One in 10 – speech and hearing disorders affect millions, but the people who can help often never get the chance

Imagine going through life not being able to understand what people are saying to you. Having to constantly ask people to repeat themselves. Not knowing what's expected of you or how to behave. Imagine what it's like when you can't express your feelings to your family, friends or, especially, strangers. Imagine the sense of isolation, frustration, anger.

For one out of every 10 Canadians who has a speech, language or hearing problem, these things can be an everyday occurrence. But it doesn't have to be that way.

The ability to hear, understand and be understood is fundamental to our development as productive citizens. And when hearing and speech problems go undetected and untreated, the results can be tragic.

Studies undertaken in the United States, for example, show that up to 46 per cent of prison inmates in that country suffer from some type of hearing disorder-nearly seven times the rate found in the general population.

"It's shocking to think that such a high percentage of anti-social behavior might have been prevented by the earlier detection and treatment," says Catriona Steele, president of the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA).

Steele says Canada's 6,000 hearing and language specialists are fighting an up-hill battle.

"One of our biggest challenges is in getting referrals-being put in touch with people who need our help. Often, individuals with hearing or speech disorders are labeled as having some type of behavioral problem. They're seen as either uncooperative or withdrawn, or unpredictable and hostile. This can be especially true with children."

According to Steele, in many cases, this kind of behavior is often merely the symptom of a more profound hearing or speech disorder. And unless these individuals are referred to a hearing or language specialist, the problem can go undetected and untreated.

"Daycare workers, teachers, social workers, public health nurses and doctors need to understand that behavioral problems that appear to be purely psychological can often be traced to a hearing or speech disorder. You need to call in the experts. We know what to look for-the subtle signs that are so often missed by professionals in other disciplines."

Stroke victims represent another important group requiring early intervention.

"Our health care system does a remarkable job in addressing acute problems such as stroke," says Steele. "But after you've saved a person's life, what about the quality of that life? Making sure that stroke victims are able to live meaningful, productive lives has to be a priority. And they're going to have a great deal of difficulty doing that if they can't communicate properly. In the case of stroke, early treatment is essential."

Steele estimates that Canada has about half the number of speech-language pathologists and audiologists that are needed to provide Canadians with an adequate level of service. She says CASLPA is undertaking a study to identify the extent of that need and what will be necessary to provide Canadians with adequate detection and treatment programs.

In the meantime, she says other health care and social service professionals can help make better use of existing resources.

"One in 10 Canadians has a speech or language disorder," she says. "That's an important statistic to remember, but we must never see these individuals as mere statistics. Many are being shut out of our families and our communities because their disability is going undetected. Speech and hearing specialists can help to change all of that if we can get to these people in time. This has to be a team effort, and while we're an important part of that team, we're only one player. We're counting on the other members of the team-doctors, nurses, teachers and social workers-to help us do our jobs."