Speech Therapy CT, Occupational, Physical Therapy, Counseling

Speech and Language Are Not the Same

When describing a child's ability to communicate - or difficulty with this skill, it is important to understand that speech and language are not the same.  Children can have problems with speech, language or both.  This is often confusing to individuals that are new to speech-language therapy.

Speech refers to the production of sounds; that is, the ability to produce sounds with clarity.  Speech requires intact articulators (mouth, tongue , lips, etc.) that are effective for sound production.

Language refers to the use and understanding of words.  That includes vocabulary, grammar, and the formulation of sentences.  It also refers to the use of language in social contexts (pragmatic language skills).

This is an example of a child who does not have mastered speech ability, but does have the needed language skill for the task at hand. The child points to a picture of an elephant and says:  "ewabut".

Conversely, this is an example of a child who does have speech (articulation) ability, but is missing the language skill for the activity.  The child points to a picture of an elephant and says:  "table".

By understanding the difference between speech and language, parents can better identify and describe their child's strengths and difficulties.  This can assist the speech-language pathologist during the assessment and diagnostic stage.