Published with the Support ofTerms Commonly Used to Diagnose a Speech or Language Disorder:Acquired Brain Injury (ABI): An accident or trauma that causes injury to the brain. Acquired Brain Injury can also be called a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and it may be caused by penetrating injuries, such as in a car accident, or a Closed Head Injury (CBI) when the brain is damaged but there is no outward sign of trauma. The nature of the speech and language disorder depends on the type and extent of the injury.
Aphasia: Childhood or developmental aphasia is a disorder characterized by difficulty learning language in the absence of mental deficiency, sensory and physical deficits, severe emotional disturbances, environmental factors, or brain damage. Currently, these children are more likely referred to as language impaired, language disordered, or language disabled.
Apraxia: Verbal apraxia is a disorder of articulation characterized by difficulty with sequencing and organizing motor or muscle movements specifically for the production of speech. It may also be described as the impaired ability to motor-plan. Muscle weakness is not associated with apraxia. This is part of the group of disorders often referred to as Motor Speech Disorders.
Articulation: The movement of mouth, lips, tongue, voice box, etc (called the 'articulators') to produce speech sounds. Poor or incorrect articulation may be due to problems with the position, timing, direction, pressure, speed, or integration of the movement of lips, tongue, or other articulators. This also refers to the clarity of sounds in speech.
Autism: see Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Central Auditory Processing: Central auditory processing involves the analysis of sound which occurs in the brain (ie. beyond the inner ear). Children with central auditory processing disorders have normal hearing in the usual sense. However, difficulty with central auditory processing will affect the ability to process, or make sense of, the sounds they hear. In the educational setting, the term "central auditory processing disorder" is a general one used to describe children who have difficulty listening in the classroom environment.
Cleft Lip and/or Palate: A disorder of the musculo-skeletal system where bone and muscle tissues do not fuse during the pre-natal period, causing a cleft in the lip and/or palate (ie. arch of the mouth). This may interfere with feeding and speech development.
Developmental Delay or Disability: A term used generically to refer to children whose development is delayed compared with their age peers. In education, the term refers to a severe learning disorder characterized by limited intellectual development and limited potential for academic learning. In the education setting, children may be identified with a "developmental disability" using the Ministry of Education Categories and Definitions of Exceptionalities.
Discourse: Connected communication of thought sequences; continuous expression or exchange of ideas.
Dysarthria: Dysarthria is diagnosed when the child has problems with making speech sounds (one of the motor speech disorders) because of muscle paralysis, muscle weakness or poor co-ordination which results from a neourological impairment, such as cerebral palsy or acquired brain injury. The result may be distorted, substituted or omitted sounds.
Dysfluency: Dysfluency, also known as stuttering, is an interruption in the smooth, easy flow of speech. Examples include repetitions, prolongations, interjections, and silent pauses. Other movements may become associated with the speech disruptions and are referred to as 'secondary characteristics, such as facial grimacing, head movements, or hand movements.
Dysphagia: A disturbance in the normal act of swallowing.
Elective Mutism: Elective mutism refers to children who can use speech to communicate but do so only with selected people in certain environments. These children usually speak only to immediate family. Some elective mutes may speak to extended family or neighbourhood children and be primarily mute at school.
Hearing Impairment: A full or partial loss of the ability to detect sounds. The inability to hear sounds, or distinguish among different sounds, will result in problems with speech and language development. 'Deafness' is the traditional term used to describe loss of hearing, but 'hearing impairment' is the preferred term that encompasses the fact there are different degrees of hearing loss.
Language Impairment/Disorder: These terms are used interchangeably to refer to a disorder characterized by a problem in the understanding and/or use of oral or written language (listening, speaking, reading, writing). Within education, children may be identified "language impaired" using the Ministry of Education Categories and Definitions of Exceptionalities.
Learning Disability: A learning disorder that involves problems in the understanding and use of the symbols of communication (including listening, speaking, reading, writing, mathematics). There is typically a significant difference between academic achievement and intellectual ability. Within education, children may be identified with a "learning disability" using Ministry of Education Categories and Definitions of Exceptionalities.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD): PDD is a generic term referring to a group of disorders that are characterized by : impairments in social interaction, impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication, and a restrictive, stereotypic pattern of behaviours. There is considerable variability in symptoms among individuals with PDD and considerable variability in the severity of these symptoms. There are a variety of disorders that fall under this category (including Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Rett's Syndrome, etc.).
Phonological Disorder: Child has difficulty with the development of speech sounds and the rules for the sound system.
Semantic-Pragmatic Disorder: Semantic-pragmatic disorder (ie. language meaning and language use difficulties) is sometimes used to describe those children who demonstrate language difficulties similar to autism/PDD () without the non-verbal social and behavioural characteristics typical of autism/PDD.
Stuttering: see Dysfluency
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): An assault on the brain that causes mild to severe injury. The two types of traumatic brain injury are penetrating injuries and closed head injuries (CBI). The nature of the speech and language disorder depends on the type and extent of the injury.
Voice Disorder: Voice disorders include abnormalities in the pitch (too high/too low), quality (hoarse/breathy, tight/harsh) , loudness (inadequate/too loud), or resonance (hyponasal, such as when you have a cold, or hypernasal, when there is too much sound coming through the nose) of the voice.
