Speech and Language Disorders Across the Lifespan: Assessment, Risk Factors and Evidence-based Intervention

Abstract

Speech and language abilities are fundamental to learning, social participation, emotional expression, education and employment. Communication disorders may occur during childhood because of developmental, sensory, neurological, structural or environmental factors, or may be acquired during adulthood following stroke, traumatic brain injury, neurological disease or laryngeal pathology. An evidence-informed narrative review was undertaken using scientific and clinical information from PubMed-indexed reviews, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), World Health Organization (WHO), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and the Cochrane Library. Early identification is critical because communication problems may reflect hearing loss, developmental language disorder, speech sound disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, neurological injury, structural abnormalities or other conditions. Speech-language therapy shows evidence of benefit for several childhood language and speech disorders and for acquired aphasia following stroke. Communication disorders are heterogeneous and require individualized assessment. Early identification, appropriate referral, evidence-based speech-language intervention, family involvement and interdisciplinary rehabilitation are central to improving functional communication and participation.