Because this type of hearing loss is entirely preventable, ASHA strongly advises that people use noise-canceling headphones or ear plugs when they are in noisy environments or activities. For those with a hearing loss, some sounds may remain clear (often low-pitched sounds, such as the bass line in music) while others may seem fuzzy (frequently women's and children's high-pitched voices).
Signs of a hearing loss typically include:
- frequently asking people to repeat themselves;
- often turning your ear toward a sound to hear it better;
- understanding people better when you wear your glasses or look directly at their faces;
- losing your place in group conversations;
- keeping the volume on your radio or TV at a level that others say is too loud; or
- having pain or ringing in your ears.
ASHA recommends that children at risk for hearing loss, such as chronic ear infections or family history of hearing loss, be screened as frequently as needed to ensure they are hearing well. Otherwise, for children ages 5-18 hearing screenings should occur on initial entry into school and annually in kindergarten through 3rd grade as well as in the 7th and 11th grades. An annual hearing checkup is a good idea for people from age 45 and older.
Audiologists are the professionals who specialize in preventing, identifying, assessing, and treating hearing disorders. They provide treatment for hearing loss including properly fitting hearing aids and other assistive listening devices, and they can teach people with hearing loss how to concentrate on hearing all sounds.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific and credentialing association for more than 118,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. For free information or to locate an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist, consumers may call 800-638-8255 or visit www.asha.org.
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