Speech-Language Pathology Comprehensive Review

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key concepts from pediatric and adult SLP observation, disorders, cranial nerves, motor and sensory pathways, speech acoustics, instrumentation, anatomy of speech and hearing, neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and relevant disorders. These cards are formatted in question-and-answer style to facilitate effective exam preparation.

What therapy approach is commonly used to engage pediatric clients during articulation or language sessions?

Play-based therapy

Which two client groups should you observe for dysphagia management techniques?

Adults in medical settings and patients with stroke or head & neck cancer

Name three speech-related motor disorders to review for the exam.

Apraxia, dysarthria, articulation/phonological disorders

Which language disorder is characterized by difficulty in repetition despite fluent speech and comprehension?

Conduction aphasia (damage to the arcuate fasciculus)

Which cranial nerves are primarily involved in the gag reflex?

IX (Glossopharyngeal) and X (Vagus)

Damage to which cranial nerve can cause facial paralysis and loss of taste in the anterior two-thirds of the tongue?

VII – Facial nerve

Which cranial nerve is responsible for hearing and balance?

VIII – Vestibulocochlear

What is the main function of the Trigeminal nerve (V) in speech and swallowing?

Facial sensation and mastication

Which cranial nerve controls tongue movement?

XII – Hypoglossal

Where does the Lateral Corticospinal tract decussate?

At the medullary pyramids

Loss of fine motor skills in distal limb muscles suggests damage to which motor pathway?

Lateral Corticospinal tract

Which motor tract controls trunk and proximal limb movements without pyramidal decussation?

Anterior Corticospinal tract

Why is the Corticobulbar tract critical for speech?

It innervates muscles of the face, pharynx, and larynx used in articulation and swallowing

Immediate midbrain decussation is characteristic of which motor tract?

Rubrospinal tract

What is the primary function of the Vestibulospinal tract?

Maintaining balance, posture, and head stabilization

Which sensory pathway carries fine touch and proprioception?

Dorsal Column-Medial Lemniscal (DCML) pathway

Where does the Spinothalamic tract decussate?

At the level of entry in the spinal cord

Damage to the Spinocerebellar tracts primarily results in what symptom?

Ataxia or lack of coordination

Define coarticulation.

The influence of surrounding sounds on the production of a given speech sound

What does VOT stand for and why is it important?

Voice Onset Time; distinguishes voiced from voiceless stop consonants

What perceptual phenomenon explains hearing speech in fixed categories like /b/ vs /p/?

Categorical perception

Which auditory-visual illusion produces a fused percept such as hearing “da” when seeing “ga” and hearing “ba”?

McGurk Effect

Damage to the right hemisphere often impairs which speech feature?

Prosody (emotional intonation)

Differentiate apraxia and dysarthria in one sentence.

Apraxia is a motor-planning disorder; dysarthria is a motor-execution disorder caused by muscle or nerve damage

Name two instruments used to visualize speech acoustics.

Oscilloscope and spectrogram

What does EMG measure in speech research?

Muscle activity

Which device measures respiratory airflow crucial for speech assessment?

Spirometer or pneumotachograph

What does a good Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) ensure in speech recording?

Clear capture of the speaker’s voice over background noise

State the core idea of the Motor Theory of Speech perception.

We perceive speech by recognizing the intended vocal-tract gestures rather than analyzing acoustic signals alone

Which muscle is the primary driver of inhalation for speech?

Diaphragm

How do the vocal folds create sound?

By vibrating as air passes through the larynx

Give three articulators in the oral cavity.

Tongue, lips, teeth (others: hard/soft palate)

What is the role of the velum during production of non-nasal sounds?

Elevates to close off the nasal cavity

Which part of the ear converts mechanical vibrations into neural signals?

Cochlea

Name the three middle-ear ossicles in order from tympanic membrane to oval window.

Malleus, incus, stapes

Which nerve carries auditory information to the brain?

Auditory nerve (VIII – Vestibulocochlear)

What brain lobe houses the primary auditory cortex?

Temporal lobe

Where is Broca’s area located, and what is its function?

Left inferior frontal gyrus; speech production and motor planning

Damage to Wernicke’s area leads to what type of aphasia?

Fluent (Wernicke’s) aphasia with impaired comprehension

What fiber bundle connects Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas?

Arcuate fasciculus

List the four lobes of the cerebrum.

Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital

Which brain structure fine-tunes movement and balance?

Cerebellum

Explain neuroplasticity in a single sentence.

The brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections after learning or injury

Which neurotransmitter is the primary excitatory chemical in the CNS?

Glutamate

What is the basic functional unit of the nervous system?

Neuron

Name the three parts of a neuron.

Cell body (soma), dendrites, axon

What is a synapse?

