Introduction to Communication Disorders Overview

$Communication$ : the process of sharing information between two or more people
It involves a sender and a receiver
For communication to be effective: * the sender & receiver need to be proficient in the symbol system used to communicate * there is an agreement on the system being used

$Formulation$ : putting thoughts/ideas into words to share with others
$Transmission$ : the process of conveying one’s ideas to another person
$Reception$ : the process of receiving a message from another person
$Comprehension$ : the process of making sense of that message
$Modality$ : the manner in which the message is conveyed (speech, sign language, reading, writing)
$Feedback$ : information provided by the receiver to the sender * This can be verbal/linguistic, non-verbal/extralinguistic, or paralinguistic (pitch, loudness, etc.)

$Instrumental$ : used to request/ask for something
$Regulatory$ : used to direct others/give directions
$Interactional$ : used to interact/converse socially
$Personal$ : used to express feelings or thoughts
$Heuristic$ : used to inquire/find out information
$Imaginative$ : used to tell stories/role play
$Informative$ : used to provide organized descriptions of the event/object
All of these are important in developing and maintaining social relationships & meeting basic wants and needs

These processes are essential for human communication:

$Formulation$ : putting thoughts/ideas into words to share with others * Involves language
$Transmission$ : the process of conveying one’s ideas to another person * Involves speech
$Reception$ : the process of receiving a message from another person * involves hearing * hearing loss can impair message reception
$Comprehension$ : the process of making sense of that message * involves language

$Language$ : A socially shared code using arbitary symbols for representing concepts/ideas * $Symbols$ : words that are made of sounds combined in various sounds * Learning language is learning that one thing represents another
$Speech$ : The neuromuscular process that allows us to express language vocally and a physical action involving the coordination of respiration (breathing), phonation (voicing), and articulation (using the lips, tongue, and teeth in rapid motion to produce language)

$Semantics$ : meanings of words and word combinations * this is also called vocabulary
$Syntax$ : word order/grammar and sentence organization * without syntax, the semantics of language can’t make sense
$Morphology$ : internal organization of words * $Morpheme$ : the smallest meaningful unit of language
$Phonology$ : sound and sound combinations of a language
$Pragmatics$ : how language is used for social purposes

$Communication disorder$ : a breakdown in any one of the communication processes (language, speech, hearing)
$Language disorders$ : language centers of the brain are somehow affected * Different types are child language disorders, adult language disorders, written language disorders, and reading disabilities
$Speech disorders$ : problems with physically producing speech * Different types are articulation and phonology disorders, fluency disorders, voice disorders, and motor speech disorders
$Hearing loss$ : problems with receiving sound * Includes sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, and auditory processing disorders
Feeding & swallowing disorders: neural or muscular issues with the action of swallowing * Includes pediatric feeding and swallowing problems as well as adult dysphagia