speech difficulties
Trouble forming words
Speech difficulties are problems producing or articulating spoken language clearly.
The term covers a range of conditions—stuttering, lisping, slurring, or trouble forming certain sounds.
Speech difficulties may stem from physical causes, developmental delays, neurological conditions, or hearing impairment: The stroke left him with speech difficulties.
Distinguished from language difficulties, which involve comprehension or word-finding rather than articulation.
- spasmodic dysphoniaNeurological vocal cord disorder
- aphasiaNeurological language impairment
- dysarthriaMotor speech muscle disorder
- apraxiaVoluntary movement execution deficit
- cleft palateCongenital oral roof opening
cluttering · stuttering · selective mutism · tongue tied · memory loss · finding words · Down syndrome · cerebral palsy · laryngectomy · voice box · cognitive decline · lost for words · social anxiety disorder · oral cancer · intellectual disability · lisp · prolongation · hoarse
- mercury poisoningmethylmercury, Minamata disease, fish contamination, dental amalgam, thimerosal
speech difficultiesfluency
Smooth linguistic command
clear articulation · eloquence · verbal fluency · articulateness · clear speech