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Speech sound disorders occur when a child cannot pronounce sounds or words correctly by the expected age. The two general types of speech disorders are as follows:

• Articulation disorders - where a child struggles to produce one or more specific sounds such as /r/ or /s/. 
• Phonological disorders - a child fails to eliminate immature patterns within their speech, such as leaving off the final consonants in words. 

Developmental language disorders occur when individuals struggle with the acquisition and proper use of language. They may impact what a child is able to understand (receptive language), or how well they can express their thoughts and feelings (expressive language). Signs of a language disorder may include:

• Inability to follow directions
• Difficulty asking or understanding questions
• Difficulty combining words into correct sentences
• Struggling socially with other chidlren
• Impaired reading and writing abilities

Fluency disorders are characterized by interruptions in the natural flow of speech. The two main types of fluency disorders are:

• Stuttering - speech may be interrupted by sound repetitions ("puh-puh-party"), prolongations ("fffffffffffffff-un"), blocks, or other disruptions.
• Cluttering - a less common fluency disorder where speech is produced at an unusually fast rate, parts of words are frequently dropped, and speakers are usually unaware of their errors.

Every child with autism is unique, but they all demonstrate some range of difficulty with communication and social skills. Children with autism may have difficulty understanding others' emotions or gestures, having conversations, or making and keeping friends, among other struggles. Social skills groups, where children learn to interact with and make friends with others, can be particularly beneficial for these children.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech, or CAS, is a motor speech disorder that makes it difficult for a child's brain to send messages to their mouth to form sounds and words. A child with CAS may:

• Be a "late talker"
• Say the same word several different ways
• Struggle to imitate others
• Demonstrate particular difficulty with longer words
• Not have an easily discernible pattern of errors
• Be extremely difficult to understand

Traumatic brain injuries, or TBI's, are injuries to the brain that disrupt normal brain functions. They can occur from things like sports injuries, falls, shaken baby syndrome, and gunshot wounds. Having a TBI can cause a child to lose skills they have learned, or make it difficult to learn new things. These children may struggle as the demands of school increase. Every TBI is different, but children who have one may have difficulty with:

• Attention
• Organization
• Planning
• Memory
• Self-awareness
• Processing speed