Language disorders include all disorders that can affect a person’s ability to speak but also to communicate. They can be of psychological or physical origin (neurological, physiological, etc.), concern speech, but also semantics (difficulty remembering the right word, the meaning of words, etc.).

A distinction is generally made between language disorders occurring in children, which are rather disorders or delays in the acquisition of language, and disorders affecting adults in a secondary way (after a stroke, for example, or after a stroke. trauma). It is estimated that about 5% of children of one age group have language development disorders.

Language disorders and their causes are very varied. Among the most common are:

• aphasia (or mutism): loss of the ability to speak or understand language, written or spoken
• dysphasia: language development disorder in children, written and spoken
• dysarthria: joint disorder due to brain damage or damage to the various organs of speech
• stuttering: speech flow disorder (repetitions and blockages, often at the first syllable of words)
• buccofacial apraxia: disorder in the mobility of the mouth, tongue and muscles that allow you to speak clearly
• dyslexia: written language disorder
• la dysphonie spasmodique : voice impairment caused by spasms of the vocal cords (laryngeal dystonia)
• dysphonia: voice problem (hoarse voice, inappropriate vocal tone or intensity, etc.)

Language and speech disorders group together many entities with very varied causes.

These disorders can have a psychological origin, a muscular or neurological origin, cerebral, etc.

It is therefore impossible to list all the pathologies that can affect language.

In children, language delays and disorders can be linked, among others:

• deafness or hearing loss
• attachment disorders or psychoaffective deficiencies
• paralysis of speech organs
• rare neurological diseases or brain damage
• neurodevelopmental disorders (autism)
• intellectual deficit
• to an undetermined cause (very often)

In adults or children who lose their ability to express themselves, the most common causes are (among others):

• psychological shock or trauma
• a cerebral vascular accident
• head trauma
• a brain tumor
• a neurological disease such as: multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, dementias …
• paralysis or weakness of the facial muscles
• Lyme disease
• cancer of the larynx (affects the voice)
• benign lesions of the vocal cords (nodule, polyp, etc.)

Language is the key element in communication. Difficulties in the acquisition of language and in its mastery can, in children, alter the development of their personality and intellectual capacities, hamper their academic success, their social integration, etc.

In adults, the loss of language skills, following a neurological problem, for example, is extremely difficult to live with. This can cut him off from those around him and encourage him to isolate himself, compromising his employability and social relations.

 Often, the occurrence of language disorders in an adult is a sign of a neurological disorder or cerebral damage: it is therefore necessary to worry and consult immediately, especially if the alteration occurs suddenly.

Language disorders bring together many entities and pathologies: the first solution is to obtain a diagnosis, either at the hospital or from a speech therapist.

In all these cases, in children, a follow-up in speech therapy will make it possible to obtain a complete evaluation which will give rise to recommendations for rehabilitation and treatment.

If the disorder is very mild (lisp, lack of vocabulary), it may be advisable to wait, especially in a young child.

In adults, cerebral or neurological pathologies leading to language disorders must be managed by specialized multidisciplinary teams. Rehabilitation often improves the situation, especially after a stroke.