The junction where a presynaptic neuron communicates with a postsynaptic neuron via neurotransmitters

Which neurotransmitter is most associated with reward and motor control?

Dopamine

Define proprioception.

The sense of body position and movement

Which sensory pathway is responsible for pain and temperature?

Anterolateral (Spinothalamic) pathway

A stroke in Broca’s area typically produces what speech characteristic?

Non-fluent, effortful speech with agrammatism

What disorder features tremor, rigidity, and hypokinetic dysarthria due to basal ganglia dysfunction?

Parkinson’s Disease

Name an autoimmune disease that demyelinates CNS pathways and can cause speech and swallowing issues.

Multiple Sclerosis

Persistent ringing in the ears is called what?

Tinnitus

Which consonant class completely blocks airflow in the vocal tract?

Stops (plosives)

Provide one example of a fricative consonant and describe its airflow.

/s/ – produced with continuous turbulent airflow through a narrow constriction

What are the two main types of coarticulation?

Anticipatory (forward) and carryover (backward)

Explain perceptual normalization.

The brain compensates for speaker variability (age, gender, accent) to understand speech

What is the Segmentation Problem in speech perception?

Difficulty identifying boundaries between words in continuous speech

Why is head stabilization important for clear speech?

It maintains consistent resonance and articulatory positioning

Which tract coordinates head and eye movements to visual stimuli?

Tectospinal tract

What is categorical perception used for in stop consonants?

Distinguishing between voiced and voiceless stops based on VOT

Name three front vowels using IPA symbols.

/i/, /ɪ/, /e/ (others: /ɛ/, /æ/)

Which diphthong is heard in the word ‘boy’?

/ɔɪ/

Give an example word for the nasal consonant /ŋ/.

“Sing”

Which cranial nerve lesion results in hoarseness and reduced gag reflex?

X – Vagus nerve damage

Describe the function of the DCML pathway in one phrase.

Carries fine touch and proprioceptive information to the cortex

What is the main acoustic cue distinguishing /f/ from /v/?

Presence or absence of vocal fold voicing during frication

Which right-hemisphere deficit can cause monotone speech?

Impaired prosody production/comprehension

What tool measures airflow through the nasal passages to assess velopharyngeal function?

Pneumotachograph

Which structure equalizes pressure in the middle ear?

Eustachian (auditory) tube

Where are hair cells located, and what is their role?

Within the cochlea; they transduce mechanical vibrations into neural signals

What is the purpose of the basilar membrane?

To vibrate at specific frequencies, activating corresponding hair cells

Define neuroplasticity in post-stroke language recovery.

Undamaged brain areas reorganize to take over language functions lost to stroke

Which instrument records electrical muscle activity during swallowing?

Electromyography (EMG)

How many phonemes per second are typically produced in fluent speech?

Approximately 14 phonemes/second

What is the primary function of the reticulospinal tract?

Regulating posture, locomotion, and reflex modulation

Damage to which cranial nerve causes anosmia?

I – Olfactory nerve

Which consonant manner includes /ʧ/ and /ʤ/?

Affricates (stop + fricative sequence)

What feature defines glides such as /w/ and /j/?

They form transitions between vowels and consonants with minimal constriction

Which vowel category involves tongue placement at the back of the mouth?

Back vowels (e.g., /u/, /ɑ/)

Define signal-to-noise ratio in recording.

Ratio of desired speech signal level to background noise level

What brainstem structure houses nuclei for multiple cranial nerves critical to speech?

Medulla oblongata

Which lobes collaborate for reading and writing via the angular gyrus?

Parietal-temporal connection (angular gyrus in parietal lobe)

Explain the primary role of the primary motor cortex in speech.

Initiates voluntary movements of lips, tongue, and laryngeal muscles

Where does auditory information synapse before reaching the cortex?

Thalamus (medial geniculate body)

Identify one function and one damage symptom for the trochlear nerve (IV).

Function: eye movement via superior oblique; Damage: vertical diplopia

What is the purpose of the semicircular canals?

Detect head rotation and contribute to balance

Name two glial cell types and one function each.

Astrocytes – homeostasis; Oligodendrocytes – myelin formation

Which neurotransmitter is primary inhibitory in the CNS?

GABA

Define a plosive consonant and give two IPA examples.

Consonant produced by complete closure and release of airflow; examples: /p/, /t/

Which tract’s damage may indirectly affect speech by altering respiratory posture?

Reticulospinal or Vestibulospinal tract

What is Voice Onset Time for the word ‘teen’?

Positive VOT (voicing begins after stop release)

Which disorder involves motor-planning difficulties without muscle weakness?

Apraxia of speech

Which consonant category allows continuous airflow through nasal passages?

Nasals (e.g., /m/, /n/, /ŋ/)