Samuel Potter's Speech And Its Defects

With her parents and other close family members, there is no indication that Katie is suffering from any abnormalities. At home she is a fundamentally normal and outgoing fourth grader, who loves to read and play outside with her siblings. But things take a turn for the worst when Katie has to go to school or visit other public places where there may be strangers. Katie has been diagnosed with a disorder called selective mutism, which is a speech phobia of sorts – it can take on a wide variety of different forms, and can be unique for each individual. In Katie’s case for example, her mutism stems from consistently being misunderstood due to a speech impediment, and she is only capable of speaking to people that she has talked to previous to

This trend continued in the United States, but the attention was then directed towards communication and language disorders (University Libraries, 2016). Even more focus was directed towards speech problems with the publication of Samuel Potter’s (M.D.) book in 1882, entitled Speech and its Defects, which listed definitions and treatments for several communication disorders (Duchan, 2011). Upon progressions such as the release of Potter’s book, speech-pathology was formally recognized in 1926 with the formation of the American Academy of Speech Correction, as well as several other organizations that focused on the scientific, clinical, and academic aspects of speech disorders. Awareness for communication disorders continued to build in the 1940’s during World War II, when a significant number of soldiers began returning from war with speech aphasia (a language disorder in which comprehension or production of speech or literacy is impaired) from brain damage. Thus, with the upsurge in cases of speech disabilities came “the introduction of a number of assessment and therapy approaches focused on underlying communication disorders”, as well as a “rise to brain studies, technological advances, and the development of standardized testing procedures, including receptive and expressive language assessment and treatment techniques” (“What is Speech-Language Pathology”, n.d. para. 22). Another step in the history of speech-language pathology was the distinction of speech disorders from language disorders within the years of 1965 to 1975. Prompted by progressions in linguistics (the study of language), “Their work enhanced the work of speech-language pathologists, allowing them to begin more effectively treating a variety of language delays and disorders.” (“What is Speech-Language Pathology”, n.d. para. 24). Thanks to