all midterm glossary definitions

Language Disorder

impairment in comprehension and/or use of spoken, written, and/or other symbol systems

Speech Disorder

atypical production of speech sounds, interruption in the flow of speaking, or abnormal production and/or absences of voice quality, including pitch, loudness, resonance, and/or duration

Communication Disorder

an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, or comprehend concepts of verbal, nonverbal, or graphic symbol systems

Hearing Disorder

impaired sensitivity of the auditory or hearing system

Central Auditory Processing Disorders

a disorder resulting from impairment to the auditory structures leading from the brain stem to the cortex of the brain

Telepractice

Provision of language assessment and intervention via the internet.

Audiologist

Professional whose distinguishing role is to identify, assess, manage, and prevent disorders of hearing and balance

central auditory system

part of the auditory system that includes structures beyond the auditory nerve and extending to the auditory cortex.

Hearing Instrument Specialist

Select, fit, and dispense hearing aids and other amplification devices and provide guidance in their care and use.

Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)

A professional whose distinguishing role is to identify, assess, treat, and prevent speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders

Efficacy

The probably of benefit to individuals in a defined population from a specific intervention applied for a given communication problem under ideal conditions

holistic

pertaining to the whole; multidimensional

augmentative/alternative communication systems

gestures, signing, picture systems, print, computerized communication, and voice production used to complement or supplement speech for persons with severe communication impairments.

efficiency

application of the quickest intervention method involving the least effort and the greatest positive benefit, including unintended effects

effectiveness

the probability of benefit to individuals in a defined population from a specific intervention applied to a given communication problem under average everyday clinical conditions communication

sociolinguistics

the study of influences such as cultural identity, setting, and participants on communicative varaibles.

language

a socially shared code for representing concepts through the use of arbitrary symbols and rule-governed combination of those symbols

grammar

the rules of a language

(language is) generative

capable of being freshly created; refers to the infinite number of sentences that can be created through the application of grammatical rules

(language is) dynamic

characterized by energy or effective energy; changing over time

phonology

the study of the sound systems of language

phonotactic rules

the study of the way in which phonemes are combined and arranged into syllables and words of a particular language or dialect

morphology

an aspect of language concerned with rules governing change in meaning at the intraword level

morpheme

the smallest meaningful unit of language

free morphemes

the portion of a word that can stand alone and designate meaning; root morpheme

bound morphemes

a morpheme that must be attached to a free morpheme to communicate meaning; grammatical morpheme

syntax

how words are arranged in sentences

semantics

the study or word and language meaning

semantic features

pieces of meaning that come together to define a particular word

pragmatics

the use, function, or purpose of communication; the study of communicative acts and contexts

fluency

smoothness of rhythm and rate

rate

the speed at which something occurs. in speech this may be the number of words or syllables in a given period of time

pitch

the perceptual counterpart to fundamental frequency associated with the speed of vocal fold vibration

habitual pitch

the basic frequency level that an individual uses most of the time

intonation

pitch movement within an utterance

nonvocal

without voice

kinesics

the study of bodily movement and gesture. also known as body language

proxemics

the study of physical distance between people

chronemics

the study of the effect of time on communication

congential

present at birth

acquired

occurring after birth

articulation

rapid and coordinated movement of the tongue, teeth, lips, and palate to produce speech sounds

developmental disfluency

false starts and revisement of utterances

fillers

utterances such as “er” “um” and “you know

utterances such as ‘er’ ‘um’ that are used in productions. sometimes characteristic of disfluent speech and/or stuttering

fillers

hesitations

a pause before or between parts of utterances. If used excessively, it may be considered a sign of disfluency or stuttering

repetition

in fluency analysis, the process of repeating a word or part of a word, as in “the-the-the” or “b-b-ball”

prolongations

in fluency analysis, the process of holding a phoneme longer than is typical; for example, “ssssso”

stuttering

a disorder of speech fluency characterized by hesitations, repetitions, prolongations, tension, and avoidance behaviors

vocal abuse

any of several behaviors, including smoking and yelling, that can result in damage to the laryngeal mechanism

