Communication disorders are conditions that impair a person’s ability to speak or understand language. Many of these disorders are diagnosed during childhood. Patients may struggle in academic settings and may have problems with social interaction. Many children with these disorders show dramatic improvement by adolescence. However, people with severe communication disorders may experience ongoing challenges to their ability to function as independent adults.

Communication disorders include:

• Expressive language disorder. Impaired ability to express oneself, including difficulty with vocabulary, complex sentences and recall of words.
  
  
• Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder. Impaired ability to express oneself and understand language.
  
  
• Phonological disorder. Inability to use appropriate sounds while speaking, given the patient’s age, developmental stage and dialect. Mild forms such as lisping are most common.
  
  
• Stuttering. Interruptions in a person’s ability to form the words and sentences necessary to verbally communicate with other people.

Additional disorders include aphasia (inability to speak or understand language), auditory processing disorder (inability to recognize subtle differences in sounds) and apraxia of speech (difficulty connecting sounds and syllables to form words in the correct way).

The cause of many communication disorders is unknown. Heredity appears to play a role. In some cases, an illness, accident or injury to the brain, or a physical or mental impairment can cause a communication disorder. Symptoms of communication disorders should be reported to a physician. Early diagnosis and treatment of these disorders is likely to yield the best possible outcome for patients.

Speech and language therapy is frequently recommended for patients who have communication disorders. Patients may also benefit from psychotherapy if emotional or behavioral problems are associated with the communication disorder.