Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

May Is Nation Wide Better Hearing Month

Speech, voice, and language disorders are serious, treatable, conditions that affect 14 million Americans. May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, a good time for Americans to take action to improve their speech and hearing and Ouachita Baptist University's speech pathology head is advising Clark County residents to do just that.

"Speaking comes so naturally for most of us we take it for granted," said speech-language pathologist Nancy Turner, OBU speech pathology professor. "But, for someone with a speech or language problem, words don't come easily. Expressing any thought is a struggle."

Speech and language disorders take many forms. Congenital problems, accident and stroke can cause speech and hearing problems. These disorders can limit academic achievement, social adjustment, and career advancement.

"Fortunately, most people with speech and hearing problems can be helped, said Turner. "Even if the problem cannot be eliminated, we can teach people with speech and language problems strategies to help them cope. A speech-language pathologist can help them express their needs and live more independently."

Some common speech and language disorders included struttering; articulatuion problems that cause people to pronounce sounds incorrectly, making their speech difficult to understand; language disorders that limit a person's ability to understand spoken or written words; and voice disorders that make speech impossible or extremely difficult.

Aphasia is a speech-language disorder that frequently follows stroke or brain injury. People with aphasia can think clearly, but cannot effectively express their thoughts. An estimated one million Americans have aphasia.

Speech-language pathologists are the professionals who treat all types of speech, language, and related disorders. They hold at least a master's degree and are certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Speech-language pathologists work in schools, private practice, hospitals, clinics, and other health and education settings.

"Anyone who has any difficulty speaking or understanding should consult a speech-language pathologist." said Turner. "A communication disorder is just too important to ignore."

For more information call 870-245-5540.