SHS 170 Midterm 1

Accreditation

The process by which an academic program or institution is evaluated and recognized as meeting established standards of quality.

Acquired disorders

Communication disorders that develop after birth, often due to injury, illness, or environmental factors.

Articulation and phonological disorders

Speech sound errors affecting the production of individual sounds (articulation) or patterns of sound use (phonology).

Bilateral hearing loss

Hearing loss present in both ears.

Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) Certification

Professional credential from ASHA indicating a clinician has met rigorous academic, clinical, and exam requirements.

Communication

The exchange of ideas, information, or feelings between individuals through spoken, written, signed, or nonverbal means.

Communication difference

A variation in communication that reflects cultural or linguistic diversity, not a disorder.

Communication sciences and disorders (CSD)

The academic and professional field focused on normal and disordered aspects of speech, language, and hearing.

Communication disorder

An impairment that interferes with the ability to receive, send, process, or comprehend messages

Congenital disorders

Disorders present at birth, which may be genetic or due to prenatal/perinatal factors.

Continuing education units (CEUs)

Credits professionals earn to maintain certification and stay updated in the field.

Developmental disorders

Disorders that emerge during childhood as a child fails to develop typical communication skills.

Disability

A limitation in the ability to perform certain activities due to an impairment

Discipline

A specific field of study or area of professional practice.

Discrimination

In communication disorders, may refer to difficulty distinguishing differences between speech sounds. In broader terms, also unjust treatment based on differences.

Ethics

Principles that guide professional behavior, ensuring responsibility, integrity, and protection of clients.

Fluency disorder

Interruptions in the flow of speaking, such as stuttering or cluttering

Functional

A disorder without an identifiable physical cause; origin is unknown

Handicap

The social, educational, or occupational disadvantage resulting from an impairment or disability.

Impairment

A loss or abnormality of a body function or structure that affects communication

Incidence

The number of new cases of a disorder identified within a specific period.

Interprofessional education (IPE)

When students from multiple health-related disciplines learn together to prepare for collaborative practice.

Interprofessional practice (IPP)

When professionals from different disciplines work together to provide comprehensive services.

Language

A socially shared system of rules for using symbols (words, signs, gestures) to represent ideas.

Licensure

State-granted legal permission to practice as an SLP or audiologist.

Organic

Disorders with a known physical cause, such as structural damage or neurological impairment.

Person-first language

A respectful way of referring to individuals (e.g., 'a child with autism' instead of 'an autistic child').

Phonatory disorders

Voice disorders related to abnormalities of vocal fold vibration.

Prevalence

The total number of cases of a disorder present in a population at a given time.

Profession

An occupation requiring specialized education, training, and adherence to ethical standards.

Psychogenic voice disorder

Voice disorders caused by emotional or psychological factors, not structural abnormalities.

Resonance disorders

Abnormalities in how sound vibrates in the oral, nasal, or pharyngeal cavities, affecting voice quality

Speech sound disorder

Difficulty producing or using speech sounds correctly, including articulation and phonological disorders.

Unilateral vs. bilateral hearing loss

Unilateral = hearing loss in one ear; bilateral = hearing loss in both ears.

Attempts

Actions a child takes to achieve a goal during communication, often seen in narratives.

Babbling

Early stage of speech development when infants produce repeated consonant–vowel sounds.

Bilingual

The ability to communicate in two languages

Bound morphemes

Word parts that cannot stand alone but change meaning when attached (e.g., -s, -ed).

Canonical babbling

Repeated consonant–vowel syllables (e.g., 'ba-ba') that emerge around 6–10 months.

Communication

The process of sharing information through verbal and nonverbal means (spoken, written, signed).

Consequence

The result or outcome that follows an initiating event in a story grammar

Episodes

Units of a story consisting of an initiating event, attempts, and consequences

Expressive jargon

Strings of syllables with adult-like intonation that sound like real speech but have no meaning.

Free morpheme

The smallest unit of meaning that can stand alone (e.g., 'cat,' 'run').

