Communication Disorders: From Brain to Behavior

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to communication disorders, including definitions, brain regions, causes, common types, and treatment approaches, based on the provided lecture notes.

Communication Disorders

Conditions that cause persistent difficulties in how people speak, understand, or process information, significantly affecting daily communication abilities.

Broca's Area

A key brain region, typically in the left frontal lobe, primarily involved in speech production and articulation.

Wernicke's Area

A key brain region, typically in the left temporal lobe, crucial for language comprehension.

Arcuate Fasciculus

A white matter tract that connects Broca's and Wernicke's areas, essential for language function.

Visual Word Form Area (VWFA)

A brain region in the left fusiform gyrus critical for recognizing written words during reading.

Intraparietal Sulcus

A brain region involved in numerical cognition and processing, particularly number sense.

Genetic Factors (Communication Disorders)

Inherited predispositions or genetic syndromes that can disrupt white matter tracts, alter cortical thickness, or lead to atypical brain lateralization, contributing to communication disorders.

Neurological Injury (Communication Disorders)

Damage to the brain, such as from stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or neurodegeneration, which can impair specific brain regions vital for communication.

Environmental Factors (Communication Disorders)

External influences like chronic ear infections, lack of linguistic stimulation, or exposure to toxins that can impact brain development and communication pathways.

Dyslexia

A learning disorder affecting reading, characterized by struggles with accurate and fluent word recognition, spelling, and decoding despite normal intelligence, often involving deficits in phonological processing.

Language Disorder

A condition involving challenges with acquiring and using language, including vocabulary development, sentence structure, and the functional use of language in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Dyscalculia

A specific learning disability in mathematics characterized by challenges in understanding number sense, performing calculations, and mathematical reasoning, often linked to deficits in spatial and visual-spatial memory.

Cognitive-Communication Disorder

Communication difficulties stemming from impaired cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and reasoning, often observed after brain injuries like TBI or stroke.

Response to Intervention (RTI)

A multi-level system designed to provide early support for students' learning and behavioral needs through progressively more focused interventions, aiding in the identification of learning difficulties.

Curriculum-Based Assessment (CBA)

A continuous method to measure student progress directly using actual classroom materials, helping to guide teaching decisions and interventions.

Working Memory

A cognitive system that temporarily holds and processes information during complex thinking tasks, essential for problem-solving, comprehension, and learning.

Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN)

A measure of how quickly an individual can name common visual items (e.g., letters, numbers, colors, objects), strongly correlating with reading fluency.

Direct Intervention

Treatment approaches that specifically target and address deficits in communication, such as speech-language therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, or structured literacy programs.

Support Systems (Communication Disorders)

Strategies and resources like educational accommodations, assistive technology, alternative communication systems, and parent/teacher training that provide broader assistance for individuals with communication disorders.

Evidence-Based Practice

A treatment approach that integrates the best available research evidence, the clinician's expertise, and the individual client's preferences and values to determine the most appropriate and effective strategies for care.