Unintelligible Speech - Speech that cannot to some degree be understood by the listener.
Frequently Used Speech And Language Terms:
Auditory-Verbal Therapy: The auditory-verbal approach uses technology and teaching strategies that enable deaf and hard of hearing children to learn to listen, understand spoken language, and communicate through speech.
Augmentative Communication: Augmentative communication refers to a wide variety of non-verbal techniques used to supplement or 'augment' a person's oral speech which allows them to use and develop their language. These may include natural gestures, sign language, photographs and other kinds of pictures, spelling out words on alphabet displays, as well as 'higher tech' devices such as voice output devices, etc.
Communication Board: This Augmentative Communication device is a picture or alphabet display available to the child when he needs or has the opportunity to use it. The visual representation may include photographs, Picture Communication Symbols (PCS), Bliss symbols, alphabet letters/words, etc.
Expressive Language: The ability to express oneself. This usually refers to language expression through speech, but it also includes gestures, sign language, use of a communication board, and other forms of expression.
Fluency: The smooth, uninterrupted, effortless flow of speech; speech that is not hindered by excessive dysfluencies.
Grammar: Systems, rules or underlying principles that describe the structure of language (eg. Word order in sentences, grammatical markers such as plurals, verb tenses, pronouns etc).
Language: Language involves listening, speaking, reading and writing. Language problems may affect the ability to use acceptable vocabulary and grammar, to organize ideas for expression, and to communicate in a socially appropriate manner.
Morphology: How sounds and words are put together to form meaning. A 'morpheme' is the smallest unit of language that has meaning. The addition of a morpheme, such as "s", can change the meaning of a word. For example, cat becomes cats a plural, but the addition of "s" to bike can also change it from a noun to a verb, bikes. Language is made up of rules about how sounds and words are put together to create meaning and children often have difficulty learning and using the rules.
Phonology: The sound system of language including speech sounds, speech patterns and rules that apply to those sounds.
Pragmatics: The rules that govern and describe how language is used in different contexts and environments. For example, the words and tone of voice will be more formal when talking with the principal and may be very casual and include slang when talking with other children. Social rules are very subtle. Some children have difficulty figuring these rules out and applying them appropriately. As a result, they may be identified as having inappropriate or poor behaviour.
Receptive Language: The ability to understand or comprehend language. It usually refers to the ability to understand verbal expression, but it also includes the ability to understand sign language, writing, braille and other forms of language.
Resonance: Vibration of one or more structures related to the source of a sound. In voice, resonance relates to the quality of the voice produced (eg. hyponasal, hypernasal).
Semantics: The study of the meaning of language, including meaning at the word, sentence, and conversational level.
Sign Language: American Sign Language (ASL) is a gestural language used primarily by the deaf community. It has its own structure, independent of English. There are other sign language systems in use as well.
Speech: Speech refers to the transmission of language orally. Speech impairment includes articulation and/or phonological disorder, dysfluency, apraxia, dysarthria, voice and resonance.
Syntax: The order of language, especially the way words are put together in phrases or sentences to produce meaning.
Terms Used to Describe Speech And Language Personnel:
Audiologist - A professional who has completed a qualifying degree and/or certification courses and is registered with the College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists of Ontario (CASLPO). An audiologist is able to complete tests to determine level of hearing, and to provide rehabilitation services to persons with hearing loss. An Audiologist may also be qualified to prescribe equipment and devices to enhance hearing.
Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA) - A graduate of a community college Communicative Disorders Assistant Program. The CDA may deliver programs to children under the direction of and supervision of a Speech-Language Pathologist who has assessed the child and developed the program.
Sign Language Interpreter - Individuals who have been trained to use sign language for a person with a hearing impairment. An interpreter may be assigned to an individual or group to translate information.
Speech Assistant or Hearing Assistant - These terms are used to describe support personnel who are working under the direction and supervision of either a Speech-Language Pathologist or Audiologist
Speech Teacher - Until recently Teachers could take extra courses which would qualify them to deliver speech remediation programs. Some school boards in Ontario continue to utilize Speech Teachers in the delivery of programs to children.
Speech Therapist - A common term used to describe a Speech-Language Pathologist.
Speech-Language Pathologist - An individual with a university degree, usually at the Masters level, who is registered with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario, and is qualified to assess speech, language and voice disorders and prescribe and implement therapeutic measures.
Terms for Speech And Language Organizations:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) - The national professional association which represents speech and language pathologists and audiologists in the United States.
Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) - The national professional association which represents speech - language pathologists and audiologists in Canada.
College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists of Ontario (CASLPO) - The College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario was established under the Regulated Health Professionals Act, 1991 to regulate the practice of audiologists and speech-language pathologists in the public interest.
Ontario Association for Families of Children with Communication Disorders (OAFCCD) - A legally incorporated, non-profit group which provides support to families of children with communication disorders. Services available include the provision of information on speech and language services and communication disorders.
Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (OSLA) - The professional association which represents speech and language pathologists and audiologists in Ontario.
Ronald McDonald Children's Charities of Canada
http://www.oafccd.com/factshee/fact59.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment