Delayed Speech and Language Therapy Service

Generally, speech is the sound that we utter(produce) with the help of our mouths(articulators). But, when this sound is not understood by others, it is indicative of a speech problem.

Some of the common speech problems include delayed speech, stuttering, mispronunciation(misarticulation) etc.

Delayed speech indicates a delay in the speech processing mechanism(production). Language, on the other hand, has less to do with sounds, it is more about meanings.

It is a measure of intelligence. Language delay indicates a delay in the use of the language.

In this context, it is important to state that speech and language delay are not the same. Since language and speech are two different stages(things); the two may be delayed individually. A child, who is unable to utter(produce) intelligent speech sound, might not be suffering from the delayed language.

In such a case, the child might be trying to utter (has age appropriate)language, but the language can be difficult to be understood(expressed in speech).similarly, a child having delayed language (not delayed speech), might not have got enough opportunity of producing speech sounds. Delayed language is when a child is developing language skill in the right sequence but at a slow rate.