hoarseness

a voice quality that is characterized by a rough, usually low-pitched quality

assistive listening devices (ALD)

the general term applied to electronic devices designed to enhance the reception of sound by those whose hearing is impaired

cochlear implants

an electronic amplification decide that is surgically placed in the cochlea and provides electrical stimulation to the surviving auditory nerve fibers

auditory training

listening activities designed to maximize a hearing-impaired persons ability to detect, discriminate, identify, and comprehend auditory information

dysphagia

disorder of swallowing

prevalence

the total number of cases of a disorder at a particular point in time in a designated population

assessment of communication disorders

the systematic process of obtaining information from many sources, through various means, and in different settings to verify and specify communication strengths and weaknesses, identify possible causes, and make plans to address them.

diagnosis

a statement distinguishing an individuals difficulties from the broad range of possibilities

diagnostic therapy

ongoing assessment and evaluation as intervention takes place

predisposing causes

underlying factors that contribute to a problem (like a genetic basis)

precipitating causes

factors that trigger a disorder (like a stroke)

maintaining/perpetuating causes

cause that keeps a problem from self-correcting; for example, parents of an 8-year-old considering a lisp ‘cute’

etiology

the cause or origin of a problem; also the study of cause

authentic data

information about an individual that is based on real life

prognosis

an informed prediction of the outcome of a disorder

examination of the peripheral speech mechanism

sometimes called oral peripheral exam; assessment of the structure and function of the visible speech system

norm-referenced

a comparison that is usually based on others of the same gender and similar age

criterion-referenced

an evaluation of an individuals strengths and weaknesses with regard to specific skills

dynamic assessment

a nonstandardized assessment approach that can take the form of test-teach-test to determine a child’s ability to learn

speech and/or language sampling

a systematic collection an analysis of a persons speech, a corpus; used in language assessment

automaticity

the ease with which a person uses a particular skill without apparent thought

self-monitor

the ability to recognize ones own errors and correct them

behavior modification

a systematic method of changing behavior through careful target selection, stimulation, client response, and reinforcement

stimulus

anything that is capable of eliciting a response

reinforcement

a procedure that follows a response with the intent of perpetuating or extinguishing it; used in conditioning

incidental teaching

use of a natural activity to train targets

support groups

individuals with similar problems who meet together to share feelings, information, and ideas

post-therapy tests

assessment following intervention

booster treatment

additional therapy, based on retesting, offered after treatment has been terminated

Physiology

the branch of biology that is concerned with the process and function of parts of the body

Respiratory System

Structures, including the lungs, bronchi, trachea, larynx, mouth, and nose, that are used in breathing for life and for speech

Laryngeal System

structures of the larynx used for sound production

Articulatory/Resonating System

structures used during sound production, including the oral cavity, nasal cavity, tongue, and soft palate

Resting Tidal breathing

Breathing to sustain life

Larynx

The superior termination of the trachea that protects the lower airways and is the primary sound source for speech production

Hyoid bone

horseshoe-shaped structure that serves as the point of attachment for laryngeal and tongue muscles

Thyroid Cartilage

largest of the laryngeal cartilages that forms most of the front and sides of the laryngeal skeleton and protects the inner components of the larynx

Thyroid Prominence

anterior outward projection of the thyroid cartilage that is more prominent in males than females; also called the adam’s apple

Glottis

the space between the vocal folds

Adduction

when the vocal folds close or come together during vibration

Abduction

when the vocal folds open or spread apart during vibration

Uvula

a small, pendulous structure suspended from the soft palate

Velopharyngeal closure

contact of the velum with the lateral and posterior pharyngeal walls, thus separating the oral and nasal cavities

fundamental frequency

the lowest frequency component of a complex vibration

harmonics

frequencies in a complex sound that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency

vocal folds

anatomical structures that vibrate at high rates of speed, setting air molecules in the vocal tract into multiple frequencies of vibration

Lungs

a pair of air-filled elastic sacs that change in size and shape and allow us to breathe

Trachea

a cartilaginous membranous tube by which air moves to and from the lungs

Inspiratory Muscles

muscles found above diaphragm; inhale

expiratory muscles

muscles found below the diaphragm; exhale