What is a communication difficulty?

• This term may be used when a person finds it hard to communicate.
• It may be hard to:

	hear			speak
	read			write
	sign			gesture

 This can make it hard to do everyday things like:

	talk on the phone
	read a book
	listen to friends

Finding it hard to communicate may have a:

• small impact, or
• big impact on a person's life.

• People of all ages can find it hard to communicate.
• Some people find it hard to communicate for a short time.
• Some people find it hard to communicate all of the time.

Finding it hard to communicate can be caused by many things.

It may be caused by:

• hearing loss
• cerebral palsy
• stroke
• brain injury
• head and neck cancer
• dementia
• primary progressive aphasia
• Parkinson's disease
• multiple sclerosis
• Friedreich's ataxia
• growing older

Examples of people who find it hard to communicate:

• A baby born with a hearing loss.
• A two year old child who is unable to say any words.
• A school aged child who finds it hard to read and write. This can make school work hard.
• A young man who had a car accident. He may find it hard to understand people.
• A middle aged woman who had a stroke. She may only be able to say a few words.
• A 65 year old man with Parkinson’s disease. He may find it hard to speak loudly and clearly.
• An older person who has problems hearing.

What is a communication disability?

• This is a technical term.
• It may be used when people find it hard to communicate.
• Some people do not like the word 'disability'
• This website uses the term 'difficulty'.