Communication Disorders

 A communication disorder is any disorder that affects a person's ability to grasp , detect, or apply language and speech to interact in discourse effectively with others. The delays and disorders can range from simple sound substitution to the lack to know or use one's language . Disorders and tendencies included and excluded under the category of communication disorders may vary by source. For example, the definitions offered by the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association differ from those of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual 4th edition (DSM-IV). Communication disorders involve persistent problems associated with language and speech. It is estimated that almost one in 10 American children has some sort of communication disorder. Language competence involves two main elements, according to the book Speech and Language Disorders in Children—production, or "the ability to encode one's ideas into language forms and symbols," and comprehension, "the ability to understand the meanings that others have expressed using language." Speech refers specifically to sound produced orally.