What Are the Causes and Characteristics of Communication Disorders?
• Causes of communication disorders may be congenital or acquired, organic or functional. • Causes of primary language disorders are typically functional and nonorganic. A primary language disorder that is functional, nonorganic is called a specific language impairment. Research shows that environment and biological factors may be related to its cause. • Articulation disorders may be caused by organic factors. Voice disorders may be caused by a large number of interacting organic and functional factors. Fluency disorders may be caused by neurological damage or by psychological factors. • Characteristics of primary language disorders, or specific language impairments, differ with the components of language involved. Cultural or regional language differences are not disorders. • Characteristics of secondary language disorders vary based on the associated primary disability. • Characteristics of speech disorders are related to the type of disorder—articulation, fluency, or voice disorders
