SLP 6480: Neurogenic Communication Disorders - Lecture 1

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts of cognition, memory, attention, speech, language, organic/neurogenic communication disorders, and evidence-based practice from SLP 6480.

Neurogenic Communication Disorder

A problem with communication and higher-level language skills that stems from damage to the brain or other parts of the nervous system.

Organic Speech Disorder

A difficulty in speech that stems from an identifiable physiological or neurological cause.

ex: cleft lip/palette, childhood apraxia of speech and dysarthria, hearing Impairment

Fluency Disorder

An interruption to the flow of speech that can impact an individual's communication efficiency, effectiveness, and willingness to speak.

• atypical rate

• Rhythm

• Disfluencies

Cognition

The ability to acquire and process information about the world, which supports thought processing and communication in speech-language pathology.

Ex: if you can’t process information, you won’t be able to understand which can lead to breakdowns

Arousal

The level of wakefulness and the ability to respond to stimuli.

Ex: can I see in the hospital setting

Orienting

The ability to direct attention toward a stimulus.

Attention

The ability to hold focus on a stimulus once an individual is aroused and alert enough to know the stimulus is present.

Vigilance (attention)

The ability to stay alert to the occurrence of a possible stimulus. Ex: driving

Sustained Attention

The ability to hold attention on a single stimulus. Ex: reading a text in its entirety (my books when I read them front to back)

Selective Attention

The ability to hold attention on a stimulus while ignoring the presence of competing stimuli.

Ex: talking to a friend in a busy coffee shop

Alternating Attention

The ability to move or alternate one's attention back and forth from one stimulus to another.

Ex: cooking sushi while following the recipe, you’re alternating attention between the two back-and-forth

Divided Attention (multitasking)

The ability to attend to one stimulus while simultaneously attending to another (also known as multitasking).

Ex: driving while you’re listening to maps and merging at the same time

Working Memory

The ability to hold a finite amount of information in the mind for immediate processing and manipulating.

Short-term Memory

The retention of information for seconds and minutes, up to an hour.

Ex: A short story, Recall information that happened earlier in the day

Long-term Memory

The ability to retain information successfully for months or years. Can be an infinite amount of memory

Procedural Memory

The encoding, storing, and retrieving of sequences of individual actions used to achieve larger objectives.

Ex: riding a bike

Declarative Memory

The ability to remember facts.

Ex: The days of the week, the season of the year, the months of the year

Episodic Memory

The recall of specific, recently experienced events or episodes in one’s life

Orientation

The ability of individuals to know who they are, where they are, and when they are.

Problem Solving

The ability to find an appropriate solution to a problem. Need all memory Executive and cognitive function

Ex: Reading a schedule for studying, etc.

Inferencing

The ability to take previous knowledge and experience and apply it to the interpretation of the present situation, or to interpret details correctly to make a leap in judgment to an overall meaning.

Ex: you just learned something last week in class and you’re in a clinical where you’re able to interpret it in that situation

Executive Functions

High-level cognitive abilities used to manage other lower-level cognitive functions in order to meet high-level goals, such as initiating purposeful behavior, sequencing actions, and monitoring situations.

Language

A set of symbols used to communicate meaning.

Speech

The sounds made by the vocal and articulatory structures of the body to create verbal language.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

The integration of clinical expertise and expert opinion with scientific evidence to provide high-quality services, ensuring therapy and evaluation methodologies are effective based on clinical opinion or valid and reliable research.