International Journal of Pediatric Nursing

 Intervention of children with disability should be holistic. Rarely, wellbeing of the family is given its due importance. The impact of the disability on the family members is always overlooked. Communication disorders in children pose a significant challenge to the family as a whole and measures should be taken to address this issue. Failure of which, would ultimately have its negative impact on the progress of child with communication disability.

Keywords: Psychosocial Issues; Parents; Communication Disorders; Intellectual Disability; Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Family.

 Speech - Language Pathologists (SLPs) have shown keen interest in childhood language disorders for more than 40 years. It has become a common scenario today to find that children experience pressure during language development. In addition, a rapid increase in the number of communication disorders in children during the recent times is threatening. Although this condition has gained popularity and understanding in the west, it is yet to attain complete awareness in the Indian context. The aim of this article is to facilitate understanding of these disorders among the health professionals and public to favor early identification and intervention of these children in Indian conditions.

Keywords: Childhood Language Disorders; Early Identification and Intervention ; SLPs.

 Speech is a form of communication which is done verbally.A Speech-Language Pathologist is concerned with the assessment, diagnosis and management of the disorders pertaining to Speech and Language. Speech is a unique act performed by humans with the co-ordination and normal functioning of the respiratory system, phonatory system, articulatory system, resonatory system and nervous system.To understand the disorders of speech it is essential to know the components of Speech, which are fluency, articulation, voice and prosody. Each component plays an important role in normal speech. When there is a breakdown in one or more components it results in a speech disorder. Disorders of speech can be a result of structural and/or functional abnormalities. When a child is suspected to have disordered speech, an SLP will examine thoroughly. Informal and formal tests will also be administered as and when required. Suitable therapeutic strategies are then employed or suggested for intervention. A multidisciplinary team approach right from suspicion of a disorder, to management would give the best outcome for the child.

Keywords: Communication; Speech; Language; Speech Language Pathologist, Speech Disorders; Fluency; Articulation; Voice and Prosody.

 Hearing loss affects every sphere of child’s life, from language development to the social wellbeing. Even a mild hearing loss is observed to cause significant effect. New inventions have brought phenomenal changes in the intervention of hearing loss. However, Challenge lie in providing efficient intervention as early as possible.

Keywords: Hearing Loss; Effect of Hearing Loss; Early Intervention; Hearing Aids; Cochlear Implant; Baha.

 Sprouting of brain happens during critical period. Hearing loss during this period has a devastating effect on the child’s development. Early identification of hearing loss is crucial to minimize this impact. Technological improvements have brought in effective identification procedures. However, challenge lies in the execution of efficient programs, especially, in developing countries.

Keywords: Hearing Loss; Early Identification; Universal Hearing Screening; ABR & OAE.

 World health organization estimates around 32 million children suffer from hearing loss. Hearing loss significantly affects the speech and language development of children. Onset of causes for hearing loss can occur as early as at embryonic development. Understanding hearing loss and their causes facilitates early intervention.The article provides an intuition into the reversible and irreversible causes for hearing loss at different stages through childhood.

Keywords: Conductive Hearing Loss; Sensori-Neural Hearing Loss; Syndromic; Non-Syndromic; Otitis Media; Pre-Natal; Peri-Natal; Post -Natal.

 Language is a set of symbols, which is used for communication. It is a means to express ideas and communicate wants and needs. Language is partly innate and partly learnt. Speech is one of the means to express language, the others being gestures, pictures etc. Auditory skills are an essential prerequisite to develop language (verbal) and speech. This article briefly brings forth the normal developmental stages of auditory skills, language and speech sounds in typically developing children from birth upto five years of age. In auditory skills, there is a change from developing just orienting responses (to environmental sounds) to a sustained attention to speech. In the receptive language domain, there is an increase from comprehending simple commands to complex ones. There is an increase in comprehension in the of variety of question forms and discourse comprehension. In the expressiveverbal language domain, there is an increase from first word to phrase production to sentence level utterances. Subsequently, lengthy descriptions and narration are produced. In speech sound production, vocalisations and vowels predominate the beginning and gradually all the phonemes in the particular language are acquired.