Children with speech impediments struggle with creating or forming sounds, making it much harder to speak correctly, or in some cases, at all. This can be very frustrating for them and very challenging for their parents and caregivers. 

Of course, there are lots of different medical reasons that a child might suffer from a speech impediment, ranging from frequent ear infections all the way up to a traumatic brain injury. 

The good news is that through the use of speech and language therapy, along with other medical interventions, these speech impediments can be tackled. 

However, in order to do this, it is important to understand where these difficulties stem from and the reasons behind them. This makes choosing and introducing the most effective form of treatment much easier. 

With that in mind, here are eight medical causes of speech impediments in children. 

1. Hearing loss or problems 

Children who are born with hearing loss may have difficulty learning to speak clearly and the same can apply to those who lose their hearing or have it damaged at a later stage. These hearing problems mean they are more likely to struggle with linguistic skills like articulation and pronunciation because they cannot hear the sounds accurately.

Similarly, those children who suffer from recurrent ear infections may also experience temporary or permanent hearing loss which can impact their speech development.

2. Neurological disorders

There are several neurological disorders that can impact a child’s ability to speak. These include: 

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder may cause speech delays, echolalia (repeating words or phrases) or difficulty with some of the more social aspects of communication. 

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is a disorder that affects muscle control. In many cases, this includes the muscles required for speech. This can lead to articulation problems or dysarthria (a motor speech disorder) and affect their ability to speak. 

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) 

DLD is another neurological condition but the result of this disorder is that the child has difficulty learning, understanding or using language. 

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) 

CAS is a motor disorder where the brain struggles to coordinate the movements required for speech. This can lead to frequent errors when speaking and difficulty with sound production.

Rett Syndrome 

Lastly, there is Rett Syndrome. This is a neurological disorder that is more common in girls (though boys can still suffer from this), which can lead to a loss of spoken language and social withdrawal.

3. Oral-motor conditions 

One of the most common oral-motor conditions is Ankyloglossia, also known as tongue-tie. This is a condition where a child’s tongue has a restricted range of motion due to a short or tight lingual frenulum. This can affect their articulation and certain sounds, such as sounds like ‘I’ and ‘R’. 

Cleft palates and lips are another oral-motor condition that impacts children’s speech. This is a structural abnormality within the lip and palate that causes speech impediments. This is due to the fact it makes it harder to produce certain sounds or can cause nasal speech.

4. Anxiety disorders 

It’s not just physical illness or disorders that can impact speech, there are also some psychological factors that can cause speech impediments too. 

Anxiety disorders like selective mutism mean that although a child may be able to speak, they choose not to. This could be in certain social situations that they are uncomfortable in, leading to speech impediments or delays. 

Not only this but psychological trauma or extreme stress can also impact a child’s ability to speak. 

5. Genetic disorders

There are also several genetic disorders that can cause speech delays, repetitive speech and other communication difficulties in children. 

Down Syndrome is one of the more recognisable genetic disabilities. Children with Down Syndrome often have speech and language delays due to factors like low muscle tone in the face, hearing loss and/or cognitive impairment.

Some other disorders include Fragile X and Angelman Syndrome. These affect the nervous system and cause severe physical challenges and learning disabilities.

6. Phonological disorders

Phonological disorders can lead to speech and language problems, particularly difficulty understanding the sound system of language and its rules, which causes errors when the child speaks. 

This can lead to fluency disorders like a stutter which are characterised by repetitions, prolongations or blocks in their speech. There may also be problems with the flow, rhythm and speed of their speech when phonological disorders are involved. 

7. Muscle weakness 

It takes up to 100 muscles to speak, therefore, muscle weakness or issues with muscle control can affect a child’s speech. 

Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder (or series of inherited disorders) that leads to a progressive weakening of the muscles that can affect speech over time. 

A rare but similar condition is Myasthenia Gravis, only this is an autoimmune disorder. This also causes muscle weakness throughout the body, which has the potential to affect the muscles involved in speech.

8. An injury to the brain 

Lastly, these medical issues don’t always have to be genetic or something a child is born with.

A traumatic brain injury at a young age can impair the area of a child’s brain that is responsible for their speech and language development. This leads to difficulties in speech production and how they communicate.

Treating the causes of speech impediments

Each of these medical conditions can manifest in different ways depending on the child and the severity of their illness or injury. However, through medical evaluation, in particular, through speech and language assessments (SALT) it is possible to determine the specific cause of a child’s speech impediment. 

Early intervention is crucial for addressing these issues as fast and effectively as possible. Through proper treatment, these impediments can be managed and children can be given the support they need to strengthen their communication skills. 

Some of the most common treatments include tailored exercises and activities as part of structured speech therapy. Other treatments might include medication, hearing aids for those suffering from relevant conditions and counselling for those with psychological disorders.