Unit 1: Language & Language Disorders

Language

A socially shared code that uses a rule-based system to represent concepts to others

Socially shared

a linguistic community share the same mode of communication

Code

language employs arbitrary symbols to communicate concepts

Rule based

words and sounds must be organized and arranged in specific ways

Representational

language allows us to represent concepts/thoughts/ideas

Domains of Language

Content, Form, and Use

Content

Semantic (meaning of words and word combinations

Form

organization of language

Syntax

rules of language governing the internal organization of sentences (what words can come when)

Morphology

rules of language governing the internal organization of words (how an individual word are put together)

Phonology

rules of language governing the sounds we use/combine to make syllables and words (how we can put sounds together)

Use

pragmatics (purpose of language)

Anatomy

Body structures

Physiology

body functions

2 parts of the nervous system

Central nervous system & peripheral nervous system

Neurons

cells that make up nervous system

2 types of neurons

Motor/Efferent Neurons & Sensory/Afferent Neurons

Dendrite

part of neuron that receives information

Axon

part of neuron that transmits information

Myelin sheath

part of neuron that helps electrical impulses be carried more efficiently

Parts of the brain

frontal, pariental, occipital, temporal, cerebellum, brain stem

Frontal lobe

controls motor activities and human executive functions

Broca’s Area

within frontal lobe, language production and articulation

Parietal lobe

perception and integration of sensory information

Occipital lobe

receiving and processing visual information

Cerebellum

motor regulation

Brain stem

connects the brain to the spinal cord

Temporal lobe

analysis of auditory information and language comprehension

Wernicke’s area

within temporal lobe, comprehend language

Interconnectedness

different parts of the brain are connected with white matter

Specialization

certain parts of the brain do specific things

Plasticity

the brain’s capacity to change

Sensitivity Period

certain skills develop better at a certain time

Hierarchical Organization

there are higher level functions and lower level functions

Higher level functions

memory, attention, language, problem solving

Lower level functions

through the spinal cord, things you don’t have to think about

Imitation theory

Children learn language through imitation and reinforcement

Nativist theory

At birth all children possess an innate universal grammer

Interactionist theory

child’s abilities + social factors = language acquisitions

Development in 6-9 months

joint attention and emotional sharing

Development in 12 months

first words

Development in 16 months

overextension

Development in 18 months

two-word combinations

Development in preschool age

decontextualized language

Development in school age

literacy

Development in college and beyond

vocabulary

Joint Attention

the ability to share a common focus on something with someone else

Emotional Sharing

form of joint attention, sharing emotion with someone else

Vocalization

babbling

Verbalization

actual words

Intentionality

produced for a reason that is clear to the child and the listener

Intelligibility

production must be accurate enough that it can be recognized to the listener

Generalizability

word is used in multiple contexts

Overextension

applying one word to multiple references

two word combinations

begin acquiring syntax

Decontextualized language

able to talk about things that are not in the present context

Primary Language Disorder

language disorder that occurs in absence of any other disability. Primary problem is the language disorder

Secondary Language Disorder

language disorder that occurs due to other intellectual or developmental disorder

Developmental disorder

disorder that is present at birth

Acquired

experienced sometime after birth. Most typically due to injury

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

disorder of language, primary, developmental, typical hearing/normal intelligence, can’t formulate or comprehend language

What did Developmental Language Disorder used to be called?

Specific Language Impairment

DLD Language Manifestations

late words, difficulty with grammatical morphemes, difficulty understanding, labored language production, difficulty expressing ideas and narratives

DLD Social and Emotional Manifestations

withdrawn, poor social skills and emotion understanding, difficulty making friends

DLD Prevalance

7% of kindergarteners 

Screening

used to determine whether or no you need to look further

Standardized test

used to separate typical from atypical, compare performance with other children in the same age group

Checklists

filled out by parents or teachers, provides information about the child’s skills/behaviors in natural contexts

Observational Measures

observe the child in conversation, while playing, or in another task of interest

Child-centered Treatment Approaches

the children uses child-selected materials/activities to facilitate use of language target

Clinician-directed Treatment Approaches

the clinician selects material/activities and initiates opportunities to use language target as frequently as possible

Generalization Treatment

DLD treatment focuses on skills that often must be applied differently between contexts in order to be correct

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Difficulties with social communication and interaction, engagement in repetitive behaviors and overly restricted interests

ASD Social Communication and Interaction Difficulties

lack of responding to others, eye contact, reciprocity, emotion recognition, understanding non verbal communicative behaviors, absence of interest in peers

ASD Repetitive Behaviors and Restricted Interests Manifestations

repetitive behaviors, ritualistic behaviors, sensory sensitivity

ASD Prevalance

Affects 1 in 54 children, primarily boys

What is NOT a cause of ASD

vaccines

ASD Audiological Application

children with ASD are at a higher risk for hearing loss and otitis media compared to peers

Intellectual Disability

significant limitations both in intellectual functioning, adaptive behavior which covers many social and practical skills

When must ID be identitifed before?

18 years

Intellectual Functioning

a person’s mental abilities to function in society (ex: reasoning, planning, problem solving, learning)

Adaptive Behavior

the ability to map behaviors on a given situation, difficulty with daily living

Known causes of ID

chromosomal disorder, toxicity, infection, trauma

ID Audiological Application

Individuals with ID are very likely to experience hearing loss at earlier ages, excessive cerumen

Purposes of Intervention

preventative, remediation, compensation

Preventative

prevent the disability from occuring in the first place (educating)

Remediation

attempts to help the child recover lost or absent functions

Compensation

strategies to help the child communicate despite the absent functions (work around disorder)

What side of the brain houses langauge?

left hemisphere

Acquired Communication Disorders

language has already been developed and then is lost

Causes of Acquired Communication Disorders

traumatic brain injury (TBI), degenerative neurological diseases, stroke

Two types of stroke

Ischemic strokes and hemorrhagic strokes

Ischemic stroke

Blockage of an artery not allowing blood to get to the brain

Thrombosis

build up of plaque

Embolism

piece of plaque is broken off and lodged in a smaller vessel

Hemorrhagic strokes

bursting or rupturing of a blood vessel, which causes blood to enter the brain

Uncontrollable risk factors of a stroke

age, gender, race

Controllable risk factors of stroke

hypertension, smoking, alcohol

Warning signs of a stroke

balance, eyes, face, arms, speech, time

Aphasia

a loss of language, an acquired disorder of language, resulting from damage to the language dominant hemisphere