Speech Pathology Lecture Notes Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to speech disorders, swallowing, and brain disorders.

Embolus

A traveling blood clot that moves through the bloodstream and can block an artery, often causing a stroke.

Thrombosis

A blood clot that forms slowly over time, usually due to plaque buildup in the arteries.

Aneurysm

A weak spot in an artery wall that balloons out; if it bursts, it can cause a hemorrhagic stroke.

Edema

Swelling in body tissue, including the brain, that happens after injury like a stroke and can interfere with recovery.

Clot

A clump of blood cells and protein that forms to stop bleeding, but in the brain it can block blood flow and cause a stroke.

Bolus

The soft mass of food or liquid that is formed in the mouth and swallowed.

Tumor

An abnormal growth of tissue; can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous), and it may cause pressure or damage to the brain.

Stroke (CVA)

When blood flow to the brain is stopped either by a blockage (ischemic) or bleeding (hemorrhagic), causing brain damage.

Neoplasm

A new and abnormal growth of tissue, often a tumor.

Jargon (in speech disorders)

Speech that is fluent but filled with made-up words or meaningless phrases; it is often seen in Wernicke’s aphasia.

Aspiration

When food or liquid enters the airway (trachea) instead of the esophagus, increasing the risk of pneumonia.

Penetration (in swallowing)

When food or liquid enters the larynx but doesn’t go below the vocal folds.

Deglutition

The act of swallowing.

Hydration

Having enough fluid in the body; essential for overall health and safe swallowing.

Nutrition

The intake of food to meet the body's energy and health needs; swallowing problems can lead to poor nutrition.

Radiation (in dysphagia context)

Therapy to the head or neck (e.g., for cancer) that can damage muscles or nerves used in swallowing, causing dysphagia.

Dysphagia

Difficulty swallowing; can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia.

Aphasia

A language disorder caused by brain damage, often from a stroke, and affects speaking, understanding, reading, and writing.

Anticipatory Stage of Swallowing

Thinking about food; sensory awareness related to eating.

Oral Stage of Swallowing

Chewing and pushing food to the back of the mouth.

Pharyngeal Stage of Swallowing

Triggering the swallow reflex; closing airway.

Esophageal Stage of Swallowing

Moving food through the esophagus to the stomach.

Dysphagia in oral cancer

Damages to the tongue, jaw, or throat structures involved in swallowing.

Chronological age in children

The actual age in months/years.

Developmental age in children

The level at which the child functions (e.g., speech, cognition); SLPs use this to choose appropriate assessment tools.

Language impairment

Difficulty with form, content, or use of language.

Dementia

Memory + language decline (e.g., Alzheimer’s).

Aphasia

A language problem (not motor). Often stroke-related.

Dysarthria

Slurred speech due to weak muscles.

Apraxia

Motor planning issue—can’t say words even if muscles work.

Left hemisphere

Language, math, logic.

Right hemisphere

Emotions, attention, facial recognition, prosody.

Jargon in aphasia

Fluent but nonsensical speech, often seen in Wernicke’s aphasia.

Communication difficulties do children with autism

This pragmatic (use of language in social situations), nonverbal communication (eye contact, gestures), delayed language development and Literal interpretation (trouble with figurative language)