Speech & Communication Impairments

  • Speech and communication impairments can be either:
    • Congenital – from birth
    • Acquired – anytime during your life time
  • Prevalence increases with age due to increased susceptibility for acquisition of neurological conditions and head/neck cancer
  • Approximately 7.5 million people in the United States have trouble using their voices.
  • Between 6 and 8 million people in the U.S. have some form of language impairment.
  • It is estimated that approximately 80,000 individuals acquire aphasia each year. About 1 million persons in the U.S. currently have aphasia.
  • It is estimated that more than 3 million Americans stutter. Stuttering can affect individuals of all ages but occurs most frequently in young children between the ages of 2 and 6. Boys are 3 times more likely than girls to stutter. Most children, however, outgrow their stuttering, and it is estimated that fewer than 1 percent of adults stutter.