Should I see a speech therapist?

Post Reply New Topic

I'm getting increasingly frustrated, because my speech ability seems to be getting worse.

Before, I had almost no problem with talking. Sometimes I would shy up in front of people but for the most part my speech was fine. My problems regarding speech were more due to behaviour rather than speech itself.

But in the last year or so I have had increased difficulty in speaking. Specifically, "finding the right word". I go to ask people things, such as "where are the plates" and I can't verbalize it. Oftentimes I have to gesture for them to get the idea. Some days it's not really a problem but other days it seems really bad. It doesn't seem to be related to stress.

In addition I have more trouble understanding people and seem to have an "auditory dyslexia" if that makes any sense. I also have visual dyslexia but it's fairly mild and only crops up once in a while. But understanding people has become more difficult in the past year or so.

I never had problems with either. Does anyone here have a similar experience?

I'm not sure if a speech therapist would be right for you. They focus moreso on the mechanical aspects of speech and it seems like you don't have a problem with that. Also they're mostly used to dealing with young children.

Do you think you're speech problems are caused by social anxiety?

I don't think I've ever experienced anything like what you described. Sometimes I forget the word to use if I'm talking about something obscure or sometimes my sentence structure collapses in on itself if I speak in a run-on sentence.

Sometimes if I get really nervous when I'm speaking to someone I freeze up and then that makes me more nervous. The longer it goes on for, the harder it is to break. Sometimes the thought of not wanting it to happen is enough to cause it to happen.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by auditory dyslexia. With me I really have a hard time listening to people in a noisy crowded room even if the person speaking to me is standing right next to me.

Thanks, I figured as much.

I really don't think they're caused by social anxiety. I'm most often described as "oblivious" to social things. As a kid I was able to talk in front of a crowd no problem, and even as I'm older, I have much more of a problem with having no filter than being too nervous to say anything. It's more like I hit a wall, like the interpreter that changes my ideas into words just decided to go on break or something. It's the only way to describe it.

By auditory dyslexia I mix up words that sound a lot like other words. I also just don't understand people at all some times and require them to retell me things, or write it out.

It's very strange since I've never really had too many problems with speaking until about a year ago as it slowly got worse. Now I have a run in several times a day, while it used to never happen.

It feels almost as if my ability to communicate verbally is getting quite shaky, and when that happens, it feels like my brain just folds in on itself in terms of words. It's very frustrating.

I don't know what the cause of your problem is and by the sounds of it neither do you. The key to treating any illness is in diagnosis. I think you need someone far more qualified than a speech therapist to diagnose your problem. I'm not sure but maybe a neurologist would fit the bill.

Anything that you're having trouble sorting out on your own is worth asking for some extra help on. Especially if it's getting worse, better now than in another year or two.

I think it's more absent-mindedness on my part, but I often leave out names for things. Specific cabling in class becomes "that grey thing for the PC". I know what it is and what I'm supposed to do with it, but the names skip out on me. If I wasn't the only one getting some questions right on quizzes, my instructor might think I was an idiot.

No, a speech language therapist is exactly who you want to see. Start calling around and find someone with experience in word finding difficulties, aphasias. I understand what you are saying as I have struggled this year and am pursuing some help but can't afford it right now.

The other thing is that if you can get some regular bloodwork -check iron , and ferritin, and B vitamins and such. I had a huge worsening of whatever my word issues are when it was found I was quite low in iron. I had iron infusions and surprised that it helped a great deal. Just my experience but cognitive affects from anemia on myself were quite great.

My talking problem is what led me to Asperger's. I talk like you describe, can't find the right word, end up gesturing or making sound effects to get my message across. It only took me 47 year to figure it out, but I find that by reducing my anxiety levels, I talk much better.

Speech/Language Pathologists often have experience dealing with the older population. They treat kids but also adults who've had strokes or traumatic brain injuries or have communication disorders. I'm in my twenties and recently started seeing an SLP. She gave me the advice to think of the first letter, describe the object or think of a new word if I can't find the word for something. I find that the more frustrated I get with not being able to find words the more it happens. I also have problems with filtering and not understanding what people are trying to say.

I stand corrected.

Well, thanks then. Does anyone have any familiarity with depreciation like this?

I have problems with speech and listening. I've noticed It gets worse the more anxious I get.

Google Primary Progressive Aphasia. It sounds like what you're describing.

Oh, charming. Let's see what the doctor says first though. Quite frankly, it's better to think positively than something like that. Yipes.