Speech in Relation to Intelligence and Success

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Speech is an essential part of our everyday lifestyle, and it is likely that very few people stop to think about how much it influences their day. From waking up in the morning and greeting a sibling, spouse, or child, to interacting with coworkers at a job or students in a class, every individual uses speech in one way or another throughout his or her day. It forms such an important part of our lifestyles that without this essential part of communication, many would have difficulty getting their “needs, desires, perceptions, [or] knowledge” across to others in the world (“Guidelines”). Without this ability, it would be very hard indeed to know what another person thinks or needs. Because of this, many people within the population assume that when a person has a speech disorder, it not only affects their speech, but their intelligence as well. Since intelligence is linked closely in many people’s minds to success, they go so far as to assume that the speech disorder will affect their chance for success as well. However, despite popular perceptions of these ideas, speech disorders are not indicative of intelligence levels, or a person’s chance of success.

The concept that a speech disorder is indicative of intelligence level—and therefore chance of success—is one that is widespread today. In fact, within the populace that is not specifically educated in the study of speech and language, the notion that speech problems are a result of low intelligence is a popularly accepted idea (Bleile, Mcgowan, and Bernthal 369). When considering speech disorders though, it is important to look at the wide scope of the definition. Speech disorders can include more than just difficulties in shaping and forming the flow of words, such as with stut...

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Seikel, John A., Douglas W. King, and David G. Drumright. Anatomy & Physiology for Speech, Language, and Hearing. 4th ed. Clifton Park: Thomson Delmar Learning, 2010. Print. 27 Nov. 2013

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