Genres

Categories of discourse, such as narratives, conversations, or expository texts

Idioms

Expressions with meanings that differ from the literal words (e.g., 'kick the bucket')

Initiating event

An event in a narrative that sets up a problem or challenge to be solved.

Language

A system of symbols and rules used to represent and share ideas.

Language content

The meaning component of language, including vocabulary (semantics).

Language form

The structure of language, including phonology, morphology, and syntax.

Language use

How language is used in social contexts (pragmatics).

Lexicon

A person’s mental dictionary of words and their meanings.

Manner of articulation

How airflow is modified when producing speech sounds (e.g., stops, fricatives, nasals).

Metaphors

Comparisons that describe something by stating it is something else (e.g., 'Time is a thief').

Morphology

The study of word structure and how morphemes combine to form words

Motherese

The simplified, melodic speech adults use with infants (also called 'infant-directed speech').

Narration

The use of language to tell a story or sequence of events.

Phonemes

The smallest units of sound that can change word meaning (e.g., /p/ vs. /b/).

Phonological awareness

The ability to recognize and manipulate the sound structure of language (e.g., rhyming, segmenting).

Phonology

The study of sound systems and rules for combining sounds in a language.

Place of articulation

The point in the vocal tract where airflow is constricted (e.g., lips, teeth, alveolar ridge).

Pragmatics

The rules for using language appropriately in social contexts

Reduplicated babbling

Repeated consonant-vowel syllables (e.g., 'mamama'), common in early development.

Semantics

The study of word meanings and relationships.

Setting

The time and place in which a story occurs.

Story grammar

The structure of a narrative, including setting, initiating event, attempts, and consequences.

Syllables

Units of speech that include a vowel sound, alone or with surrounding consonants.

Syntax

The rules for combining words into sentences.

Variegated babbling

Babbling with varied consonants and vowels (e.g., 'bada goo'), appearing after reduplicated babbling.

Voicing

Whether vocal folds vibrate during sound production (voiced vs. voiceless sounds).

Adduction

Movement of the vocal folds toward the midline, closing the glottis.

Afferent

Neural pathways that carry sensory information to the brain.

Brainstem

The part of the brain connecting the spinal cord to higher brain regions; controls vital functions.

Broca’s area

Brain region in the left frontal lobe important for speech production

Cerebellum

Brain structure involved in coordination, balance, and fine motor control (including speech movements).

Cerebral hemispheres

The two halves of the brain, left and right, specialized for different functions.

Coarticulation

Overlapping of speech sounds during production, when articulators prepare for upcoming sounds.

Corpus callosum

A large bundle of nerve fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain

Efferent

Neural pathways that carry motor signals away from the brain to muscles.

Extrapyramidal tract

Neural pathway that helps regulate involuntary motor control and posture

Formants

Resonant frequencies of the vocal tract that shape vowel sounds

Fundamental frequency (F0)

The basic rate of vocal fold vibration, perceived as pitch.

Glial cells

Supportive cells in the nervous system that maintain, protect, and nourish neurons

Glottis

The space between the vocal folds.

Harmonics

Multiples of the fundamental frequency that add richness to the voice.

Longitudinal fissure

Deep groove separating the left and right cerebral hemispheres.

Meninges

Protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

Myelin

Fatty sheath covering axons, speeding up neural transmission.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that transmit signals between neurons across synapses.

Prosody

The rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns of speech.

Pyramidal tract

The main motor pathway that controls voluntary movement, including speech muscles.

Resting expiratory level

The natural balance point between lung pressure and atmospheric pressure at the end of a breath.

Source-filter theory

A model explaining how the vocal folds (source) generate sound and the vocal tract (filter) shapes it.

Wernicke’s area

Brain region in the left temporal lobe crucial for language comprehension

Amplitude

The size or strength of a sound wave; perceived as loudness.

Auditory cortex

Brain region in the temporal lobe that processes auditory information.

Auditory nerve, CN VIII/8

The eighth cranial nerve that carries hearing and balance information from the ear to the brain.

Basilar membrane

Structure within the cochlea that vibrates in response to sound, supporting the organ of Corti.